Date of Award
2011
Document Type
Project
Degree Name
Master of Social Work
Department
School of Social Work
First Advisor
McAllister, Carolyn
Second Advisor
McCaslin, Rosemary
Abstract
This qualitative study explores the experiences of families who choose to internationally adopt a child with Down syndrome. This study was conducted in order to address the current scarcity of research on this population and their specific needs and strengths in order to equip social work practitioners to more effectively work with these families. Mothers were interviewed about their family's adoption process, the service they utilized, and the process of integrating the newly adopted child into the existing family unit. A sample of nine families who had completed an international adoption of a child with Down syndrome were gathered. These families were selected from a pool of families who participate in an online forum through Reece's Rainbow, an organization that seeks to raise awareness of children with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities waiting for adoption in foreign orphanages.
Recommended Citation
Lazo, Erika Susan, "Choosing the gift of Down syndrome: Families' experiences internationally adopting a child with Down syndrome" (2011). Theses Digitization Project. 3950.
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/3950
