Ukraine

Temple Grandin, Cows and Autism

Submitted by AngelaW on Sun, 02/07/2010 - 22:37

temple grandinSaturday night I saw down with my family to watch a biopic for Temple Grandin. I have been reading about Dr Template Grandin for years and years. I expected to love it ... and I did. It is a must-see movie.

Temple is a highly successful 62-year old woman with autism. She invented a career for herself in the cattle industry. She has transformed how autism is seen and how cows (and many other prey animals) are handled.

The movie quickly moved from "4-year old Temple being diagnosed with autism" to "33-year old Temple with a masters degree  in animal science."  

Sensory integration disorder was clearly explained. This is such a hard issue for people to understand. I still remember issues that happened in first grade. So I explained SID to Natasha's  first grade teacher. Seriously... the teacher thought that I was making it up... to excuse Natasha's bad behavior. (ARGH!)

Changing Adopted Child's Name, Keeping The Past Alive

Submitted by AngelaW on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 21:15

Natasha in park love spring blue dress Kathleen30 said:

I am an international adoptee, I feel changing a childs name completely is stripping them of their heritage or what will soon be left of it...Have a name from that part of the country and incorporate it with a name to where they will be settling.

Sometimes that is the only link the child will ever have to their birth parents and that is being stripped away. This also goes for domestic adoption.

from: Adoption Baby Names With Nicknames: Annabelle

There are 2 easy ways to get an adoptive parent email list excited. Ask:

  • Should I have my son circumcised?
  • Can I change my child's name?

Fugitive Orson Mozes Arrested After Years of International Adoption Fraud

Submitted by FosterMommy on Fri, 01/02/2009 - 21:42

At least 62 prospective adoptive families are breathing a sigh of relief now that fugitive Orson Mozes is behind bars in Miami Florida after being arrested December 29, 2008. The television show, America’s Most Wanted, profiled Orson Mozes in August of 2008. Not only did he steal money from prospective adoptive parents but he broke their hearts as well. He pretended to have adoptive child referrals from Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Russia and posted photos on the Internet. He collected money from hopeful adoptive parents to place a hold on the child of their dreams, a child that was never to be theirs, through his Pennsylvania licensed agency, Adoption International Program, AIP. His agency required clients to open a FedEx account, and then wire the agency between $7,000 and $11,000 to hold a precious child for them to adopt internationally.

Tell Family and Friends About Your Adoption

Submitted by AngelaW on Tue, 09/30/2008 - 14:21

Natasha in ParkMy darling is now 11 years old, but I was recently looking at some old photos. She is 5 years old in this picture. And she is very happy.

Revisiting old history made me think about my "family and friends" letter. (Well there was also an email about doing adoption announcements on an email list that I hang out on.)

Once I decided to adopt, I slowly told my closest friends and family. I told them one at a time. I talked to them when it seemed natural. Once my plans firmed up, I sent out an adoption announcement. It was an eight page letter.

It was too wordy because I was excited about my plans.

Ukraine Adoption Statistics

Submitted by AngelaW on Fri, 08/22/2008 - 01:46

Natasha adopted from Ukraine 3 years old

I adopted my darling Natasha from Ukraine in 2000. She was 3.5 years old. This is a picture of her at that time. You can see her crossed eyes in the picture. They were fixed with 45 minutes of eye surgery after she came home. This type of surgery just wasn't possible in Ukraine in 2000.

Natasha is now 11 years old and has collected other labels; ADHD, dyslexia, sensory integration disorder. She has a great IEP and is doing well in school. She just started 5th grade.

For some reason, the beginning of the school year got me to thinking about Ukrainian adoption. So I took a look at Ukrainian adoption statistics. All these numbers are provided by the U.S. Office of Immigration Statistics. I love statistics. I think they provide a nice framework for conversation.

Research International Adoption Statistics

Submitted by AngelaW on Wed, 06/04/2008 - 15:18

international adoption trendsI am a fan of statistics because I think they give me a framework to understand the world. They don't give me THE ANSWER, but they help me get closer to my answer.

 During my adoption research in 1999, I analyzed international adoption trends. I was trying to find out which country had the most stable international adoption program.  It isn't any surprise but Korea was the most stable in 1999. Ukraine and Guatemala were attractive as well.

Ukraine Friday - Inflation, Paying Women to Birth Children, Adoption Law

Submitted by AngelaW on Fri, 05/23/2008 - 21:00

ukraine flag

 I adopted my darling daughter Natasha from Ukraine in 2000. And because of this, I feel connected to Ukraine. So I am starting a regular Friday blog to discuss the status of Ukrainian adoption and Ukrainian child protection policies.

Ukraine's annual inflation hit 30% in April 2008. Their harvest was poor and worldwide food prices continue to increase. Ukraine saw some huge price hikes during the last year.

Myanmar Update

Submitted by AngelaW on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 04:31

Mynamar cycloneWe are still seeing a bunch of new visitors who want to know about Myanmar children and Myanmar adoption. They are finding us via google.com. So this update is for the searchers and others who care.

LisaS reported in a recent post that children from Myanmar (formerly Burma) cannot be adopted. The UN is estimating that 100,000 Burmese may have died due to Cyclone Nargis and the aftermath. Or maybe the figure is 127,990 Myanmar dead and growing. And according to Aljazeera:

The Golden Age Of International Adoption Has Passed

Submitted by VirginiaC on Mon, 05/12/2008 - 14:00

You've seen the drop in inter-country adoptions to the United States. Some of you have experienced the slow-downs in Russia, China and South Korea. Maybe you are trying to sort out the new rules in Ukraine, or cope with the upheaval in Guatemala and the impeding closure of Vietnam to American adoptive parents. There's a larger trend at work here, I think, and it is quite simply this: The golden age of international adoption is now behind us.

"Golden Age" has been a metaphor applied to many events in world history, from the rule of Elizabeth I in medieval England to the invention of radio and television. Wikipedia defines it as "a period in a field of endeavor when great tasks were accomplished", which seems right on the mark for today's discussion of adoption.