Children with special needs
Adoption and fostering features about children with special needs
What is developmental delay?
"Developmental delay", "global delay", "meeting his or her developmental milestones" can all be confusing and sometimes nebulous terms... This article explains what child development is, the causes of delay and the prognosis...
I've had to learn the hard and fast way
When Molly was placed with Karen at the age of four, she couldn't do basic, simple things. With love and determination, Karen set out to help Molly develop to her full potential...
What is a Child Development Centre?
If your child has been diagnosed with developmental delay, he or she may well be referred to one of those centres. Find out what happens there...
Developmental milestones
Have a look at our simple chart covering the first six years of a child's life.
What's behind the label?
Are you finding the idea of caring for a child who is labelled "delayed" scary? Maybe you need to look for the child behind the label...
FASD: the invisible disability
Little research has been done in the UK on Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) yet we know it affects many children waiting to be adopted or fostered...
Jane's story
Jane, a young woman with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, describes the impact this has had on her life, and particularly on her schooling and education...
What is FASD?
Dr Mary Mather, Medical Director for Parents for Children, describes the impact on children of their birth mother misusing alcohol during pregnancy.
Hurdles and happiness...
Caring for their three adopted children with FASD has been a challenge, a learning process, as well as a source of happiness, for Ali and Barry...
Supporting carers of children with FASD: Parents for Children's FACT project
Parents for Children, a charity which places chidlren with very special needs, including those with FASD, into permanent families, has launched its Foetally Affected Children's Team (FACT) Centre of Excellence...
Helping your FASD affected child and yourself
Caring for a child with FASD can be occasionally challenging but there are many things you can do to help yourself and your child
An amazing capacity to heal
Playing and acting out their story can be an important part of recovery for children in care who have experienced loss and trauma.
Helping your child ‘unlearn’
What can you do to help your child ‘unlearn’ the behaviours they have had to develop to survive?
Together in time
Joe was only four when Ruth and Ed adopted him, but the neglect and trauma he had experienced in his young life had left him angry and hurt. They received additional support to help care for their son in the form of music therapy.
Love isn’t always enough…
Ann, a Child and Adolescent Consultant Psychiatrist, explains some of the support available from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to help children manage their behaviours and emotions.
Living with children with attachment issues
Here, some adopters who have had to help their children deal with attachment issues share some of the difficult moments they experienced, and some of the rewards too.
Attachment issues in adoption and foster care
All children who are looked after, whether they are being placed with a permanent foster or adoptive family, will experience some difficulties around attachment.
Ways to deal with attachment issues: Helping your child build trust
Pointers for helping a child manage their feelings, behaviours and how to build trust.
Providing a secure base for troubled children
Attachment is at the heart of family life and at the heart of adoption and fostering. Looked after children have had to cope with difficult relationships in their birth families and they bring their complex coping strategies into their new families.
Believe in yourself
Single carer Karen has adopted three children affected by parental substance misuse.
Invisible scars: growing up in a family misusing alcohol or drugs
What is it like for children to see their parents using drugs or drinking heavily every day?
Prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol
Dr Florence Merredew, Health Group Development Officer for BAAF, describes the effects of parental drug and alcohol misuse on children´s development.
Raising awareness
Fourteen-year-old Rebecca has Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Here, her adoptive mother talks about the challenges she faces at secondary school and beyond.
Hi I'm Rebecca
Rebecca, aged 14, explains how foetal alchol syndrome affects her life.
Look behind the label
Carol, a mature, black single adopter originally fostered Laquayah, an 'older' child, before adopting her.
Last updated: 02 February 10
