Developing Emotional Attachments in Adopted Children Adopting children is an incredibly rewarding experience for many
parents whether or not they have biological children of their own.
Yet, adoptive parents, while thoroughly scrutinized by adopting
agencies, are often given little information about their adopted child,
in terms of family history or specific parenting skills that will help
their adopted children develop strong emotional attachments. Only
recently have post-adoption resources become available for
adoptive families. Though these resources are few nationwide,
adoption and post-adoption agencies are becoming more aware of
the need to inform parents of a child's prior history and the
potential for cognitive, behavior and attachment problems.
VIEW ARTICLE
Issues Facing Adoptive Parents of Children with Special Needs
The typical scenario of a young married couple adopting an infant
from birth has changed dramatically and has been redefined. Today,
many children being adopted are not infants, but are older children
of various races being adopted from either the public foster care
system or orphanages oversees. Often, children in these groups
have suffered abuse, abandonment, and/or neglect.
Due to a history of trauma, these children are considered “special
needs” and require special parenting once adopted into permanent
homes. Many of these children are dealing with mental health issues
such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder
(CD), Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), Post-traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD), and/or depression.
Read what the Beyond Consequences Institute says about
parenting children with these special needs.
VIEW ARTICLE
Madisen Needs a Family Who Will Stand by
Her Forever
Madisen is a funny, helpful
eleven-year old who has
been blossoming this past
year. She enjoys animals,
coloring, board games,
singing, and has been getting
more and more into reading
books. She loves
experiencing new things, and looks forward to
outdoor adventures with her future family,
especially parks, drawing with sidewalk chalk,
and waterslides! Most importantly, Madisen
hopes for a family who thinks she is a special
person, will love her and be her support system
forever.
A two-parent or a single female parent
household with consistent structure and routine
would be ideal for Madisen. It would also be
best if Madisen were the youngest or only child
in the household, as she gets along best with
older children she can look up to. Currently,
Madisen’s DHS worker will consider families
residing in Iowa and bordering states in order to
maintain relationships with her relatives.
Madisen is a little girl who hasn’t had many
chances in her short life. She deserves a loving
family who will accept her as their own—a
family who will stand by her forever. Will you
be Madisen’s forever family? To learn more,
visit the Iowa KidsNet website.
Parental Openness Can Help Children Learn to Trust The North American Council on Adoptable Children’s newsletter Adoptalk features an excellent article by Dr. Jonathan Baylin
and Dr. Daniel Hughes. The Science of Parent-Child Relationships: Parental Openness Can Help Children Learn to Trust explains
how research has shed light on the effects of trauma on children and youth, and how parenting children who mistrust can
affect caregivers' brains as well. VIEW ARTICLE
C O N F E R E N C E & H O T E L I N F O The conference will be held at the Five Sullivan Brothers
Convention Center in Waterloo which is connected to the
Ramada Hotel via skywalk.
H O T E L A R R A N G E M E N T S Hotel arrangements should be made directly with the
Ramada Hotel (205 West 4th Street, Waterloo) by calling
319-233-7560. Please mention you are attending the IFAPA
Conference.
View Conference Brochure
Register for the Conference
VIEW THE ENTIRE FALL
TRAINING SCHEDULE
REGISTER FOR A TRAINING OR
CALL IFAPA AT 800-277-8145 EXT. 1
WORKSHOPS - Friday, October 17 (8:00am - 4:00pm)
A1 - They Do Remember: The Impact of Early Medical Trauma on
Children
A2 - Sit Still & Be Quiet—Parenting the Child with ADHD
A3 - Attachment – What is it & How to Make it Happen?
A4 - CPR & First Aid
B1 - A Guide to Childhood Developmental Trauma in Kids with
Special Needs
B2 - I Like This Child, But What About Those Behaviors?
B3 - Navigating the Social World
B4 - CPR & First Aid
C1 - Keeping Track of What You’ve Got: 9 Ways to Organize
Caregiving Paperwork
C2 - Children’s Mental Health: Managing Multiple Diagnoses
C3 - Managing Your Child’s Behavior
C4 - Self-Care in the Foster, Adoptive & Kinship Realm
FALL CONFERENCE October 17 & 18, 2014 / Waterloo, Iowa
WORKSHOPS - Saturday, October 18 (8:00am - 4:00pm)
D1 - The Impact on Children Who Witness Domestic Violence
D2 - Parenting Parents: Supporting Pregnant & Parenting Teens
D3 - “I Won’t Do it & You Can’t Make Me”: ODD in Kids/Teens
D4 - CPR & First Aid
E1 - Hope for Healing: Understanding Trauma & Attachment
E2 - Childhood Depression & Suicide: Recognizing the Signs &
Effective Ways to Respond
E3 - How Teenagers Become Sex Offenders – A Label That Never
Goes Away
E4 - CPR & First Aid
F1 - And Off to School We Go…
F2 - Answering the Tough Questions
F3 - Children & Sexual Misconduct: Case Studies in Foster Care
F4 - When Your Child Worries too Much, too Frequently, or too
Repetitively: How to Deal with the What-If’s
IFAPA TRAINING
Helping Children Heal from the
Double Trauma of Sexual
Abuse and Placement When children are sexually abused within their family
they are likely to experience trauma. When they are
subsequently placed in foster care they often
experience a new trauma associated with loss of all
that is familiar. As those children begin to trust their
resource parents it is more likely they will disclose the
earlier abuse. The response of the resource parents
to the disclosure can either help with the healing
process or further traumatize the child. This
workshop will describe techniques and strategies that
promote the healthy growth and development of
children who have been sexually abused and then
placed in foster care.
Saturday, Oct. 4 (9am-4:30pm) - SIOUX CITY
Saturday, Oct.11 (9am-4:30pm) - ANKENY
IFAPA TRAINING
“Don’t Worry About It!” Anxiety,
Panic & OCD
We all worry and at times feel anxious and at certain
times worrying can turn in to real symptoms of
anxiety and panic. And in more extreme cases, anxiety
and panic can manifest itself into obsessive thoughts
and compulsive behaviors. Have you ever wondered
exactly why it is that we worry and experience
symptoms of anxiety and panic? The purpose of this
workshop is to help participants gain greater insight
and understanding behind the biology of why anxiety
exists and teach the skills needed for children and
adolescents, as well as adults, to be able to manage
anxiety, panic, and obsessive thoughts and compulsive
behaviors more effectively.
Saturday, Oct. 4 (9am-4:30pm) - COUNCIL BLUFFS