RESOURCES (including abbreviations, helpful links, etc)

[aophotography]

** Please scroll down this thread for a list of abbreviations commonly used on this forum. **

GOAL

The goals of this thread is to broadly cover many of the key areas that impact families in the China adoption process. There is a vast amount of information out there on many of these topics; we realize that, because of the sheer volume of information available, the information contained in this thread will by nature be incomplete. Our hope is to put together basic information that will help serve as a starting point for families. As we add new information, we will try and highlight it in a new post, so families are aware that information has been added. Below is a summary of the information contained in this post. We are in the process of adding additional helpful resources...please stay tuned for more topics:

TABLE of CONTENTS

01 - Abbreviations used on this board
02 - Questions for Interviewing a Pediatrician
03 - Chinese Language (includes dictionaries, names) & some ASL
04 - Adoption, Orphanage and Province E-groups
05 - Adoption-Related Book Lists
06 - China (Periodicals, Maps, Culture, etc)
07 - Holt BB Policy re Ads and Fundraising (from Korea BB)
08 - Gift Ideas (things to buy in China for your child)

UPDATES & CORRECTIONS

In terms of websites, please PM one of the China moderators if any of the links have become invalid or are incorrect, if any information needs to be updated or corrected, or if you have suggestions about topics to add.

DISCLAIMER

Neither Holt nor the moderators are endorsing any of these sites or their products. Please use all information at your discretion. Please be sure to check directly with your agency or other governing body for information related to specifics regarding your adoption process.

[Lillie]

Common USCIS Forms
Please be sure to check with your agency regarding the proper forms to complete.

I-600: Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative; families in the China adoption process will file this while in China
I-600A: Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition; being replaced by I-800A (for Hague countries, see below)
I-171H: U.S. Federal Approval to Adopt a Foreign-Born Child
I-800A: Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country; replaces I-600A (for Hague countries, see below).
I-797C: Equivalent to the I-171H for Hague countries.
NBC: National Benefits Center (Where USCIS processes immigration applications, including the I-800A)

I-600A vs I-800A:

If you filed your I-600A before April 1, 2008, either a new application or for an extension, the I-800A guidelines do not apply to you.

If you file after April 1, 2008, you will file the new form, the I-800A. If later you need an extension, you will also file under the I-800A guidelines. The I-600A guidelines will not apply to you.

Common BB Acronyms
blue = applies to SN/WC process; does not apply to standard process

BB: Bulletin Board

BTDT: Been there done that.

CA: Consulate Appointment (the date a family is scheduled to be at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou to receive the child's U.S. Visa).

CCAA: The China Center of Adoption Affairs

DH/DD/DS/DW: Dear Husband/Daughter/Son/Wife

DTC: Dossier to China (the date your dossier is sent to China by your agency)

HS: Homestudy

LID: Log-in-Date (the date the CCAA logs your dossier into their computer system. This is the date your wait for referral officially begins on).

LOA: Letter of Acceptance (sent by the CCAA indicating the approval of the referral of a SN/WC. The LOA is received after the LOI is sent, usually 3-5 months after).

LOI: Letter of Intent to Adopt (sent to China after the referral of a child through the SN/WC process)

MIL/FIL/SIL/BIL: Mother-in-Law/Father-in-Law/Sister-in-Law/Brother-in-Law

NSN: Non-special needs (a child being referred through the regular/standard process. A child with no known medical needs).

OT: Off topic

SN: A child being referred through the special needs process, usually a child with minor/correctable health condition(s).

SW: Social Worker

TA: Travel Approval (sent by the CCAA indicating an invitation to come to China to adopt the referred child).

WC: Waiting Child (usually an older child with or without a health condition, or a younger child/baby with moderate/severe needs). The terms SN's and WC are sometimes used interchangeably, though a child can be referred through the SN process and not be a waiting child, and a waiting child may or may not have a special need.

General List of Acronyms
blue = applies to SN/WC process; does not apply to standard process

AA: Adult Adoptee
ACR: Age of Child Requested
AD: Adoptee OR Adoptive Dad
AF: Adoptive Father
AFAM: Adoptive Family
AM: Adoptive Mom
AP: Adoptive Parents
APC: Yahoo! group – adoptive parents China
AYAP: As Young As Possible
BB: Bulletin Board
BTDT: Been there done that.
BB: Bulletin Board
BC: Birth Certificate
BF: Birth Father
BFAM: Birth Family
BM: Birth Mother
CA: Consulate Appointment (the date a family is scheduled to be at the U.S.: Consulate in Guangzhou to receive the child's U.S. Visa).
CCAA: The China Center of Adoption Affairs
CDC: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
CL: Cleft lip
CL/CP: Cleft lip & cleft palate
CN: Chinese Name
CoC: Certificate of Citizenship
CP: Cleft palate
DH/DD/DS/DW: Dear Husband/Daughter/Son/Wife
DOA: Date of Adoption
DOB: Date of Birth
DOR: Date of Referral
DOT: Date of Travel
DOTA: Date of Travel Approval
DSS: Department of Social Services
DTC: Dossier to China (the date your dossier is sent to China)
FBA: Foreign Born Adoptee
FCC: Families with Children from China
FP: Fingerprint / Fingerprinting
HS: Homestudy
HTS: Half the Sky
IA: International Adoption
IMHO: In my humble opinion
IMNSHO: In my not so humble opinion
IMO: In my opinon
INS: Immigration and Naturalization Service
JCICS: Joint Council on International Children's Services
LID: Log-in-Date (the date the CCAA logs your dossier into their computer system. This is the date your wait for referral officially begins on).
LOA: Letter of Acceptance (sent by the CCAA indicating the approval of the referral of a SN/WC. The LOA is received after the LOI is sent, usually 3-5 months after).
LOI: Letter of Intent to Adopt (sent to China after the referral of a child through the SN/WC process)
LWB: Love Without Boundaries
MC: Medical Concern (aka Known Medical Concern; Special Need)
MIL/FIL/SIL/BIL: Mother-in-Law/Father-in-Law/Sister-in-Law/Brother-in-Law
NKMC: No Known Medical Concerns (aka standard process, NSN)
NSN: Non-special needs (a child being referred through the regular/standard process. A child with no known medical needs).
OCDF: Our Chinese Daughters Foundation
OT: Off Topic
PAC: Yahoo! group – Post Adopt China
PAP: Prospective Adoptive Parent
POB: Place of Birth
PPR: Post-Placement Report
PRC: the People’s Republic of China
PTSD: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
RAD: Reactive Attachment Disorder
RCC: Yahoo! group – Raising China Children
RQ: Rumor Queen
SAHM/D/P: Stay-At-Home-Mom / Dad / Parent
SID: Sensory Integration Dysfunction
SN: A child being referred through the special needs process, usually a child with minor/correctable health condition(s).
SW: Social Worker
SWI: Social Welfare Institute (i.e. orphanage)
TA: Travel Approval (sent by the CCAA indicating an invitation to come to China to adopt the referred child).
USCIS: U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (Dept. of Homeland Security)
WC: Waiting Child (usually an older child with or without a health condition, or a younger child/baby with moderate/severe needs). The terms SN's and WC are sometimes used interchangeably, though a child can be referred through the SN process and not be a waiting child, and a waiting child may or may not have a special need.
WOT: Way Off Topic
PA: Pre-Approval-this is the date that the CCAA confirms that the LOI (Letter of Intent) was uploaded successfully.

[Lillie]

Below is a list of potential questions one can ask when interviewing a pediatrician. The list is a conglomeration of questions from multiple lists (FCC, Holt, friends, yahoo groups, RQ, etc.). You do not need to ask all of them. Some will be relevant to your particular situation; others, not. Some of these questions can also be researched outside of the actual interview with the doctor. This list can be adapted for your own particular needs.

GENERAL

* How long have you been practicing?
* What is your pediatric training?
* Are you board certified in pediatrics? (FAAP)
* Do you have any children?
* Do you have any specialty or interest?
* Does your practice group use Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (PNPs)?
* What HMOs or Insurance companies are you associated with?
* Who covers your practice when you are off?
* Do you have specific hours when parents can call and talk with you? Is there a charge?
* Do you have an advice nurse service?
* What are your office hours? Weekend hours? Evening hours?
* What is the practice for handling emergencies outside of office hours?
* How do you arrange same day appointments for a sick child?
* What hospitals are you affiliated with? Do they specialize in the care of children?
* When do you refer a child to a specialist?
* How far out is it necessary to schedule "well baby" check-ups?
* What is your scheduling policy for sick kids? Do you leave room in your schedule to accommodate this?
* Are sick children isolated in any way in your waiting room from those there for "well baby/child" check-ups?
* Do you mail out reminders for schedule immunizations or checkups?
* How do you handle unscheduled sibling visits? If I have an appointment for one of my children, and upon arrival, their sibling is also sick, will the physician be able to treat both children during the same visit? If so, what is the charging policy?
* What happens if you miss a scheduled appointment?
* Are there lab services on-site?
* Is there X-ray on-site?
* Is there a pharmacy on-site?
* How close is the office to your (AP's) home?
* How accessible is parking? Cost?
* How close is the office to the hospital you (AP) would likely be going to based on your insurance coverage? How close is it to the nearest hospital (regardless of coverage)?

REFERRAL REVIEW

* Would you be willing to review the referral information of our child given the time-sensitive nature of the review? If so, what would the cost be? If not, are you comfortable with us having our child's information reviewed by an international adoption clinic?
* If you will review the referral information, how will I contact you when I receive the referral? What is the best way to send you the info?
* How quickly can you complete the review?
* How many referrals have you reviewed? What do you look for?
* Have you seen any referrals where you were concerned about undisclosed medical issues? If so, what did you do?
* What are the common health problems you see? At the time of the referral review? Once home?

IN COUNTRY

* What medicines (OTC, prescriptions) should I take to China (or other country)? For the baby? For us? Will you write the prescriptions?
* What should I do if my baby is ill while in China (or other country)?
* May we contact you or your office while we are in China (or other country) if we have concerns?
* Can we communicate with you via e-mail? How promptly can we expect a reply? If so, what would be the cost? If not, what alternatives do you recommend?

POST TRAVEL / HOME WITH CHILD

* When should the baby's first pediatric appointment take place after returning home?
* How quickly will our child be able to be seen after we return from China (or other country)? (Note: The doctor we interviewed said he would treat her as if she was a newborn and get her in immediately.)
* What type of tests will you run on our child once he/she has come home? Most international adoption clinics have a battery of tests that they recommend running.
* How do you handle vaccinations? For children who have an unknown or questionable vaccination history, how do you address this (e.g. titers? which ones? revaccinate?)? What is your philosophy on addressing children who are behind on their vaccinations (e.g. How do you catch a child up on vaccinations if they are behind? All at once? Spread out over time?)?

POST-INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILDREN & ADOPTION

* What are your feelings about adoption?
* Are you comfortable in caring for a child with minimal or no medical history?
* What has been your experience with International adoptees?
* Are you aware of medical problems that may be specific to children from other countries? China (or other country), in particular?
* What is your experience caring for children with special needs such as developmental delays? What community resources do you recommend regularly for such children?
* Do you have any experience with attachment disorders? Do you have recommendations on getting help with attachment disorders?
* Do you have experience with food issues?
* Do you have experience with sleeping issues?
* Do you have a translator available that speaks Mandarin (or other language if applicable) through your practice (helpful if you are adopting an older child)?

[Lillie]

CHINESE LANGUAGE RESOURCES
(plus a couple of links for ASL)

Favorite Links

Favorite online Chinese dictionary for looking up characters: http://www.yellowbridge.com/chinese/chi ... ionary.php
(most features are free with the audio being one notable exception)

Character Pronunciation: http://www.chinesetools.eu/
(Audio to help with the standard pronunciation is free on this site)

What’s in a Name: http://chinaadopttalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=7901.0

Chinese name information created by an adoptive parent: http://mysite.verizon.net/jiejie1/ChineseNames.htm

Fun site to put your child’s name in characters on a Chinese picture digitally: http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/name-painting.html

Chinese Pod: http://chinesepod.com/ (basic podcast is free; other services at a charge)


Chinese Language and Online Dictionaries
(most links are standard dialect Chinese [Mandarin])

• http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/scripts/wordsearch.php (Cantonese)
• http://www.chinesenow.net/cnword/default.aspx
• http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/dictionary.html
• http://www.chinesetools.eu/
• http://www.khngai.com/chinese/pinyin/
• http://www.mandarin-for-parents.com/
• http://www.mandarintools.com/chardict.html
• http://www.mandarintools.com/worddict.html
• http://www.xuezhongwen.net
• http://www.xuezhongwen.net/chindict/chi ... ?page=main
• http://www.yellowbridge.com
• http://www.yellowbridge.com/language/ch ... ionary.php
• http://afpc.asso.fr/wengu/wg/zhendic.php (Chinese [trad.]-Pinyin-English dictionary)
• http://www.zhongwen.com/
• http://www.nciku.com/
• http://www.howtoorderchinesefood.com/
• http://formosa-translation.com/chinese/
• http://www.aslpro.com/cgi-bin/aslpro/aslpro.cgi
• http://chinesepod.com/learnchinese/adoption/discussion
• http://www.google.com/translate_t


Information about Chinese Names

• What’s in a Name: http://chinaadopttalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=7901.0
• Chinese Name for Girls: http://mysite.verizon.net/jiejie1/ChineseNames.htm
• Chinese Names: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_name
• Chinese Given Names: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_given_name
• Chinese Surnames: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_su ... manisation
• List of Common Chinese Surnames: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_co ... e_surnames
• Meaning of Chinese Names: http://home.comcast.net/~r.noonan/ChineseNames.htm


Sign Language

• http://www.aslpro.com/cgi-bin/aslpro/aslpro.cgi
• http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm

[Lillie]

Locating your Orphanage/SWI/CWI or and Province-Specific Discussion Groups

Step 1: Join the Yahoo! group for 'Raising China Children' (RCC): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RaisingChinaChildren/

Step 2: Go to the RCC Yahoo! group and click on 'Links'.

Step 3: Scroll down and click on 'Orphanage- and Province-Specific Discussion Groups'. Here is the direct link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RaisingCh ... 983302609/


Adoption, Orphanage and Province E-groups
(groups are listed in alphabetical order)

• 100 Good Wishes Quilt: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OHGWQ/

• A-Parents-China (APC): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/a-parents-china/ (Caution: Members can be very opinionated; debates on this site can get very heated!!!)

• Ask Jane in China: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/askjaneinchina/

• China Adoption Library: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/China_Adoption_Library/

• China Connection: http://www.chinaconnectiononline.com/

• China Lifebooks: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ChinaLifebooks/

• China Names: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ChinaNames/

• Families with Children from China (FCC): http://www.fwcc.org

• FCC Waiting Families (Oregon and SW Washington): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waiting_families/

• Holt List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/holtlist/ (For Holt families only)

• Raising China Children (RCC): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RaisingChinaChildren/

Raising China Children is a very helpful Yahoo! group for families who are or have adopted from China. Orphanage & Province Discussion Group, DTC Groups, as well as all the other China adoption discussion groups are located in the public access Links section of RaisingChinaChildren. Links you can access from RCC include:

- Agency-Related Discussion Groups
- DTC Groups
- Province & Orphanage/SWI Yahoo Groups
- Health & Development

[Lillie]

Adoption-Related Book Lists
includes a few publishes as well

Adoptive Families Today – Book List http://www.adoptivefamiliestoday.org/library4.html

Adoptive Families Today – Book Corner http://www.adoptivefamiliestoday.org/library1.html

China Connection - Book List http://www.chinaconnectiononline.com/books.htm

Lake Oswego Public Library – Adoption Collection http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/library/special/nafa.htm

Perspectives Press http://perspectivespress.com
(click on 'Articles' to read articles on subjects regarding adoption, infertility, etc.)

Cheng & Tsui http://www.cheng-tsui.com/
(publishes many resources regarding China -- language, culture, etc.)

EMK Press http://www.emkpress.com/

Tapestry Books http://www.tapestrybooks.com

[Lillie]

China (Periodicals, Maps, Culture, etc)

• China http://english.gov.cn/index.htm

Periodicals

• China Daily (News) http://www.chinadaily.com/
• Taiwan Bi-weekly http://edu.ocac.gov.tw/culture/biweekly/
• China View http://www.chinaview.cn/index.htm
• Xinhua http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/world.htm (use caution on downloads)

General

• Chinese Resources by Province, Municipality & Region http://www.lavida.org/Links/provincelinks.html
• China Culture http://www.chinaculture.org/
• CIA - World Fact Book https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/fa ... index.html
• What time is it in China? http://www.worldtimeserver.com/current_time_in_CN.aspx
• Famous Chinese Americans http://www.yellowbridge.com/people/whoswho.html
• Ask Asia http://www.askasia.org/
• China Page http://www.chinapage.com/china.html
• Chinese American Customs http://www.newton.mec.edu/Angier/DimSum ... ction.html
• PBS The Chinese Experience Timeline http://www.pbs.org/becomingamerican/ce_timeline.html
• Chinese Holidays http://www.wku.edu/~yuanh/China/holiday.html
• Chinese Zodiac http://www.c-c-c.org/chineseculture/zodiac/zodiac.html
• Chinese New Year (CNY) http://www.topmarks.co.uk/ChineseNewYear/Default.aspx
• CNY Activities http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/chineseny.html
• CNY Lesson Plans http://www.theteacherscorner.net/season ... /index.htm

Maps

• Pacific Centered World Maps http://www.theodora.com/maps/new7/pacif ... _maps.html
• Map of Provinces http://group49.com/map.html
• Red Thread Maps http://www.redthreadmaps.com/
• China

- http://www.maps-of-china.com/index.shtml
- http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/china.html
- http://map.vbgood.com/China_city_map_collection/ (all wording on maps in Chinese)
- http://www.trader-china.com/ancient-china/china-map/

[Lillie]

Ads and Fundraising Policy

The following thread regarding ads and fundraising was originally posted on the Korea BB. The policy applies to all forums, so we are including it here for references purposes. Some key points:

* People who have a business or something to sell can post this information on the Classified BB only

* Users can NOT contain links to their business as part of their signature line

* NO ads what so ever would be posted on the mainboard

* As long as you are not the person selling the goods, you may post regarding great deals you found on diapers, car seats, children clothing, etc.

* If someone in a thread specifically asks where they can find a product, and you sell that product, you may at this point and time continue to mention your website in response. You can not however make your response it's own post.

Author: Malie64
Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 4:08 am

Ads and Fundraising Policy

In general the Holt boards policies (like many other boards out there) state that we will not as users use the board as a place of commerce. The web admin. has experimented over time with letting people who have a business or something to sell to post that. At one point it was allowed in the main boards but that policy changed when the classified board was created.

Part of the agreement at that point was that users would NOT contain links to their business as part of their sig. and that NO ads what so ever would be posted on the mainboard. Over time ads have started to creep back into the main boards and at this point it frankly is getting back to the same level as before the classified board was created.

Any ads posted on this or any other of the boards other then the classified board will result in a warning and the post being deleted. A second post by the same person and the name will be passed on to the web master. This included posts that ask for opinions on whether someone would buy a new product if I sold it, sponsoring types of fundraising (money involved), 'look at my post in the classified', etc. Things like the shoebox drive and someone taking toys or supplies over to Korea are at this point exempt (if I’m told otherwise I will let you know).

Honestly given the option of no commerce what so ever or things only on the classified ads, I think most of our business owners would pick the second. At the same time I encourage everyone to check out the classified board at least once a week to see what’s new and I will look into the possibility of allowing one thread per week where all new classified info can be posted (but that’s in the future not right now).

Again so everyone is clear on the issue..this post has been in the works for over a month..I just finally took the time to finish it up, so it’s not a reflection on any one. I don’t want anyone to feel like because person x did something or person y did something else that’s why I’m posting this. It’s not like that at all. It’s about enforcing a policy that has been in place for at least 6 months. By sticking to the policy that was created, that should allow us to continue to have the classified board as compared to going back to the no commerce rule

Any posts related to the topic will be deleted without comment.

Edited to add: If someone in a thread specifically asks where they can find a product, and you sell that product, you may at this point and time continue to mention your website in response. You can not however make your response it's own post.

It's fine to ask opinions of baby products..or any product that we end up talking about Off topic.. You simply can not ask someone if they would buy x if I was selling it. Now sneaky spammers (not regular board members) often try to get around this rule by saying hey anyone buy this before (and then posting there own website those types of post will still be deleted but those are not regular board members anyway.

Find great deals on diapers, car seats, children clothing as long as it's not a board member selling them are okay (I know it gets to be a thin line on that type of thing, I think you guys know what I mean).

Last edited by malie64 on Wed May 31, 2006 7:27 pm; edited 1 time in total

[Lillie]

PEARLS
Pearls for graduation/wedding
Pearl necklace
Pearl bracelet
Pearl jewelry (less expensive pieces for earlier childhood)

JADE
Mother/daughter necklace set in jade
Jade bracelet
Jade figurines

PORCELAIN
Porcelain tea set from province
Porcelain vase

SILK
Thick, quilted silk jackets in several sizes
Silk dresses, blouses, and jacket
Silk pj's
Small silk pouch for cell phone, etc.
Silk fabric

CLOISONNÉ
Cloisonné vase
Cloisonné jewelry box
Miscellaneous Cloisonné items

CLOTHING
Squeaky shoes in many sizes
Outfit the child came to us in when we first met him/her (all layers)
Dress or other ethnic clothing for each year (i.e. multiple sizes)

HANDMADE ITEMS & CRAFTS
Hand carved mahjong set
Hand carved comb/brush
Quilt made by some of the older girls living at the provincial SWI
Hand sewn/knitted items and needlework from SWI
Hand knit sweater from provincial SWI
Small patchwork quilt
Needlepoint piece in a frame
Art (unframed prints, etc)

BOOKS, WRITING IMPLEMENTS, ETC
Chop and ink set (including red stamp pad)
Calligraphy set (brushes/ink/paper)
Photographic books from province
Postcard sets from province
Chinese children's CD's and books
Postcards
Magazines
Newspaper articles

MISCELLANEOUS
Paper cut outs
Christmas ornaments (Chinese knot ornaments, pandas, etc)
Olympic t-shirts and souvenirs
Souvenirs from the hotels, restaurants, etc.