The McPartland family chose to adopt their son with ADHD. CCAI has many children with ADHD in our country programs. If you are considering adopting a child with ADHD, please email us at mail@ccaifamily.org.
According to psychiatry.org, “Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders affecting children. Symptoms of ADHD include inattention (not being able to keep focus), hyperactivity (excess movement that is not fitting to the setting) and impulsivity (hasty acts that occur in the moment without thought).”
The McPartland family at home!
Raising a child with ADHD
Our son was diagnosed with ADHD, among other diagnoses in Taiwan. We have been home for 14 months and ADHD seems to be the most prevalent diagnosis. We adopted him at 6 ½ years old and full of spunk. He still is! As a special education teacher, I have experienced many children with ADHD in my teaching career. Before we brought him home, I was not concerned about his ADHD. Keeping structure, routines, and predictability are critical. Also, because of the language barrier, I knew we would need to be drawing a lot of visuals.
Preparing for our trip to Taiwan, I brought a few things with us: a small notebook for our visual schedule, Woody Goes to America travel book (a book I made concerning the airport process for our son), a sign language communication book with English and Mandarin (our family’s primary mode of communication is sign language), a calendar with pictures of when we would leave and lots of stickers.
After getting custody, we drew out a stick figure schedule so our son knew what would come next. We could not imagine being almost seven years old, taken from the only home you know, and leaving with strangers. It was important that he felt comfortable. This technique worked, so we used it religiously for months, and found that he began to trust us because we would keep our word about what would happen next. This schedule was very daunting at first, but we got good at drawing stick figures! Slowly, we left blank spaces for “unscheduled times” and changes in the schedule. When this happened, we talked about how things were unexpected in a controlled environment.
We no longer use the stick figure schedule every day, only on holiday breaks when we have visitors or are on vacation. Generally, if anything is out of the ordinary, we bring out some old tools to help him.
McPartland son loves boating!
McPartland son in Taiwan
We do timers for meals, repeating 3 step directions, eye contact, eye contact, eye contact, eye contact, identifying feelings, and learning how to cope with feelings (breaks or Trauma Release Exercises). There are so many things daily that we no longer think about because it has just become second nature to our family. Currently, we are in the process of adopting a second older child from Taiwan! This time around, we are less concerned about special needs. Adopting an older child comes with many fears. At the end of the day, these sweet “older children” are still babies who need a family.
Learn more tips and tools to help your child with ADHD! Attitude magazine is a tried and true resource for parents raising children with ADHD.
If you are interested in adopting a child with ADHD or adopting through our Taiwan program, please email us at mail@ccaifamily.org or click here.
GiGi Pleet joined CCAI in 2014 as our China Applications Specialist. She rejoined the team in 2022 after taking a few years off to spend time with her family. GiGi and her husband have adopted three beautiful daughters from China who are the joy and purpose of their lives. GiGi is passionate about adoption and furthering CCAI’s mission to find loving parents and permanent homes for as many children as possible and to continue reaching out to children left behind. When she is not working, you can find her spending time with her girls in the beautiful mountains of Colorado or on an adventure to a new, faraway place.
Joined CCAI: Originally 2014 – 2020, rejoined 2022
Bucket List Item: To see all Seven Wonders of the World
Contact Information
gigi@ccaifamily.org
(303) 850-9998 ext. 300
Emily Straut
The Park Administrative Assistant
Emily was adopted through CCAI in 2002! Having always admired the ways that the organization continued to support families even after adoption, she began working at The Park last year because she wanted to be more involved in the adoption community and according to her, “It’s been a blast so far!”
Emily is majoring in environmental science at MSU Denver and hopes to help mitigate the causes and effects of climate change. In her free time, she like to practice guitar, play video games, watch movies, and spend time with her friends and family.
Bucket List: Visit every province in China!
Contact Information
emily@theparkcommunity.org
(303) 221-6688 ext. 170
Ivy Buchanan
The Park Adoptee Program Coordinator
Ivy has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Production Design for Film and Theater with a minor in Studio Art. She had the opportunity to study abroad in London, England and Florence, Italy. After graduating, while visiting an orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal she had a moment of realization and knew she wanted to work in the adoption community. After some prior experience in post-adoption and nonprofit management, she came to The Park and is really enjoying focusing on and being involved with offering lifelong support for adoptees and the adoption community.
Ivy was adopted from Kazakhstan at 18-months old and is proud of her adoptee identity and her adoptive family. She is passionate about sharing the stories of the amazing people in the adoption community and helping adoptees celebrate their identities. Her lifelong best friend was adopted from China through CCAI.
In her free time, she enjoys making art (she is working on a series of sculptural paintings of poached animal species), trying new food, catching up with friends, reading, and being with family. She loves to travel whenever possible.
Joined CCAI: 2023
Top Bucket List Items:
A trail ride through “Middle Earth” in New Zealand
Volunteering for a few weeks at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Sleeping in a hammock on a beach
Contact Information
ivy@theparkcommunity.org
(303) 221-6688 ext. 205
Colorado Expenses
Expense
Amount
Pmt Method
Pay To
Due
Application Fee
$250
Check/ACH Withdrawal
CCAI
Application submission
Child Abuse Record Search
$35/Family
Check
CO Dept of Human Service
Application submission
IAAME Monitoring & Oversight Fee
$500
Check/ACH Withdrawal
CCAI (Sent to IAAME)
After App Approval
First Program Fee (Includes Home Study)
$5,700
Check/ACH Withdrawal
CCAI
After App Approval
CBI/FBI Fingerprint Search
$39.50 per person
Money Order
Colorado Bureau of Investigation
After App Approval
USCIS Filing & Fingerprinting
$775 plus $85/adult
Check/Money Order
US Dept. of Homeland Security
Upon I-800A submission
Dossier Preparation
Approx. $450-$900
Check/Money Order
Secretary of State(s), Chinese Consulate(s)
As preparing Dossier
Second Program Fee
$5,050
Check/ACH Withdrawal
CCAI
Dossier Submission
CCCWA Fee
$1,270
Check/ACH Withdrawal
CCCWA via CCAI
Dossier Submission
Third Program Fee
$5,500
Check/ACH Withdrawal
CCAI
Prior to receiving child match acceptance letter
CCCWA Post Adoption Translation Fee
$300
Check/ACH Withdrawal
CCCWA via CCAI
Prior to receiving child match acceptance letter
Court Validation Deposit
$200
Check
CCAI
Prior to receiving child match acceptance letter
Post Adoption Deposit (Refundable)
$450
Check/ACH Withdrawal
CCAI
Prior to receiving child match acceptance letter
Visa to enter China
$140 (plus courier fee)
Check/Credit Card
Chinese Consulate via a courier/travel agency
Approximately one month before travel to China
US Domestic & International Airfare
$1,000 – $2,000 per traveler (adopted child over 2 requires full ticket)