Adoption

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Identifying Adopted Children and the Type of Adoption

Identifying adopted children in the NSCH who were eligible for the NSAP, and identifying the type of adoption, required several steps. All NSCH respondents reported their own relationship to the child. Those who identified themselves as a mother or father to the child were asked whether they were the child’s “biological, adoptive, step, or fos

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Data Sources

Data for this Chartbook come from the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents (NSAP) and from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). Estimates pertaining to the entire population of U.S. children are based on the NSCH sample, and estimates pertaining to adopted children are based on the NSAP sample.

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Rehabilitative Services and Other Supports Not Specific to Adoption

Mental health care and tutoring were the most common services received by adopted children that were not specifically designed for or targeted to adoptive families. Among adopted children ages 5 and over, 39 percent received mental health care and 36 percent received tutoring. Families of one out of five adopted children received family counseli

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Adoption-specific Supports

The most commonly reported service received was meeting with someone from the adoption agency to discuss post-adoption services (35 percent). Participating in a parent support group, participating in parent trainings, and using web-based resources are services that the parents of about three out of ten children received regardless of adoption ty

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Post-adoption supports

Post-adoption supports include an array of services and other assistance that families may receive after adopting a child. 35 In this section, we discuss several categories of supports. Supports specific to adoption include meeting with agency staff, child and parent adoption support groups, parent training, and web-based resources. Financial supp

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Adoption openness

In the adoption process, “openness” refers to the extent to which all parties (including the adopted child and birth-family members) are informed about past and present relationships, and are able to initiate and maintain contact with each other. To examine adoption openness, this section first identifies whether or not children are aware that

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Adoption expenses

This section examines adoption expenses and sources of reimbursement for expenses, including filing for the federal adoption tax credit, reimbursement for some or all costs by the adoption agency (for children adopted from foster care only), and employer-provided financial assistance. The federal adoption tax credit was established in 1996 to reim

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Parents’ satisfaction with their agency or attorney

This section examines adoptive parents’ satisfaction with their adoption agency or attorney. See Appendix Table 16 on page 75 for detailed data on each indicator.

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Parents’ motivation to adopt

This section examines adoptive parents’ motivation to adopt. Examining why parents choose to adopt and how those reasons are similar and different across adoption types may inform agencies’ recruitment efforts. See Appendix Table 15 on page 74 for detailed data on each indicator.

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Part 2: The Adoption Process

Part 2 presents findings about the adoption process. Information presented includes parents’ motivation to adopt, parental satisfaction with the agency or attorney that assisted them in the adoption, and adoption expenses. In addition, this section includes information about the openness of adoptions as well as on the post-adoption services and

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Parents’ prior connections to adoption

This section examines adoptive parents’ prior experience with adoption. See Appendix Table 14 on page 74 for detailed data.

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Parent involvement and advocacy in the adoption community

This section examines whether adoptive parents have ever helped other adoptive families, for example, whether they have mentored new adoptive parents, and whether they have recruited other families to adopt children. See Appendix Table 13 on page 73 for detailed data on each indicator.

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Adoption satisfaction

To examine adoption satisfaction, this section reports on three measures: whether parentswould make the same decision to adopt their child again, whether parents considereddissolving the adoption, and parental perceptions of their child’s feelings about being adopted. See Appendix Table 12 on page 72 for detailed data on each indicator.

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Parenting and parentwell-being

This section examines five indicators related to parenting: 1) whether the parent-child relationship was rated as very warm and close; 2) the parent-child relationship compared to parental expectations; 3) the experience of having the child in his/her life as compared to parental expectations; 4) ability to cope with the demands of parenting; and

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Family and communityactivities

This section examines a set of activities that are often inherently of value to children and families and that are also predictive of child well-being. For example, reading to young children, 25 as well as telling stories and singing to young children,26 supports children’s early literacy development.

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Cognitive development and educational achievement

To assess the cognitive development and educational achievement of children who were adopted, the Chartbook summarizes parents’ reports on four measures for school-age children: reading/language arts performance, math performance, engagement in school, and whether children spend time reading for pleasure. See Appendix Table 9 on page 68 for deta

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Social and emotionalwell-being

To assess the social and emotional well-being of adopted children, this section reports on whether children have ever been diagnosed with any of four psychological disorders, including attachment disorder, depression, attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), or behavior/conduct disorder. Additionally, we repo

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Health Insurance and Health CARE

The vast majority of adopted children not only have insurance (95 percent), but have been consistently covered over the prior 12 months (91 percent) and have adequate insurance (78 percent). Additionally, 60 percent of adopted children receive coordinated, ongoing, comprehensive care within a medical home; i see Figure 17.

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Health and Well-being

The majority of adopted children fare well on six measures of health. Specifically, 85 percent of adopted children have parents who rated their health as “excellent” or “very good.” Yet 39 percent of adopted children have special health care needs—a broadly defined measure. Children with special health care needs include those who curren

Adoption USA. A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Neighborhood characteristics

To provide information about the neighbor hoods in which adopted children live, this section reports on whether or not adopted children live in or near urban areas, as well as on whether the children’s neighborhoods are safe, have characteristics indicating poor physical condition, and have amenities. See Appendix Table 6 on page 63 for deta

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