Rita Laws
Biography
Rita Laws, Ph.D., is mom to 2 daughters and 10 sons through both birth and adoption. She has written several books about special needs adoption and many articles. You can find her online courses at fosterparents.com and adoptnet.org, and recent writings at nacac.org. She is a member of the Oklahoma Choctaw tribe and lives in rural Oklahoma with "way too many pets."
Articles
Special Needs Adoption FAQ
Part 1: What Prospective Adoptive Parents Need to Know Key Points * About 134,000 children are waiting to be adopted right now out of the half million US children in foster care. The rest w [more]
From Hell to Heaven: How Orphan Care Evolves
Level 1: HellJune, 2002 - Recently, at a City Council meeting in Minnesota, plans were approved for the building of a privately funded orphanage. The adoption community views this as a giant step ba [more]
What to do When Your Adoption is Failing: A Parent's Guide to Adoption Disruption & Dissolution
Introduction ~ Nancy AsheOne of the saddest - and most controversial - occurrences in the world of adoption is when adoptive parents feel compelled to disrupt or dissolve an adoption. [more]
What Adoptive Parents Need
What I Need Nowby Rita Laws, Ph.D.© 2002, Reprinted by permission From a speech given at the Conference of the Dave Thomas Center for Adoption Law.(The perspective of [more]
Preparing for Arrival of Your Child/ren
Infants, Children, Teens, and Sibling Groups Adoption is not just about babies. Children of all ages are adoptable and being adopted. Older child and teen adoption has been on the increase for years,... [more]
Adoption Subsidy: Negotiating and Renegotiating Your Child's Contract
What is it, and does my child qualify? Parents adopting children with special needs from private, non-profit agencies, or from the U.S. foster care system often have similar questions about adoption... [more]
False Abuse Allegations, Adoption, and Foster Care
Why False Allegations Occurby Rita Laws, Ph.D.© 2002, Reprinted by permission The first version of this checklist appeared in the book: "Adopting and Advocating for [more]
Positive Steps for Families in Crisis (and Those Heading That Way)
Crisis planning solutions for all family types faced with extraordinary challenges Dr. Rita Laws is a recognized authority on many issues related to challenging behaviors, and she is also the mothe [more]
