Special Kids Adoption Agency Dickinson, ND

Today, this family of five includes three children, ages 7, 9, and 10. Two of the children joined the family through adoption from foster care with the support of AASK. What began as a plan to pursue infant adoption eventually unfolded into a much broader and more meaningful journey. 

A Path That Changed Direction 

The original plan was infant adoption through Catholic Charities ND. Foster care was meant to be temporary to provide short-term care for children while waiting to be matched with a newborn. The moment a 9-month-old was placed in their arms, everything shifted. Adoption became the right path for two children who are now permanent members of the family. 

Growth Beyond Expectations 

When their second adopted child was initially placed with them, there were significant developmental gaps. Speech delays made communication for the child frustrating, often leading to meltdowns because thoughts and needs couldn’t be understood. Medical concerns had gone untreated, and important services had not yet been put in place. They had a strong desire to please others. This child, being older at placement, arrived more guarded.  

With speech therapy, medical care, educational support, advocacy, and most importantly,; time and patience, a transformation unfolded. Today, communication is strong, confidence shines, and academic progress has been remarkable. The transformation reflects resilience, determination, and the power of feeling safe and loved. 

Defining Success 

Success in this adoption story is not measured by perfection. It’s defined as happy, healthy, well-adjusted children who know they are loved unconditionally.  

Adoption has strengthened the entire family. Empathy has deepened. Understanding of trauma and generational patterns has expanded. Exposure to diverse cultures and experiences through foster care broadened perspectives. The family unit itself stands as the greatest success; strong, connected, and rooted in love. 

A particularly meaningful moment came in tribal court, when they were advocating for permanency. A powerful reminder that family means standing firm, no matter what. 

The Power of Support 

Community made a difference. Other foster and adoptive parents provided guidance, reassurance, and practical advice. Post-adoption services through the ND Post Adopt Network continue to offer connection and celebration, bringing adoptive families together and reminding everyone they are not alone. 

Advice for Families Considering Adoption 

• Advocate for yourself and your child. 
• This journey may not be all sunshine and rainbows. 
• Be patient. Permanency takes time. 
• Know that the hard moments are worth it. 

One image that remains especially meaningful is the idea of two trees growing side by side, roots intertwining underground. Adoption is not about replacing roots; it’s about growing new ones together. 

A Story Still Unfolding 

Today, the focus is simple: raising confident, expressive, compassionate young people. Adoption is celebrated openly in this home. It is spoken about with pride and honesty. The message is clear; adoption is normal, healthy, and something to honor. 

Adoption didn’t just make this family bigger. It expanded their hearts and gave their life a deeper purpose. The journey included delays, paperwork, and long periods of waiting, especially navigating tribal court and multiple case transitions. It required perseverance, advocacy, and patience. The outcome is clear every day in laughter around the table, in growing confidence, and in the unshakable bond of belonging. 

That is success. 

Interview questions: 15 questions 

Can you tell me a little about your family today? (Number of kids, ages of kids, etc) 

• 10 kids. 7 in the house right now. Home schooling. At the same time, homeschooling started in foster care. God gave them 8 kids right in a row.  
• 2 came as infants and then stayed .

What led you to pursue adoption from foster care? 

• Jesus and their faith. Only because of that. Everything he has given them, they wanted to serve him. Most people their age are done parenting, many are empty nesters. But don’t want to do that also don’t know what they do.  
• she We're hoping to adopt. Went into foster care with the purpose of adopting.  

How would you describe your adoption journey? 

• Lots of ups and downs. Once they made it to TPR coming, AASK was wonderful to work with. Get a child as a baby, then bio families do well, so they go back, so prepare for that, but then they don’t go back. So the back and forth with bio families of foster care. Knew that going in, but hard watching bio kids going through that, too.  
• Fostered 9 altogether and then 2 adopted. Knew ones were short-term and some respite. Had these girls longer.
• Seeing the darkest side of humans. Bio parents made bad decisions, and knowing it is more important than wanting their child. You and your family get exposed to that.  
• Good relationships with both bio moms today.

What were some challenges you experienced, and how did you navigate them? 

• Navigated it by being together, open communication, and the church community. 
• Went to foster parent meetings to get information.
• Both girls were drug and alcohol-exposed in utero, so learning research about that. 
• Adding non-bio siblings to the house. Never did their bio kids say they should not do it.  
• A lot of people are in our house. Social workers. It was an invasion, so communicating with the kids.  
• “brokenness” of the entire foster system. Appears to most foster parents that it favors the bio family more than the welfare of the child. One hard thing to navigate. Very frustrating.  

What are some ways you’ve seen your child grow since joining your family? 

• Seen them as an infant, then grow into 4-year-olds.  
• The first baby did not cry at all. Sat in a car seat for hours before them. When she SupportMandanamazingstarted to attach more, she started to cry and scream more. Knew she was getting comfortable and safe.  
• Loud kids are safe kids.  
• Still do OT with both. Got a lot of help right away. Both were screened right away. Only a few milestones they didn’t reach, so they got them started early. 
• Therapy comes into their home. 
• Works with impulse control and their emotions. Whenever they were getting developed in the womb, and when bio mom did drugs or alcohol, it disrupted their brain development.  
• Both are growing a lot in that area with the services they are using.  

What support or resources were most helpful to you? 

• Above 

What does “success” mean to you in your adoption story? 

• To serve brings so much joy. It is the little things and little moments that make it all worth it.  
• God makes it successful. 
• Often think about where they would be if they hadn’t been put into foster care and into their home.  

How has adoption positively impacted your family? 

• Realizing life isn’t about them as individuals, it is about serving and giving. 
• Learned patience with the system, timeframe, court dates, TPR, adoption, and everything getting delayed.  
• It is amazing to love that is not born from you and to watch their family love them. What a gift. Hard gift. So so worth it.  

What are some accomplishments or milestones you’re especially proud of? 

• Watching their kids take them in as their siblings. Sometimes they say they forget they are adopted at times.  
• They have been folded in.
• Realizing that is what god did for them first. Adopted us into his family first. Fully his and fully loved by him, and now get to be a shadow of that and live it out.  

What advice would you give to families considering adoption? 

• Do it, go for it. Everyone will say they are not ready, but if everyone waited until they were ready for something, it would never happen. You never know when you are ready. More and more people need to do it. 
• Hardest thing ever to do, but the most worth it thing. 
• Jump in and do it.  
• Don’t do it if you don’t have a support system. Make sure that it is strong. 

What would you like readers to understand about adoption? 

• Adoption is worth it. It is a gift to be able to adopt. Anything worth doing is hard. Haven’t found pain free easy in the bible nothing is meant to be truly easy.  
• It will happen if you put one foot in front of the other and take the next step. Trust god will provide. 
• Support in Bismarck and Mandan is amazing.
• Post adopt is amazing. Call them for a reference for therapy or if you need anything. A lot of support. Have to be willing to say you need help. 
• Don’t be scared ot ask for help. You are not alone.  

Is there anything specific you would like included or not included in your story on the website? 

• We are loved by god. There is no way they would have the strength capacity to give without his help. God helps love overflow in them and gives it to others.  
• Will have eternity in paradise with God.

Today, this family is a lively household of five children, four now-grown biological children ranging in age from young adulthood to the late twenties, and one energetic 8-year-old who joined through foster care adoption. What began as an unexpected connection became a life-changing commitment. 

Adoption was not part of the original plan. Through working at a local residential program, the family met a young child who had already experienced significant loss and uncertainty. When parental rights were terminated, and permanency through adoption became the child’s goal, it was clear to the family where the child was meant to be. 

The journey into adoption came with unknowns, but the family’s support made all the difference. An adoption specialist remained consistently available to answer questions, provide guidance, and ensure the process felt manageable. Their home visits were relaxed, reassuring, and removed pressure during an already emotional time. Helpful articles, online resources, school-based support, occupational therapy, and respite care continue to be helpful support along the way. 

This family’s path has not been easy. Their daily life includes navigating behavioral challenges that are connected to the child’s early trauma and previous placement disruptions. The child’s progress has come slowly and requires patience, prayer, and persistence from the family. Some days include classroom removals; other days bring proud reports and point-sheet successes. An individualized education plan has helped create structure and growth at school. Over time, good days have begun to outnumber the hard ones. 

For this family, growth has shown up in meaningful ways. Such as a deepening sense of trust and a growing sense of security that this is their forever home. The family has been able to see this child grow at church through their friendships and mentorship from pastors. Also, to learn what it truly means to be a friend and to be a brand-new uncle has been a milestone worth celebrating. 

One especially powerful moment stands out. During a classroom discussion about favorite smells, this child shared that a favorite smell was the adoptive parent. That simple statement captured what words often struggle to express: safety, attachment, and love. 

Adoption has profoundly impacted this entire household. There was once uncertainty about whether it would feel different to love a child not born into the family. Now, there’s never a question. When this child hurts, the whole family feels it. When progress happens, everyone celebrates.  

Success in this adoption story is not defined by perfection. Success means raising a responsible, kind individual who rises above hardships. Success means someone looking back one day and saying, “Look how far that child has come.” It means creating normalcy for someone who has never experienced simple things. 

Adoption from foster care is not easy. There are challenges that do not disappear overnight, because healing takes time. This family would say these challenges are far worth it to offer permanency, worth it to provide belonging, and worth it to watch transformation unfold little by little. 

One day at a time, this forever family continues to grow together. 

When this family first became foster parents, they never imagined they would adopt. With three biological children already grown. They believed their parenting years were behind them. They stepped into foster care simply to support families in need and to offer temporary care. 

Then, everything changed. 

At just two days old, a tiny baby was placed in their home. They were asked to care for the baby for about a week while relatives were located. A week turned into months. Months turned into a year and a half. Somewhere along the way, they realized something profound: they weren’t just caring for the baby while family was found—they were the family. 

Their journey was, in their words, a rollercoaster. Foster care and adoption brought waves of emotion. Joy and gratitude are intertwined with grief for the child’s biological family. They entered the process with open hands, determined to support reunification. They built a respectful relationship with the child’s biological mother, recognizing that adoption is not a story of winners and losers, but one where grief and love coexist. 

There were challenges. Early on, they were new to both foster care and adoption. When expectations shifted, and permanency became a possibility, the uncertainty felt overwhelming. A seasoned foster parent stepped in as a mentor, becoming a calm voice in the storm. Reminding them, “This is a normal step.” That mentorship, along with the steady guidance of AASK, helped them to keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

The child faced medical challenges from the very beginning. Time in the NICU for viral meningitis and recurring ear and sinus infections made the early months difficult. Watching the child grow stronger and healthier has been one of the family’s greatest gifts. Today, the child is thriving and hitting every developmental milestone, making progress in speech, and living the joyful, curious life of a busy child. 

The child is described as the “missing piece” that the family didn’t even know was missing. The child has brought renewed energy, laughter, and perspective into the home, not only to the parents but to the older siblings as well. Starting over on their parenting journey wasn’t part of the plan, but it was one of the most beautiful surprises of their lives. 

One moment stands out above the rest: adoption day. Sitting in the courthouse before the judge, the parents turned around to see the courtroom filled with friends, extended family who had traveled from out of state, and even staff from the child’s daycare. That powerful show of love and community is a memory they will never forget. 

Today, success in their adoption story means continually asking what is best for the child. It means honoring the child’s story, navigating relationships thoughtfully, and leaning on community for support. They remain grateful for AASK’s post-adoption services, mentorship, church, and the foster/adoptive families who continue to walk alongside them. 

Their advice to families considering adoption? Foster care and adoption may “break your heart open,” but in that breaking, there is room for extraordinary love. It is a journey of faith, filled with hills and valleys. Surround yourself with people who will walk beside you, be honest about the ups and downs, and trust that even in uncertainty, something beautiful can grow. 

What began as a temporary placement became a forever family. In the most unexpected way, their hearts and their home expanded beyond what they ever imagined.