Special Needs:
A Matter of Recognition
Melanie Ford
Fall 2014
Abstract
The labeling of children as special needs in the United States adoption system is not
solely derived from one definition or circumstance, but a wide variety of conditions that may be
identified as needing extra assistance or effort during and post adoption placement. These
conditions range from physical disabilities to traumatic experiences to demographic factors such
as age or race. In this paper I specifically focus on the adoption of children who are labeled
special needs due to emotional and behavioral problems as a result of trauma and stigmatization
in the foster care system. With a first hand account I uncover ways in which the recognition of a
child labeled special needs, specifically in the case of emotional and behavioral problems, may
prove to be beneficial or otherwise in the positive development of the child through everyday
and ordinary experiences.
Introduction
It is often believed that the term special needs only applies to those with physical or
mental disabilities, when often those considered special needs come from a variety of
backgrounds and characteristics that are not always associated with such disabilities. In the
United States adoption system the term special needs or hard to place is “generally used to
describe those children for whom, because of the presence of certain characteristics and
conditions, it is particularly difficult to find permanent homes” (McKenzie, 1993:62). The
majority of these characteristics include “older age at adoption (older than 4 years), emotional or
behavioral problems, adoptive placement as part of a sibling group, and disabilities” (Rosenthal,
1993:77). Minority and biracial children, often not older than the ages of four and without
disabilities, are also labeled as special needs children due to challenges encountered in finding
these children permanent homes (Rosenthal and Groze 1992). To better contextualize the
diversity behind labeling adoptive children as special needs in the United States adoption system,
I will incorporate the memories and struggles of an adoptive mother, Julia, and her adopted
daughter, Olivia, who