rate and in the lengthy, thoughtful comments that many wrote. While the
study findings support special-needs adoption, we have avoided the temp-
tation to create a rosy picture. As the chapter that is focused on parent
comments shows, the great rewards of special-needs adoption for most
families are counterbalanced by difficult and painful experiences for some
others.

The book begins with an overview of issues and research in special-needs
adoption and presents the study design and methodology. Next, findings
are overviewed, using traditional quantitative methods. Important areas
studied include perceptions of social work and other services, parent-child
relationships, school, and the impact of adoption on the families. Qualitative
methods are used to study two topics. First, parent perceptions of the
rewards and difficulties of special-needs adoption are assessed via content
analysis methods. Second, case vignettes developed from in-depth inter-
views capture the adoptees perspective of events. Subsequent chapters
focus on special topics, including family dynamics, single-parent adoptions,
minority children and families, children with disabilities and handicaps,
and behavior problems. The concluding chapter summarizes findings,
presents practice recommendations, and looks towards the year 2000.

We hope that this book is enjoyable and that it helps in developing
effective services for children and families.

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