How will the research benefit families and professionals working with families?
Our purpose is to explore the positive adjustments that families can and do make. Adoptive families are mostly highly satisfied with their decision to adopt a special-needs child, and birth families realize that their child with a disability has made many contributions to the family. We believe that these findings, which we are publishing and presenting at conferences, are important for both families and professionals to know and understand. Professionals are better able to provide appropriate services to families when they have a balanced view of the challenges and the rewards that families experience.