Handling the Wait

A reality of international adoption is that there are long periods of time when adopting families are simply waiting, with no paperwork left to do and little information coming to them (although of course things are moving forward). We know that many families find this wait time passes more quickly if they use it to become more familiar with the country of their child-to-be. You might consider taking a language course, reading books — both fiction and non-fiction — related to the country, learning more about its culture, and making contacts within your own community with people from that country. You can also go to the TDH Canada site to learn about the humanitarian and child advocacy projects carried out by our national organization.

General Links

• Children are curious and ask many questions, especially during the preschool years. They inquire about physical differences and about how they joined their family. As parents, we need to be well informed and prepared for these conversations. Jennifer Walker has compiled this list (PDF, 82 kb) of the many adoption related resources available to both parents and children of all ages and circumstance.
• Orphan's Hope A Canadian agency that provides grants to qualified families to assist with their adoption costs
• Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services; Adoption Information
• North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC)
• Adoption Council of Canada
• What is Adoption? A children's book and international adoption seminars in the Toronto area
• Il était une fois... Nicolas A family's adoption journey, Vietnam (in French)
• Ottawa play group for families touched by adoption, hosted by ODS (Open Door Society)

Medical Links

• HIV and AIDS adoptions: the United Nations reports there are 14 million AIDS orphans worldwide. With the advancement of antiretroviral medications the disease can now be well-managed and the children can lead largely normal lives. The following video shares the experience of two families who have adopted HIV and AIDS children, and the misconceptions surrounding the disease: http://www.facinglife.tv/episode/season_3/episode_7/episode_307.html (click on the "Watch the full episode online" link near the top).
  
• Resources related to adopting an HIV-positive child (PDF, 52kb) For more information read the October 2010 newsletter (page 23)
  
• Breastfeeding an adopted child, by Lynda Cranston (MS Word document, 40kb)
• The first few days: what to expect and how to be prepared, by Lynda Cranston (MS Word document, 37kb)
• Hypotonia and hypertonia: muscle tension conditions, by Lynda Cranston (MS Word document, 37kb)
• Adopting a child with Hepatitis B, by Lynda Cranston (MS Word document, 41kb)
• Hepatitis B testing and vaccination, by Lynda Cranston (MS Word document, 54kb)
• Scabies, a common skin condition among institutionalized children, by Lynda Cranston (MS Word document, 51kb)
• Expéditions médicales autour de l'enfance et de la jeunesse nomades proposées par Jean François Chicoine, MD et Rémi Baril, MIS (in French)
• Scabies, a common skin condition among institutionalized children (MS Word, 51kb)
• Expéditions médicales autour de l'enfance et de la jeunesse nomades proposées par Jean François Chicoine, MD et Rémi Baril, MIS (in French)
• Adoptiondoctors.com A web site representing an American medical practice specializing in adopted children; it offers a large collection of articles on a variety of developmental and health issues

When your child is home you might consider having the child undergo a thorough medical examination, specifically tailored to adoptees from outside Canada. The services vary and may or may not require a doctor's referral and/or some fees. The exam may also cover attachment and bonding issues. Contact your nearest clinic, below, for details.

• International Adoption Clinic, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), Clinic C1, Ottawa, Dr. Charles Hui or Dr. MacDonnell, 613-737-7600 ext. 2352
• Clinic for Adopted Children, Trillium Health Centre, Mississauga Site, Mississauga, Ontario, 905-848-7653 or 905-848-8303
• Dr. Sharon Marcovitch & Dr. Howard Marcovitch, 491 Lawrence Ave. W. , Suite # 405, Toronto, 416-780-0909

Vietnam Links

• Families with Children from Vietnam
• Vietnamese Embassy in Canada
• Canadian Embassy in Vietnam
• Comeunity (Vietnam adoption)
• Vietnam Adoption Canada (Yahoo! group for Canadians in the process of adopting from Vietnam)
• Viet Nam News (the national English language daily in Vietnam)
• An annotated reading list of fiction and non-fiction works related to Vietnam, prepared by Mary Hart. PDF version (1.02 MB) (To view the PDF you require Adobe Acrobat Reader. To download a free version, click here.)
• Touchant témoignage d'un papa adoptant avec TDH This French video, hosted by L'Heure de la Bonne Nouvelle, tells the personal story of a Canadian family who adopted a special needs child from Vietnam.
• Vietnam Quilts, a small non-profit organisation that works with women in rural Vietnam to hand-make quilts and home accessories

Ukraine Links

• Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption
• Adoptive Families: Ukraine
• Ukraine Embassy in Canada
• Canadian Embassy in Ukraine

Honduras Links

• Honduras This Week is an English language weekly Saturday newspaper published in Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital.

Forms

• Follow-up reports that families adopting from Vietnam are legally obligated to provide to the Vietnamese authorities at specific intervals. These are Word documents and you are welcome to edit them, particularly to add information that truly captures the development of your own child, as long as the basic information required is retained. These reports cannot be submitted electronically. Four hard copies of the report and of accompanying photos are required. Please contact TDH for specifics on sending in these reports. Download the report form here.