
Josie currently lives in a group home. She is very small for her age. She can turn from her back to her stomach. She tracks objects with her eyes and reacts with smiles and positive movements/expressions when an adult interact with her.
Josie currently lives in a group home. She is very small for her age. She can turn from her back to her stomach. She tracks objects with her eyes and reacts with smiles and positive movements/expressions when an adult interact with her.
Thomas can communicate verbally with words and short phrases. He also uses gestures and pointing to objects, in order to communicate his wants and needs to his foster family.
He is a sociable child who enjoys the company of other children, particularly his friends with whom he loves to play. He is so full of energy, enjoying running, climbing, and riding his bike (which is fitted with stabilizers). He particularly likes to kick a ball around in the garden with his friend and play with balloons. On outings to the park and the zoo, he takes great interest in everything he sees but loves most of all anything with wheels.
His motor skills have improved recently and he is able to do more complex activities without being told how. For example, when his jacket sleeves are inside out he turns them the right way round before dressing himself. He takes great interest in many different kinds of toys. He loves the rides in the school bus every day. He is in a small class group. He is independent with self-help skills such as dressing, undressing, toileting, eating and drinking.
Raydor’s birth mother was addicted to Heroin and took Methadone during pregnancy. Raydor was born premature and spent the first 5 months of his life in the hospital. Raydor knows his alphabet, numbers and colors in both his native language and English. He can do simple addition problems (single digit plus single digit and single digit plus double digit). He speaks in 2 word sentences and memorizes poems. He loves to build houses and other things with Legos and will stay focused on this task for long periods of time. He plays independently and with other children. He enjoys music and often tries to imitate melodies. Raydor has some behaviors that are commonly seen in children on the Autism spectrum. He has not had any type of formal evaluation for Autism.
Katrina’s physical development and gross motor skills are age appropriate. She talks, but has some difficulty with articulation. Her fine motor skills are developed, but slightly delayed. She is diagnosed with mental delays. She knows and names the colors. She knows the letters of the alphabet and she has started reading. She already counts up to 30 and she writes some numbers. She knows the days of the week, seasons, left vs right, body parts, and can follow directions using instructions such as over/under, front/back, etc. She plays well with other children and enjoys attention from adults. She likes to work on a magnetic board, kinetic sand and active cards. She already colors in a contour and she is very diligent when connecting lines. She can cut and glue ready elements. She can read and the fact that she is being praised for that makes her very happy.
She follows the directions of an adult in relation to the hygiene and household activities. She can dress and undress her. She washes her hands and feeds herself independently, she makes attempts for self-serving. She takes care her belongings. She keeps her materials from school in a certain place.
Hennes is described as a very social and happy child. He communicates well with others. He can ask and answer questions and make general conversation. When he has difficulty with a task, he says, “It doesn’t work” in order to get help. A member of the agency’s team visited Hennes and said that he is “very easy to talk to and very smart”. Videos from July 2022 show him talking, answering questions and interacting with the adults. Hennes moves from place to place by crawling and using his upper body strength. He can pull to a stand and hold onto a support. He likes to play with all kind of toys, like balls, cubes, cars, puzzles and etc. He eats independently. He told the team member that he loves apples and orange juice.
Videos from May 2022 show Sadie walking, playing with toys, putting a puzzle together and interacting with adults. The videos show Sadie’s physical limitations.
He depends completely on the staff taking care of him and often has respiratory infections. He takes food from a bottle and hardly takes in the quantity of food determined for him, and throws out from time to time. The boy reacts to speech and when being touched.
Alexei exhibits no interest to contact other children. He easily makes tactile contacts with adults with no resistance, including with strangers.
The child depends on the staff of the institution. Diapers are used; he does not communicate his physiological needs by crying. Sleeping routine: he naps in the day and sleeps at night; he easily falls asleep and easily wakes up. He has a routine in receiving proper food and liquids distributed over time.
Dean is in a stationed impaired general state of health with a severe quadriparetic syndrome, pseudobulbar paresis and cortical blindness. Also, total cataract of both eyes has been found which cannot be treated surgically due to the severely damaged state of health of the child. He is fed via a nasogastric tube. He is severely delayed in his physical and neuro-psychic development. His condition is being monitored by medical professionals.
Nevan will need observation by a neurosurgeon, pediatric cardiologist; he needs specialized care, physical therapy and kinesiotherapy.
The child turns his head towards sounds. When placed on his side by adults and with help, he can turn the lower part of his body and flip from back to front and vice versa. When awake he is placed in a baby chair. Coefficient of development: 8.
The boy laughs loudly when teased; he is happy when hearing the voice of a known to him adult that he likes. He reacts to the tone of the voice of the person speaking to him. He grasps a toy but does not manipulate with it. He falls easily asleep and sleeps well. He is fed with a bottle. He is calm when being changed and when being bathed.
The child’s lower and upper limbs are highly spastic and are with diffuse muscle hypotonia. His fine motor skills are not developed. He does not grasp a toy given to him. Atanas holds his hands bent in fists. He is seriously delayed in his psychomotor development. The boy reacts to tactile stimulation by adults. When teased, he does not smile. He is unable to interact with the other children. Atanas depends completely on the care provided by adults. He is fed by a bottle. From time to time he cries when given a shower. He sleeps well.
This is the case of a male child, born prematurely III degree (1180 g), with a complicated perinatal history and pathological neonatal period. Subsequently he developed moderate communicating hydrocephalus and is delayed in his motor and mental development; there are changes in his tone and reflexes.
The child was diagnosed with a congenital heart malformation (persisting foramen ovale and PAC), which required therapy for a certain period of time. His cardiac status has improved. Given the severe prematurity, he has retinopathy of a prematurely born child and strabismus. The ophthalmic status is being monitored. The boy needs to be followed up by a pediatric cardiologist, a neurologist and an ophthalmologist. A systematic motor rehabilitation is conducted.
The child can flip from back to front, he is unable to sit, he is unable to rise on his feet on his own. The boy reaches out and grabs with his hands and can hold toys for a short time. He follows with his eyes and turns his head after moving toys and people; he smiles when they talk to him gently; he winces and listens to a loud sounds and reacts briskly when familiar adults are talking to him. The boy pronounces sounds and random sound combinations. The child is completely dependent on the care of adults. Diapers are used.
Bodie responds to his name with a smile, to sounds and noise. He keeps an eye on the movement of people and objects in the room. He is described as a calm and pleasant child. He is well attached to his caregivers and responds well to them. When given attention, he reacts positively and with a smile. Most of the time, the child is energetic and physically active. It is difficult for him to stay in one place, constantly moving and exploring.
The child expresses his joy by erratically clapping his hands and by making noises. When held by the hand he makes several steps. (was previously also listed as Barron).
With a familiar adult, Ethan has a good emotional tone – he enjoys a hide and seek game and sometimes gives his hand for “hello”.
He cannot walk yet, but he sits, crawls and staying straight caught for fixed support, showing progress in his motor skill development. The child has flat feet with valgus deviation of both feet – it was recommended to wear orthopedic shoes. Ethan stands up on his own until he is caught on a fixed support, stands on tiptoe, does not step aside, placed in a walker, moves short distances; pronounces long sound combinations.
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Updated May 2022: Zeek was recently moved from a large orphanage to a small group home, where he’s now receiving more interaction and attention. His language skills have started developing. He can now say several words. He enjoys interacting with staff and responds when he receives attention. He enjoys music.
Mitchell walks independently with an ataxic gait. He talk using simple words and simple sentences. He plays with toys. He shows interest in his environment and everything happening around him. He seeks contact with familiar adults.
Photos and videos are available through the agency.
She is in need of urgent dental care! I have never seen such decayed teeth before. I am not sure why her mouth is so much worse than all the other children but her mouth is really concerning. She can stand on her own but struggles to lift and bend her legs when she is bearing weight on them. She has a little walker that she does wonderful with. She can walk along a bench by holding on to it but we never saw her walk independently. From what I could tell she does not have any limitations of her upper body.
We never witnessed her show any aggression towards any of the children. When I would sit on the bench holding my daughter she would try to climb in my lap as well, but she never tried to harm my daughter or push her out of the way. She is very hungry for attention and for the love of a family. She would make a wonderful daughter and I am sure she would provide you with a life time of laughter.
This child has significant facial features of FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome). This is a cautionary disclosure only. Families should research the varying impacts of this condition.
Tyson was born premature and had several complications after birth. He can sit on his own with good balanced reactions. He crawls following the correct motor model. He stands up and walks sideways vertically. He can walk when one of his hands is held and has more control when it’s his right hand being held. He can stand up straight without falling for 2-3 seconds. When walking with a walker, he begins to bend his knees. He purposefully grabs a toy that is handed to him and can switch it from hand to hand. He shows an interest in musical toys and enjoys them. He has started making sounds and simply syllables such as “ma-ma”. He enjoys having someone sing to him and likes to receive hugs. He eats from a spoon. His overall development is delayed.
Photos and videos from August 2020 are available through the agency.
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UPDATE August 2022: He pulls to a stand in his crib. He crawls using his arms to drag his lower body (“army crawl”). He has a lot of upper body strength. He participates in group activities. He plays with toys. He pushes the buttons on toys, “dials” a toy phone, etc. He follows simple directions. He says a few simple words. He responds to his name. He enjoys listening to music. He eats from a spoon and drinks from an open cup. He tries very hard to be more mobile, despite his lower paralysis. As a result, he has broken a bone in one of his legs. The staff tries to keep him sitting in a chair where he can see everything going on in the room and participate in activities, without risking further injury to his leg. He interacts with other children sitting around him.
He has a systolic murmur along the precordium; hyperkinetic conduct disorder and a mild mental delay. The child started walking on time, but his speech is underdeveloped. The child cannot stay focused for a long time while playing. He understands and follows simple instructions.
The agency has current medical reports available for serious inquiries.
UPDATE March 2017: previous Diagnosis of Atypical autism that was changed to hyperkinetic disorder, very interested in motor activities. Responds to positive interactions and praise from familiar adults, but can become anxious in new situations or if a familiar caregiver is not around. He seeks comfort from familiar adults and can become sad if one leaves.
Update 2018: Jesse attention span is short-lived and unstable in relation to objects and people. There is some sharing with a close adult. Jesse responds when called by name. His memory and speech are poorly developed. When happy, he laughs loud and when anxious, he cries. Sometimes he pronounces unspecified sounds and separate syllables. He is sensitive and emotional and tends to be nervous around strangers. When given a toy he reaches out and takes it. He is working on the pinch grip. He hasn’t mastered fully the ability to move a toy from one hand to the other. Jesse is fed with a spoon and sleeps calmly through the night. He cannot control his physiological needs. Jesse is entirely cared for by the team in his orphanage.
(Jesse was also previously listed as Andy)
Update from a family that met him in 2015: Paddy is a truly beautiful boy! He does have some behaviors, shrieking and flapping for the majority of the time we observed him. He did not make eye contact with us or the staff. We asked the staff about his medical information and they stated that he did not need regular transfusions, but did have a seizure disorder. A family that is prepared to deal with autistic like behaviors would be ideal!
Norton is in good health and is stronger than typical of his age. He can independently move larger items, including furniture. He loves to run and jump, and he knows how to roll over forward and squeeze in narrower spaces. Like many little boys, Norton brushes his teeth twice a day. He can tell others when he needs to go to the restroom, and he eats with great appetite. He naps for two hours in the afternoon and sleeps peacefully at night.
His short-term and long-term memories function at a good level, and Noah can easily remember things related to the lifestyle, as well as past events related to pleasant or unpleasant memories.
Although he has been diagnosed with hyperactive disorder, mild mental disability and a speech delay, Norton has shown progress in his development. He understands everything that is required of him, executing commands correctly. He is persistent in his demands, but he understands when he has violated rules, and he does not oppose correction.
Norton chatters a lot, but he is incomprehensible. He repeats syllables he hears, and he uses gestures to help him communicate with others and make them clearly understand what he wants or wants to do. Norton is working with therapists to improve his speech abilities.
specific disorders of motor function development, Moderate mental delay, ectopic left kidney, strabismus
Clifton’s gross motor skills are well-developed – he moves around independently, even at long distances, and he has no difficulties walking on different surfaces. He can now run (since the beginning of January 2017). The deficits noted previously in Clifton’s fine motor skills have been compensated to a great extent. He can transfer small elements with a spoon from one bowl into another with an adult’s assistance, he plays with certain materials and toys, he clips and unclips clothes pegs, he looks for an object hidden in the sand and he takes it out with great interest. He holds a pencil and leaves pale traces with it on a sheet of paper. He does great eating with a spoon. Clifton accepts the toothbrush and allows for his teeth to be brushed.
It happens more and more rarely for Clifton to demonstrate anxiety in response to being introduced to unfamiliar places and people. The stereotypic movements he demonstrates when someone initiates interactions with him have decreased significantly. He imitates actions he has observed more often and more successfully than before. Clifton becomes lively and starts dancing whenever someone is singing or plays music.
Clifton is calm in his new foster family, he often smiles and he laughs aloud while playing with an adult (or with the girls in the foster family). He is especially attached to the foster father and the younger daughter in the family. Clifton has become a lot more sociable in the last 6 months: he seeks children’s attention, initiates interactions, accepts unfamiliar people a lot easier, maintains a smaller distance between himself and others and makes eye contact.
Although Clifton has poor passive vocabulary, he follows simple instructions provided that those are accompanied by nonverbal means of communication. His speech development is at the level of producing chains of syllables. He uses “No” appropriately so as to express his disagreement, he sometimes uses “Yes” and “Give me”. Clifton initiates physical and emotional contact with his foster parents and their children as well as with the specialists working with him. He is especially attached to the foster father and the youngest daughter in the foster family. His interactions with other children have changed significantly – he plays with them for a long time and he is making attempts to cooperate with them.
More photos/file are available from his agency
There are some difficulties in attracting and keeping his attention focused. Jonas plays for a longer period of time whenever he is interested in the respective activity. Jonas orientates well in a familiar environment. He distinguishes between day and night based on his everyday routines – sleeping, meal times, rest. He recognizes the neighborhood around the foster family’s home.
Jonas is reported to have achieved noticeable progress in terms of expressing his emotions and feelings, which are becoming more diverse. He reacts appropriately to smiles and angry faces and also to the tone of voice one talks to him with. He demonstrates his love, attachment and attention for others. He greatly enjoys it when others play with him. Jonas has attached to all members of the foster family.
Connor is being raised in one of the biggest orphanages in Bulgaria where children often suffer from severe malnutrition, muscle hypotrophy and have severe delays in the neuropsychological development. He has a polymalformative syndrome, but one could see a dramatic change in his appearance in just two pictures- the first one taken in the end of November 2014 and the second one in June 2015.
He grabs a toy that is handed to him, holds it for a while and manipulates with it. He has started to more and more often reach with his hands and manipulate with hanging toys independently.
While involved in active interactions with adults, he would make his emotional responses known with his nonverbal behavior. He seeks contact with familiar adults by reaching out his hand, grabbing an adult’s hand and he would even sometimes direct an adult’s hand towards his face so as to be caressed.
He falls asleep easily and his sleep is calm. He is fed with a bottle. He gets anxious while his clothes are changed and while bathed.
Although Rocky was born premature and with low birth weight; cerebral palsy; and speech, motor and cognitive delays, he is making good progress in his physical therapy and other supports. He can walk with minimal support, and his fine motor skills are also improving.