Nothing can really prepare you for the moment when you receive your child assignment. For most people, it's thrilling and scary at the same time. Some people may feel disappointed if they are not thrilled enough. All of these feelings are normal.

Working with an International Medical Specialist

The most difficult part of considering a child is remaining objective, which may seem impossible. Many people feel a bond with a child immediately upon seeing a video or photo or even hearing a name. However, it's extremely important to consider all of the available information on a child, especially medical information if it has been made available by the country from which you are adopting. This is where an international medical expert comes in. Because a physician working within the typical American medical practice will not be familiar with children who are available for international adoption (especially children who have spent time in an orphanage), nor will he/she be familiar with the medical terminology used in foreign countries, it is extremely important to have your child's medical information reviewed by a physician who is familiar with international adoption. Based on the information available, he/she will give you an expert opinion about the child's health. More than likely, the physician will have follow-up questions that need to be answered. If the agency cannot get the answers, then you will have to determine the risks you are willing to accept.

Expectations

By the time you have reached this point in the adoption process, you should be very clear on what to expect in a child assignment. Your adoption agency (which is also known as your placing agency) should have shown or discussed with you what a typical child looks like at the time of placement and what an average medical report looks like. A child, who is being adopted from overseas, will not look the same as a typical American child. At the very least, he/she will most likely be smaller due to poor nutrition and may have developmental delays as well. Depending on the child, these problems can be overcome with good health care and the support of a loving family. However, sometimes there are undiagnosed problems that neither the agency nor the international specialist was able to identify. Although it is rare for the problems to be severe, it is part of the risk with international adoption.

Once you receive a child assignment, your adoption agency will ask you to run the information by an international specialist before you give them a final answer. If you are not comfortable with your child assignment, you should not be afraid to turn it down due to any repercussions from your agency. Speak with your agency to help define what your concerns are and how they can adjust the child search to accommodate these concerns. It's just a matter of communicating your expectations. There may come a time, however, if you turn down several children that the agency perceives as "good matches", that the agency may say they cannot help you. That's why it is imperative that you make your expectations very clear before you start the whole adoption process.