Lilly, born in China, was welcomed into the loving arms of her mom and dad, Jenny and Daniel, at the age of 3 years.  That was nearly a decade ago, not long after I began working with the China program!  I recently reconnected with Jenny to talk about Lilly’s journey over the past […]

    Did you realize that today is World Down Syndrome Day? Why the 21st of March, you ask? The date for WDSD being the 21st day of the 3rd month, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome.   Nightlight has had the privilege […]

If you have you been waiting for a “healthy” referral from China or are signed up to receive a referral from another country and have been waiting, you may want to consider making a change.  Last year, 2,040 children entered the United States through Intercountry adoption from China.  China remains the largest Intercountry adoption program […]

“Focus on: Cerebral Palsy” Many families pursuing international adoption are intimidated by the options, the process, as well as the potential challenges. So when a family hears about “special needs” adoption, they can feel completely overwhelmed. But the truth is that most of these special needs are quite misunderstood and often can be corrected with […]

Fortunately, as a child’s environment changes and the neurotransmitter levels become normal, the child’s behavior changes, further changing the brain chemistry. This then affects the brain structure and operation, helping the brain, which is malleable, to then return to a more normal state.

Before you adopt a child—any child—it is only natural to consider what the response of friends and family will be. After all, this is one of the steps in the adoption process—telling others.

Adopting a child from another country who is HIV positive requires no special visa beyond the usual IR-3 or IR-4 visas. However, you will want to be prepared for the adoption, getting through the process of bringing a child home, and the care of a such a child. We will next discuss the day-to-day issues of raising an HIV+ child.

Many families are now choosing to adopt children who are HIV positive. The children can come from any country, but the majority of HIV positive children come from Africa.  About 3 million children in sub-Saharan Africa are infected with the HIV virus, and 90% of all children with HIV come from this region. Because of […]

Spina Bifida Occulta occurs in 10-20% of the population. Many people have no symptoms, but for those who do, these can vary widely. Surgery and treatment can also be effective.

Welcome to the first in a 6-part series on Spina Bifida. In the following posts we will discuss each of the types of Spina Bifida (SB); making the decision to adopt a child with SB; and the treatment and prognosis for these children. SB is a condition that occurs during the first month of fetal […]