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My two biological sons are both considered "special needs" however their actual needs are as different as night and day. My oldest is Autistic & ADHD but he is on the very functional end of the autism spectrum where he will be a fully-functioning independent adult. He needs support with an IEP in the school setting and gets some counseling to help him with better understanding social context clues. My youngest is Autistic & ADHD with an intellectual disability & epilepsy. He requires significant supports and will never be independent. He is non-verbal and has an IEP as well but attends a local-based program for Children with cognitive impairments. He swims for Special Olympics. It's important to note that both are diagnosed with Autism & ADHD, but they have very different needs. So, the labels themselves mean very little without context. I'm not adopting a child with severe special needs because I already have my hands full with my youngest. That said, I'm perfectly fine with a child with Autism or less severe needs. If people want to see what caring for a child with disabilities/special education needs are like day-to-day, I can provide them with real information :)

Thank you for this video. My husband and I are in the early stages of adoption. We just received our checklist, and we're discussing the options. It's helpful to learn from someone who's been there, and has a better understanding of the outcome.

Even with biological children, there is always a chance that they could have or develop a disability. There's no way to become a parent that guarantees your child won't have additional needs beyond what you imagine as a perfect/healthy/normal child. Whatever type of parenthood you're considering, it's important to be aware of that possibility.

I am currently adopting (matching phase) and I appreciate this clarification. I wish they could change the terminology to something like "accommodations" or "requirements".

Thanks for your videos, Katie! My husband and I have just recently started researching adoption and I'm currently reading The Connected Child. I've been pleasantly surprised that I am more equipped than I initially expected to be because I have been trained to support adult survivors of abuse. My training was based on Mending the Soul by Steven R. Tracy and it would be a great companion book to The Connected Child for people who are considering adopting children who have been abused.

My eldest daughter didn’t have anything identified at time of placement, but has now been diagnosed with global developmental delay. It never would have impacted my decision but I think it goes to show that anything can happen, and will that change how willing you are to parent them? I think it’s absolutely appropriate to to have limits but also be aware that anything could happen down the road.

Thank you for this video. Very informative!