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Racially and culturally diverse adoption refers to placing a child of one race, culture, or ethnic group with adoptive parents of another race, culture, or ethnic group.

Potty training a toddler can seem like an overwhelming task.  Questions like where do I start, how do I know if they’re ready, and what do I even do may run through your mind as you’re figuring out all things related to potty training.  Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind if you’re at a point of potty training your child.

I’ve been with Catholic Charities ND for two months now, and I know that AASK staff speak with families that are just beginning to research adoption almost every week. Many of these families ask questions about current programs and process, length of wait for placement. But what about the questions about the future or what happens “after” the adoption?

For our last blog post series on eating disorders, I will be discussing Pica, Rumination Disorder, Laxative Abuse, and Compulsive Exercise, which are all classified as eating disorders by the National Eating Disorder Association.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), more commonly known as “The Winter Blues,” affects millions of American adults and children every year. 

Adoptive families may experience the holidays with a different shade than what was hoped or expected.

Can you hear me?  Are you even listening?  These are questions we may ask ourselves while communicating with our children, significant others, friends, and even the cashier at the grocery store. Communication refers to the process in which one person conveys information to another person. 

Throughout this blog post, I will be discussing the diagnostic criteria, symptoms and warning signs, and ways to help someone who may be struggling with Binge Eating Disorder and Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, or AFRID

You may see your youth go from 0 to 100 in what seems like a second flat, with really no indication to why you see an exculpated behavior.  You may be asking yourself and your child, ‘what is going on?!’ as you’re trying to make sense of behavior(s) in front of you!  How many times do you hear your youth respond with, ‘I don’t know?’ 

The holidays are the perfect time to express our love for our family. This year, how about starting to incorporate adoption into your annual holiday traditions with these simple practices:

We may find ourselves amidst days filled with busyness – getting kids off to school, work, appointments, extracurricular activities, dinner, homework, and bedtime routines.  Before we know it, we realize we didn’t have an opportunity to spend time with our youth. 

While researching eating disorders, I came across an article and website that discussed different eating disorders, and I didn’t realize how many different types there are! Aside from some of the more common and well-known eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating, some are less common and unheard of.

For many, the month of August marks the beginning of a new school year, whether that is public school or homeschooling. Due to the multiple changes with the education system last year during the pandemic, youth (and adults) may experience a variety of emotions preparing for the start of the school year.

Darcy, Post Adopt Coordinator, shares tips on working through loss with your adoptive child:

Jackie, Post Adopt Coordinator tells us some differences you may not know about guardianship and adoption.

We can’t form a relationship with our youth until they feel safe, Darcy, Post Adopt Coordinator shares some tips on creating felt safety.

Kim Waswick, Post Adopt Coordinator, shares some unique ideas on gifts for people in your life for special occasions around adoption and guardianship adoptive parents.

Brittney, Post Adopt Coordinator shares some of her favorite books on adoption and guardianship.

Some different ideas and suggestions on how to help your child with their food insecurity.

I recently attended the Insight Conference, where I learned from a variety of parents and professionals on various topics relating to foster care and adoption.  Each of the speakers offered so much information, education, and encouragement.  The portion of this conference that stood out to me the most was Jeff Noble’s, “Navigating Grief & Loss as a Caregiver.”