Zero the Zeroes

Lily (6) is also described as friendly and one who likes to help others. She has delays in her fine motor skills, though improving, and her speech development. She is receiving therapy for both. Lily is a hyperactive child who has recently started taking medication and it seems to be helping, especially with her night movements which have included head banging which has significantly decreased. She lives to sing and dance as well as draw.

Pia (5) is described as a friendly, kind-hearted and playful child who expresses her emotions readily. However, while she shares her emotions readily, sometimes she has difficulty controlling her emotions and is in therapy to assist her with this—yet it is reported that temper tantrums are not frequent and she is able to regain emotional regulation quickly. She has age appropriate gross and fine motor skills as well as speech development. She loves to sing and dance.

The girls are listed for adoption together. Their older sister, Winnie, is also available for adoption (but separately).  The agency is hoping to find two families, so the girls can maintain contact.

Sienna is generally very calm, smiles often, and responds quite well to different people. A year ago, she developed a dysfunction of the ventriculoperitoneal shunt, and the child had to undergo revision and valve implantation. After this procedure, she became calmer and began to be more active, crawling freely on the available surface, and when in her crib, she eagerly pulled herself up to a sitting position.  At the end of last year, she began to use orthoses.

Sienna has a speech delay, although she has recently been eagerly repeating and saying words on her own. Some words are difficult to understand, but progress in speech development is evident. The girl also has difficulty understanding speech, but here too, progress is visible. She understands simple words, especially when they are supported by gestures. The girl can be engaged in a simple form of “dialogue” through play such as sharing toys. She is learning how to draw and eat independently using the spoon. She is able to pick up food cut into smaller pieces and put it in her mouth, although she does so slowly and uncertainly. She has difficulty biting off solid food and chewing it.

Sienna is a very cheerful and smiling child. She is speaking more and more – she can use many basic words, such as “give,” “more,” “come,” “yes,” “no,” “auntie,” and “hello.” She uses them in appropriate situations to express her needs and emotions. She recognizes various animals and can imitate most of their sounds.

Sienna to cuddle and read books. She participates enthusiastically in the group activities and enjoys walks. She responds to smiles, touch, and the voice of her caregivers. The girl has recently made significant progress in her emotional and social development. She is also able to initiate contact – she waves her hands in greeting, says “hello” in her own way, or responds with simple vocalizations. She is able to express her dissatisfaction, joy, or excitement and her progress is getting better and better in many areas.

Meet adorable Axton!  Axton has never lived with his biological family and has spent his entire life in hospitals and children’s institutions. His special needs are primarily medical, and his congenital malformations have been successfully treated surgically. Although his neuropsychological and motor development are delayed, Axton is making steady progress.

Axton moves around using a walker and is very active. He sits independently without support. His speech is in the process of development; he pronounces individual sounds and produces a variety of vocalizations.

Axton is cheerful and smiles often. He actively seeks the attention of adults and laughs out loud during playful interactions. He shows good adaptation to new environments and daily routines. Axton is calm and does not display self-aggressive behavior. He independently reaches for toys placed around him, taps them, and explores them with curiosity.

Axton is fed with a spoon by an adult while seated in a high chair. Efforts are being made to teach him to drink liquids from a cup. He falls asleep in a crib, and his sleep is calm.

She has been diagnosed with a rare syndrome characterized by tall stature and congenital facial differences. While these differences may be noticeable, they do not define who she is.

Since being placed in a loving foster family, her story has already begun to change. She has shown accelerated growth, improved neuropsychological development, and her physical development is age-appropriate. She is in good general health and does not require ongoing medical treatment at this time, aside from her speech delay, related to her congenital anomalies.

But here’s the part that matters most: she is making real progress. She forms 3-word sentences, asks questions, uses polite expressions, initiates communication, and loves role-play and interaction. With consistent speech therapy, her potential continues to grow.

Other mixed disorders of behavior and emotions. Disorder in psychological development, unspecified. Moderate cognitive delay, without mention of behavioral disorder

Lexi is a bright-eyed 4-year-old girl with bilateral hearing loss and developmental delays, but these do not diminish her joyful spirit. Lexi communicates in her own unique ways and is curious about the world around her. Lexi will thrive in an environment where she receives consistent, patient attention and where her efforts to communicate are celebrated. She’s looking for a family who will provide a nurturing and stimulating home, eager to support her continued development and help her reach new milestones. With love and encouragement, Lexi has the potential to blossom and bring immense joy to her adoptive family.

Holly is a cheerful, lovely, friendly and cheeky 5-year-old girl who lights up her surroundings as a true superstar. She loves people and her medical staff adores her, often gifting her beautiful clothes. She treasures relationships as she can easily remember faces after just two meetings. Holly is learning to use alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) with the help of a tablet, where she can tap to select people she wants to see (picture available). During the social worker’s child visit, she even used gestures to request adding the worker’s face to her tablet even though it was her first-time meeting her. Despite her many medical needs, this child has shown the ability to learn and engage with her with a variety of engagement types. She is a funny girl who makes people smile with her bright personality. A picture is available of her making funny faces when the social worker was taking her pictures for the child study.

Holly is diagnosed with incomplete DiGeorge syndrome, bilateral vocal cord palsy, oropharyngeal dysphagia, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), scoliosis, global developmental delay and exotropia. She is on tracheostomy and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) feeding. She has remained hospitalized since birth for her medical needs even though she is medically stable now. To learn more about DiGeorge Syndrome, visit the Mayo Clinic’s syndrome page here: DiGeorge syndrome (22q11.2 deletion syndrome) – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic

As mentioned, despite Holly’s significant medical needs, she has made remarkable progress in her development over the past year. She can follow simple instructions, point to familiar objects, and use tools after observing her teacher’s demonstrations. Holly shows interest and joy while learning various play skills and can imitate appropriate play behaviors with prompting and encouragement. She consistently communicates her needs using gestures and she also has great eye contact. Additionally, she can sit independently, take a few steps without assistance, self-propel her wheelchair for short distances, and manage tasks like eating and dressing on her own. She enjoys watching cartoons and listening to music.

Despite having a tracheostomy, Holly does not require ventilator support. However, in the event of tracheostomy dislodgement, there is a risk of hypoxia and immediate tracheostomy reinsertion is necessary. She needs to be accompanied by a trained caregiver at all times. Holly has been assessed as medically fit for home care. The doctor has recommended that Holly requires a well-trained and attentive caregiver who can provide vigilant around-the-clock care, and the caregiver would need to be proficient in special care skills, including managing tracheostomy emergencies.

Holly has made great strides in the past half year and we strongly believe she will continue to make great progress in reaching her potential within a loving and fun family.

Due to the country’s matching process, families with an approved home study for any country are able to request consideration to be Holly’s parents. If matched, the family would then need to quickly update their home study and gather the dossier for the country.

Information in this report is from May 2025

Twins Nelson and Nellie are six years old. They were born to a teenaged mother who was in protective care herself. Given specific familial concerns that will need to be discussed with interested families, the children were placed into foster care together and eventually were deemed in need of an adoptive family. There is no history of abuse with these children.

Nelson is overall healthy and does not have any medical diagnoses nor does he take any medication. However, while his motor development is age-appropriate, he has a mild language delay. Nelson is able to pay attention and communicate with others, but he has an impairment in his ability to pronounce words and complete sentences with difficulty pronouncing “l” sounds especially. He is receiving speech therapy. His profile indicates a learning delay “considering the developmental scale he is currently in” and recommends stimulation, but there is not a specific diagnosis given. He does not show any difficulty processing sensory information. He is receiving occupational therapy and psychiatric follow-up for a “diagnostic impression of Unspecific Conduct Disorder” but he does not have an official diagnosis. He does not react well when given limits and sometimes throws tantrums when he is not able to do something he wants to do. He does not have any social development concerns, though there are time he prefers to play alone while other times he plays and interacts with his peers.

Nelson is an affectionate child who is able express his emotions to others. He is attached to his foster parents and appropriate seeks their attention and approval when completing tasks. He tends to allow his sister to lead him and to be the dominant sibling in the relationship. It saddens him when he cannot play with her or is separated from her (normal daily temporary reasons, not separated with regard to where they live).

Nelson enjoys playing with cars, dinosaurs and balls. He loves going to the park, playing sports—especially soccer—with his classmates, and he is noted to be a skilled painter.

While Nellie also does not currently have any physical/medical diagnoses, she is being evaluated for Autism Spectrum Disorder. A psychiatric evaluation appointment is pending due to testing showing sufficient criteria for a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, but a thorough evaluation is needed to determine a diagnosis. Symptoms noted including persistent language development delay, attention lability, motor restlessness, stereotyped behavior, limited eye contact, and difficulty in understanding directions. A pedagogy evaluation appointment is also scheduled. Nellie displays behavioral concerns, especially with regard to her schoolwork. She is resistant to doing schoolwork (though she is capable to do the work) and to obeying the rules and limits of the classroom. At home, she has resisted doing homework and even has scribbled on her notebooks and thrown them on the floor. At her previous early childhood educational program, she also showed behavioral difficulties and difficulties recognizing authority figures, trouble staying involved in activities and a preference for more open areas of the institution. She cries when she is not allowed to do something she wants to do. However, she is able to play alone or focus on tasks she wants to do such as playing with dolls or dancing.

Nellie’s motor development is age-appropriate. She does not have any difficulty processing sensory information. Like her brother, she is able to communicate but has difficulty with word pronunciation—especially in pronouncing the “l” sound. Socially, she is able to establish relationships with other children and plays with others. Despite her behavioral concerns, she is noted to usually have a good disposition, be cheerful and integrated with her foster family. Her foster family has been given instruction on how to help improve her behavior and there has been progress made.

Nellie is strongly attached to her foster parents and her brother. She is able to give and receive affection with them and sometimes exhibits jealousy when the foster mother shows affection toward other children in the home. She seeks approval from her foster parents and from others with whom she has an emotional bond. Nellie is the more dominant sibling and takes the initiative to ask for things for both herself and her brother.

Nellie finds joy in playing with her dolls and receiving affection from those she is close to. She is an expressive child who engages in caregiving role-play. She likes wearing dresses and having bows in her hair. She enjoys and is good at dancing and singing, and also likes playing with toys, going to the park and watching television.

Bella is a sweet 8-year-old smiley girl who needs a family dedicated to helping her reach her optimal potential. Though she has multiple diagnoses including cerebral palsy, she has made great strides with therapy over time. For example, she has dyskinetic cerebral palsy with dystonia affecting her lower limbs. In 2021, she received Botox injections that gave her great improvement in the use of her legs. Bella receives physical therapy and is currently capable of taking 2-3 steps on her own, but can stand, walk, and go up/down stairs with support.

Bella receives occupational therapy which has helped her be able to scribble with crayons, feed herself, open food containers and snack packages, etc. While she does not speak, she is able to make her needs and wants known through gestures facial expressions, vocalizations, and also through picture cards. She knows a few signs as well such as “thank you.” Due to Bella’s multiple diagnoses, she requires assistance with her daily living activities though she is able to take part in her care.

Bella was born exposed to and addicted to drugs. Following her birth, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy characterized by dyskinesia and spastic quadriplegia, microcephaly, strabismus, global developmental delay, and severe intellectual disability. In 2017, she was also diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

It is clear that Bella has established a bond with her caregivers and she enjoys their presence. She greets her teachers and plays clapping games with them. She is able to pay attention during lessons and has demonstrated the ability to learn. While she will always need a caregiver, it is believed that being in a loving family will help Bella continue to develop and grow in her abilities.  She enjoys playing on a sit-n-spin, swinging or playing on a see-saw. She is drawn to mirrors and toys with lights and/or music.

Info is from January 2023; the agency can get updated information when there is a serious inquiry.

Liamo was placed into protective care upon discharge from the hospital when he was born. At the time of his birth, he suffered severe asphyxia. His mother’s pregnancy was unplanned and she had not received any prenatal care. His parents were unable to grasp his medical diagnosis and condition, they were not in the position to care for his medical needs. No one in the biological family was able to care for him either.

Liamo is a child who needs constant supervision. His oxygen levels needed to be always monitored; however, oxygen support has been removed and he seems to have a better mood. He has not had any seizures but does have some spasms during the day. He cannot stay in a seated position. Despite his diagnosis, Liamo loves to receive affection. He communicates through babbling and other sounds. He needs support to fulfill all daily activities. He wakes up very early in the morning and is still not able to sleep throughout the night. Liamo wears diapers all day.

Liamo can kick his legs and with the help of external support equipment he can stay in a seated position for a period of time. His neck control is getting better, as he now can hold his head up for 40 to 50 seconds. He can grab objects with his hands without applying pressure. Liamo goes to occupational, physical, and speech therapy. He gets easily uncomfortable when he needs to wear more clothes, he prefers to wear very light clothes. He turns his head when he hears a strong noise. He takes daily medication. Liamo likes to change positions constantly and likes to participate in activities where there are sounds involved.

Evalina is looking for a forever family. She is a happy and playful child, with good behavior. She does suffer from a variety of developmental delays, specifically in her motor skills and communication skills. Evalina smiles often and likes to be around people.