Would You Adopt a Special Needs Child in Foster Care? We are The Burdick Family. We have fostered 12 years and have adopted six children who would otherwise have gone into foster care or could not reunify, making us...
Would You Adopt a Special Needs Child in Foster Care?
We are The Burdick Family. We have fostered 12 years and have adopted six children who would otherwise have gone into foster care or could not reunify, making us a family of twelve. Our kids ages are 27, 25, 23, 21, 15, 14, 12, 5, 3, and 3.
Our fostering journey began 15 years ago. After starting foster care classes and learning just how hard it can be — “we could never fit as foster parents!” We dropped out of the classes; however, in that process, we submitted an application to adopt with a local ministry.
Within a week, the agency called us about adopting a special-needs baby. The mother was in an amazing and supportive foster family but decided that private adoption was best for her child. When she gave her son to our family, she also gave herself to us as a daughter!
Special Needs in Foster Care
A year later, the agency called again about adopting another special-needs baby who would have gone into foster care otherwise.
Three years later, his cousin was in foster care. The agency asked us to become licensed to become foster parents. We completed our licensing requirements and our son’s cousin came live with us at three months old.
Since then, we have fostered many babies — several were able to return home, and those who didn’t, we committed to adopt.
The last three, almost four, years, we had three medically-fragile babies, all needing g-tubes; each kiddo with their own unique journey.
Today, our 5-year-old forever child is g-tube free, and attending kindergarten.
Both our three-year-old sons are, too, off their g-tubes, attending preschool, and as healthy as can be.
The journey has had many ups and downs, but overall and without a doubt, we would do it all again to have the privilege of loving children from hard places.
We had amazing support from other foster families as well as our immediate family and friends. Our older four children have grown in compassion and love all their younger siblings.
12 Tips for Fostering a Special Needs Child
