SEPTEMBER 2023 UPDATE:
Nolan can walk by himself. He enjoys walking around the center, engaging everyone, or just checking out what is happening around him. He enjoys morning and afternoon walks with his caregivers. He loves to look at himself in front of the mirror. He dances when he wants what he is watching while on the sofa. His caregivers assist and let him practice going up and down the stairs. There are times he prefers to be carried and hugged. He enjoys closeness and physical touch. He is sociable and plays on the trampoline with other children. Nolan pays attention to social stimulation and imitates some actions. He is currently attending occupational and speech therapies, which has greatly helped him improve his skills. He can now hold toys and put blocks on top of one another. Nolan likes everyone in the center and loves it when visitors come around. He does not display stranger anxiety. He still does not use words, but shows his excitement by laughing and shouting “ha ha ha” in a loud exaggerated voice similar to how Santa would say “Ho ho ho.” Nolan eats solid foods such as rice, meat, and vegetables that are cut into small pieces. He likes biscuits, yakult, plain bread, and yogurt as snacks. Nolan is becoming better at expressing what he wants. He points out stuff and says, “ah ah ah” when he wants to hold something. He is cooperative with his houseparents and caregivers during his morning and evening care routine when taking a bath and getting dressed. Nolan is loved by everyone at the child caring agency, but they are praying that he will be placed in a permanent family. He has a lot of unique needs that will require special attention, financial resources, good medical specialists, and commitment of parents. He might have delays in development, but having the presence of a loving family will be of great benefit to him in reaching his full potential. He shows signs of being able to learn and improve with dedicated staff taking one-on-one time with him each day. Nolan’s agency believes that he will bring so much joy to a family and he will teach them how to love deeply.
—————————————————————————
Nolan was found to have multiple congenital anomalies. Kleefstra Syndrome is to be considered. He was diagnosed as having global developmental delays and has mild hearing loss of the left ear and moderate hearing loss of the right ear. Nolan is being fed through a Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) tube. However, his caregiver sometimes tries to feed him orally with infant cereal or yogurt, which he enjoys. Nolan is undergoing physical therapy and can pull himself up by holding the rails of his crib. He can sit by himself in his crib for a maximum of 30 minutes. He can stand with support and can move his legs freely. Nolan can walk approximately 100 steps with assistance. He can stretch his arms and hands to reach toys or any object near his crib. He loves playing with toys, such as rattles, that produce sound. Nolan responds when his name is called, and he can convey his needs through different tones when he cries or babbles. Nolan smiles, laughs, and babbles when talked to. He loves to be cuddled and played with! Despite his medical needs, Nolan is not demanding and is easy to care for.
A traveling family that met Nolan said, “We’ve met this child and he is the BEST cuddler! He hardly ever cries and loves to walk while holding your hands. He laughs hard when you talk loudly into his ear, and he loves cartoons that sing! We were with him for a whole summer and would be happy to share more info and pictures!”
We hope just the right family comes forward for Nolan!
