More people, like Heigl, adopting kids with disabilities

Rosemary Black writes in the New York Daily News that celebrity couple Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley are among a growing number of parents who choose to adopt children with disabilities rather than wait for a healthy baby. Their 10-month-old daughter Naleigh was born in South Korea.

Cory Barron, foundation director at the St. Louis-based Children’s Hope International adoption agency, says that this year so far, 62 percent of the children placed by that agency have special needs, as compared to 13 percent in 2005. It’s due, he says, to the fact that the wait for healthy children grows ever longer.

… While it can seem like a wonderful idea to give a home to a special needs child, experts warn that it’s not a decision to make lightly. Some of the children’s medical issues, like heart disease and cerebral palsy, can require lifelong care and drain a family’s financial and emotional resources.