ABSTRACT
The majority of post-adoption service staff believed that the successful adjustment of the adopted child is related to the adoptive parents. Families must be open, honest, devoted, and nurturing. To gain additional knowledge about issues associated with state agency adoption outcomes, telephone interviews were conducted with 12 post-adoption service providers located within 12 regions in the state. As these therapists provide services to children after the placement, they know first-hand about the problems experienced by children and families. Post-adoption service providers viewed special needs adopted children as unique because of their history of physical and/or sexual abuse, neglect, and behavioral and neurological problems. Detailed background information on special needs adopted children was either not shared at all, or not completely shared, with adoptive parents until the Texas disclosure law was passed in 1989. The extent of drug abuse history by the birthparents, extent of sexual abuse, and the number of previous placements of the child.
