Registration & Continental Breakfast

Registration & Exhibits with Welcoming Remarks by Snow Wu

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MORNING KEYNOTE Speaker: 8:00AM - 9:00AM

Speaker: Dr. Laurie Miller, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine

Dr. Miller founded the International Adoption Clinic at New England Medical Center in 1988, the second such clinic in the U.S. She has served as a pediatric consultant in China, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Nepal, Russia, Guatemala, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. In the Murmansk region of Russia, she oversees an NIH-funded program to improve outcomes for orphanage residents. She established "Big Sisters" projects in Baby Homes in Murmansk and Ukraine. Dr. Miller serves on the Board of Directors of Romanian Children's Relief, the national Board of FRUA (Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption), and the NIH Study Section for Brain Disorders in the Developing World. She has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles related to pediatrics and international adoption, as well as two books, Handbook of International Adoption Medicine: A Guide for Physicians, Parents, and Providers, and Encyclopedia of Adoption. Both of these great books are available for purchase at Amazon.com and Barnes & Nobles Booksellers.

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SESSION 1: 9:25AM - 10:25AM

1A. Cross Cultural Parenting: How to Keep the Chinese Culture Alive in Your Family
Speaker: Amy Bartlinski and Amy Diederich, Regional Office Directors for Great Wall China Adoption
The Chinese adoptive community has learned that incorporating the Chinese culture into their families is extremely important to help adopted children gain their sense of self. This session will provide knowledge from local Chinese adoptive families on how they have brought Chinese language, cuisine, art, and culture into their home.

1B. The Financial Road of Adoption: Tax Credits, Fundraising, and Other Ways to Fund Your Adoption
What is the adoption tax credit? Who qualifies? What are acceptable expenses? These questions and with many more will be answered along with providing a practical guide to obtaining adoption tax credit as well as providing information regarding other ways to fund your adoption.

1C. The Long Wait: A Roundtable Discussion
Moderators: Kim O'Bryant and Leigh Anne Graf, Great Wall China Adoption
Note: This session is geared towards families who are already LID.
One of the best resources you will find during the adoption process is the knowledge and experience of other adoptive parents. During this session, families will participate in round table discussions. Participants of this session will be provided with a list of "hot adoption topics" to discuss at their table.

Examples:

• Making it through the wait - ideas for passing time and prepping for your child
• Current paperwork issues (I600A renewal or I800A application)
• Documenting your child's story and the journey to your family
• Fundraising/saving for your adoption
• Multi-cultural family topics - answering questions from the public; incorporating multiple cultures into your family

The last 15 minutes of the session, each table will present to all participants the main points and ideas they discussed and devised at their table regarding their designated topics. Come prepared to discuss, debate and share your ideas, experiences and knowledge with other prospective adoptive parents currently waiting for their referral.

1D. Chinese Cultures and Traditions
The Chinese have a long and rich culture steeped in tradition. We encourage parents to learn about their child's culture so that they can answer the child's questions confidently about their heritage. This session will explore China's culture and traditions and introduce parents to new ways of bridging American and Chinese celebrations into their new multi-cultural family.

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SESSION 2: 10:35AM - 11:35AM

2A. Travel: Ready, Set, GO!
Speaker: Nicole Halliday, Regional Office Coordinator for Great Wall China Adoption
This is the moment you've been waiting for. The time has come for you to travel to China to bring home your baby. What can you expect? What should you bring? Where will you stay? This session will explain the planning process, what you will be responsible for, financial obligations and timing. The session will also describe the duties of your adoption agency, the guides who will be taking care of you and how to prepare for meeting your baby. This is one of our most popular sessions where you will find detailed answers to all of your questions.

2B. Waiting Child Program
Speakers:Leigh Anne Graf and Stephanie Crouch, Great Wall China Adoption
Have you thought about adopting an older child or a child with special needs? This workshop offers answers to common questions adoptive parents may have when choosing a child from the Waiting Child Program. An overview of child development and how it relates to adoption issues, bonding needs and strategies for each age group, language barriers and how to handle them, and a brief discussion of discipline will also be provided.

2C. How To Help Your Child Cope with Issues Relating to Adoption
Sharing the adoption experience with your child is important for your family. There are many ways parents communicate to their children that they are adopted. Some find out they are adopted in infancy, others find out when they are grown, and some find out when someone in the community notices the cultural difference. During this session, parents will be advised on how to talk openly about their child's adoption. Most experts agree that it is best to discuss the adoption as early as possible. Starting to talk during infancy will set the tone for later in life.

2D. What to Do When You Come Home and Other Post Adoption Resources
Once you arrive back in the United States with your child, the adoption is considered final. However, there is still work to be done. This session discusses the following topics: life insurance, re-adoption, name changes, creating a will, and obtaining a U.S. Birth Certificate. We will also talk about when to expect the Certificate of Citizenship and applying for a social security card for your child.

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LUNCH KEYNOTE Speaker: 11:50AM - 12:50PM

Speaker: Dr. Changfu Chang, Producer of "Long Wait for Home" documentary

International adoption has increasingly become a national phenomenon in the United States, but despite a surge in media coverage of adoptions from China, there are many unanswered questions: Who are the birth parents and under what circumstances do they decide to give away their babies? How do children end up in orphanages and what kinds of lives do they live there? Moreover, with so many "foreigners" going to China to pick up these Chinese babies, what do the average Chinese people feel and think about Americans and international adoption?

To answer these questions, Dr. Changfu Chang and his team present the widely anticipated documentary, Long Wait For Home. For the first time, we sit face to face with birth parents who share with us the hard decisions they have made and the emotional toll they have suffered; we go to orphanages and take an intimate look at the living conditions of children usually inaccessible to film crews; we also converse with a wide range of ordinary Chinese citizens and scholars on the subject of international adoption. Our screening will include "extras" not seen in the original. More information about Dr. Chang and his films can be found at www.lovewithoutboundaries.org. DVD copies of Long Wait for Home and other films will be available for sale to conference attendees at a 10% discount.

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SESSION 3: 1:15PM - 2:15PM

3A. Building Support in the Community
Families who have adopted from China often receive many questions from strangers within their community. In this session, we will discuss community support and addressing answers to these questions in an appropriate manner, especially when your child is present. We will also discuss the multitude of local educational and cultural opportunities for families who have adopted from China. These opportunities include lifebook workshops, dragon boat races, and celebrating the Chinese New Year.

3B. Understanding Your Child's Grief & Loss
It is important to understand the feelings and thoughts children have about adoption. It is equally as important to learn how to help your child express and deal with those feelings. Recognizing the signs of grief and how to develop strategies for helping your child is helpful, along with identifying resources to help your child, and know when to seek professional assistance.

3C. Referrals: The Matching Room
Speaker: Kim O'Bryant, Referral Counselor for Great Wall China Adoption
One of the most exciting moments in the adoption process is your first glimpse of your new baby! Come and learn what is involved with the matching process and what the China Center for Adoptive Affairs (CCAA) considers when matching a family and a child. This session will also provide you information on what you can do to prepare yourself while you are waiting for your referral.

3D. Medical Issues in International Adoption
This session will discuss common medical issues in children adopted from China and help you to understand the developmental differences of institutional and fostered children. This educational session will also help you to recognize the importance and role of your international pediatrician in assessing your child's health and well-being.

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SESSION 4: 2:25PM - 3:25PM

4A. Travel: Ready, Set, GO!
Speaker: Nicole Halliday, Regional Office Coordinator for Great Wall China Adoption
This is the moment you've been waiting for. The time has come for you to travel to China to bring home your baby. What can you expect? What should you bring? Where will you stay? This session will explain the planning process, what you will be responsible for, financial obligations and timing. The session will also describe the duties of your adoption agency, the guides who will be taking care of you and how to prepare for meeting your baby. This is one of our most popular sessions where you will find detailed answers to all of your questions.

4B. The Journey of Attachment and Bonding
Understanding normal child development can help better explain the complications and difficulties for children who have grown up in an institution. Life spent in an institution can create an interruption in the normal path of development for a child. During this session, a comparison will be made between a reasonably normal childhood and what happens to children who are institutionalized at an early age. The speaker will also discuss problems that may arise due to the lack of stimuli from relationships when a child is placed in an environment where usual needs and average tasks of childhood are not accomplished.

4C. Meet the Adoptive Parents (and Children)
Great Wall families share their experiences: the excitement of bringing home their child, what they feared, and how their family has adjusted since the adoption. The proud parents and their adopted children answer questions and speak about their journey. Listening to the children’s story adds an interesting and memorable perspective to the education you will receive at the conference. You don't want to miss this session!

4D. Gotcha Day!
The day has finally arrived when your child will become yours forever. This day will be one of the best days of your life, but it will be a very scary day for your child. It is important to learn how to prepare for the moment you meet child and make them a part of your family. Come and hear one family’s Gotcha Day story and their experience bonding with their child.

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SESSION 5: 3:40PM - 4:40PM

Q & A with Chinese Officials and/or Orphanage Director
You are invited to get up close and personal with an Orphanage Director or Chinese officials. In this rare yet exciting opportunity, the Director or officials will provide their perspective on the International adoption relationship between China and America. Rated one of the most valuable East Meets West experiences that you will not want to miss!

Closing Remarks and Door Prizes: 4:40PM - 5:00PM

Please Note: The host reserves the right to change any session without prior notice. For the comfort of attendees and children, please no children under 2 at the sessions.

Refund Policy: Refunds will not be provided, but it is possible to substitute another person before March 31, 2009. As of April 1, 2009 transfers will not be allowed.