Preadoption Consultation

You’ve been through the classes. You’ve filled out reams of paperwork. And now your adoption agency just provided you with a long list of medical conditions to consider for your future adoptive child. Or maybe you are interested in adopting domestically and have general questions (i.e. have not been referred to a specific child) regarding prenatal alcohol or drug exposures. While you want to think you are open to any child, you’re not sure what the future might look like for a child with a heart condition, history of mental illness in the biological family, or prenatal substance exposure. And even with your exhaustive research via “Dr. Google,” you’re likely still unsure what some of the diagnoses mean, such as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). And if you have other children, what potential impact could this future child’s medical health have on them? Just looking at the form from your agency social worker, you’re likely feeling overwhelmed and not sure how to proceed. The good news is that this is not uncommon and there are resources available to help! The AMC provides preadoption consultations for any family or individual planning to adopt.

A preadoption consultation is an informal, but informative, 1-hour Zoom meeting with Dr. Judith K. Eckerle. In this meeting, she will discuss with you the potential long-term consequences of the diseases and diagnoses on your medical checklist. This is a general adoption consultation to clarify the types of issues we see for the listed conditions by country, prior to receiving a child referral. If you have already received a child referral and have specific information on a child, you will need to do a preadoption medical review which will provide you with a detailed assessment for a particular child. 

The preadoption consultation costs $400 for a full hour session with Dr. Eckerle.

Steps:

  1. Pay the Preadoption Consultation fee

  2. Create a profile or log into the system
  3. Click on "Additional Services"
  4. Select "Preadoption Consult"
  5. Fill out the form.
  6. In “Additional Information” please add the country you are adopting from and the name and relationship to you of anyone who will be joining you for the consultation.
  7. Select "Submit"

You will receive an email from IAC@umn.edu to schedule the preadoption consultation once both the fee and the form have been submitted.