He has been transferred to the adult mental institution. He needs out NOW.
Noah is a sweet boy with light brown hair and big blue eyes. He was born with CP and is significantly cognitively delayed. He is not able to walk at this time, but loves to be held and loves attention and affection.
His possibilities are endless!
If you are unfamiliar with FAS, please spend some time researching this condition. Just as with Down syndrome, FAS and FAE have a wide variation of effects on each child, both medically, physically, and cognitively. This is typically dependent on how long during the pregnancy the mother consumed alcohol, and of course, how much. There is no way to know this ahead of time.
From a family who met her in early 2014: She needs out! She is skeletal and looks to be in very poor condition. Neveah just cries and cries if you get near her. Also, she appeared to be heavily sedated. She had a toy tied to her wrist/hand, and her hands were bound to not scratch herself. So, so sad.
Nana is a precious little girl with sunshine blonde hair and blue eyes. Her medical records indicate prenatal alcohol abuse, resulting in severe CP and hydrocephaly.
More photos available, please inquire.
Probable FAS (cautionary disclosure….facial features and other medical complications consistent with this condition).
He understood speech addressed to him and appropriately made the correct animal sound when asked what the dog, cow, etc says. He also knew placement of his body parts. (Eyes, ears…) I did not observe him speak except for animal sounds but gestured appropriately when he needed his needs met.
He does tend to ignore redirection, but does it with a mischievous gleam in his eye and, due to him responding appropriately to questions, there is no doubt in my mind he understands, just doesn’t want to listen! After all, the director’s large office was a fun, new place to explore!
I saw him swinging in a swing and he seems fine physically. His movement (walking and running) is very good. He is not overly affectionate but tolerates affection well. (Director was lifting him/giving him hugs)
This is a nice institution to adopt from. It is an easy walk from the hotel and the hotel director speaks English and is very welcoming and accommodating to American guests. They will overfeed you! There are many shops, parks, and markets within easy walking distance of the hotel and institution. Unfortunately, at this institution, the disabled adult men are lumped in with the little boys. Max needs out now! He has amazing potential with a family!
From a family that met him 11/15:
“Mathis” (he will be 3 years old in winter) also has delayed speech and mental delay. He did not use any words while we were there. He cannot sit, crawl, stand, or walk. We did not see him move about the floor, he needed to be held. This is frustrating for him. We did not observe him using his hands. I tried to place toys in his hands a he did not grab them. He did not laugh or smile.
Boy, born 2008: mental delays
From a family who met her in January 2014: Maia is a sweet little girl. She was able to follow orders and do everything that her teacher asked her to do. She doesn’t speak but giggled a lot and made some noises. Her doctor said that while she was unsure if Maia would speak, she felt the prognosis was good. Her eyes are crossed. Vision and hearing are otherwise fine. Maia has mental delays and would benefit from focused attention and education. Maia is lively and active and ready for a family who is ready to play!
She has siblings, but none are available for adoption; 2 older sisters live with birth mother and 1 younger sister has been adopted.
From a family who met her in summer 2013:
She was in my kids’ groupa. She is the sweetest little thing and needs out of there ASAP!!! She has the most noble quiet nature about her. She is mentally delayed but has so much potential. She was one of the least favored children in the orphanage and she is desperate for love. On one occasion she wandered over to the play shelter where we were playing and was trying to eat our daughter’s cookie. We didn’t have any extra (we brought treats for the groupa every three days or so) so my husband just picked her up to distract her and as soon as he did, she threw her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder just soaking in the attention. I can’t bear the thought of her being transferred! She already has it bad enough.
Update from a family who met her in late 2013: Lydia is the sweetest little girl! Our kids were in the same groupa, so we got to see Lydia everyday we were in country. She is a joy! Lydia spends her days sitting in a stroller with hardly any interaction. Now that our kids are home, she is the only non-walker left in her groupa, so she is the only one who sits in a stroller all day long. She looks to be about the size of a four year old, but looks like she is a healthy weight. She’s got a little chub on her legs. Her legs are not scissored, but when I lifted her legs up, they were definitely tight.
She needs a Mama to stretch her legs! Her legs are always bent at the knee draped over the bar of the stroller (she’s too big for her stroller). I couldn’t tell how much head control she had because her head was always supported by her stroller, but her head was always upright, not bobbing. I never saw her move her body (except to arch her back when tickled), but one day I held both of her hands, and she was able to grasp my hands tightly in hers. Neither hand seemed weak. Lydia’s vision looks pretty good. She could follow me with her eyes, but there’s a good possibility she’ll need glasses. Her poor teeth are rotten. We watched her eat lunch once and she seemed to eat well. She eats pureed food from a bottle. Did I mention she is SO sweet? Lydia seems to be very easy going. Once a child was hanging on her and pushing on her and she didn’t respond except to make a face showing that she didn’t like it. Lydia was my favorite child to interact with in the groupa. All I had to do was say hi to her and smile and she would light up EVERY single time and reward me with a big smile. We tickled her lots and she giggled away. One time she was left in a room all by herself and was crying. I peeked my head in the doorway and said hi to her and she immediately stopped crying and started smiling and giggling. She is very responsive when talked to. 🙂 Even though she is non-verbal, she communicates with lots of smiles and giggles. This little lady is FULL of joy! She will truly BLESS any family! Please, please consider this sweet little one. She is still in the babyhouse, but is one of the oldest in her groupa, so she will be one of the next children to be transferred. She does have an older brother who is eight years old and looks to be typically developing. I’m not sure if they will need to be adopted together or separately.
updated picture/information 4/2016:
This boy used to cry a lot before. He needs his family ASAP! Recently he was at health and recreation resort where lots of nationals spend their vacation. So he got good social experience and made good progress in his communication skills. He has a good potential. If he is not chosen for adoption within next year they will place him in a handicapped children and adults orphanage forever where more likely he will be a bedridden person with no chance for normal life.
Update Nov 2011: Louis is a very active and communicative boy. He likes attention, he really needs a family. Just look at his smile. He is very sweet.
boy, born 2012 — alalia
girl, 2007 — alalia, She cannot talk
girl, born 2005 — moderate mental delay
Not a great picture, but Liam is a cutie! Even though he has CP, it’s nice to see him in a place that has him up and about.
From a family who met him in 2014: This little guy tried for 5 minutes to get my attention before I could come over to him. Although he is mostly nonverbal, his receptive language is good, and he was able to follow instructions and respond to our conversation. I asked what he could do physically, and he immediately began pushing the cover back and trying to flip over, to show me he could roll, and pull up on the side of the bed. He is very sweet, and so very much wants OUT of the bed and to be up walking, but without proper medical intervention and regular therapy, he won’t be able to. His outgoing, sunny personality is absolutely wonderful! His biological mother died 4 years ago, and he entered the orphanage then, so he had that solid foundation of a loving mom during the important years. From a CP perspective- all four limbs are involved, and he has high tone in his torso that makes it difficult for him to sit up, because when he gets excited, his tone kicks in and it flattens him back out. He also has significant spasticity in his legs, particularly in his heel cords and hamstrings. That is something that in the USA might be treated with a medicine like Baclofen, which would allow him more flexibility. He’s very affectionate and easygoing, and constantly tries to get up and move around like the other kids. He just really needs a family to help him reach his potential!
From a volunteer in August 2016: “I was happy to see that Leena is still the same strong willed young girl as last year. She is available for adoption now! She was a little calmer than last year, but she would still take every chance she got to run around. Just like last year it was obvious that some nurses have a very hard time with her and others love her. She’s much calmer when the nurses like her and she’s easier to handle. It was unclear if she was totally potty trained this year or that she’s still working on it. It was also unclear if she got the diet she needed, but her delays didn’t look worse. Leena is such a wonderful girl! She should be in a family where she has the chance to be who she is, all days of the year.
From a missionary who met her in 2015: “Leena is a strong-willed young girl. She is stubborn and funny. She loves to explore the world (within the concrete walls she lives between). She has been transferred to this facility in May and she is obviously still getting used to the circumstances of living. She had a lot more freedom in the baby orphanage she came from. Leena can walk (so don’t be fooled by the picture), she can run, she is very energetic. She can drink from a cup. This summer (2015) she was being potty trained. She doesn’t talk. She squeals when she is very excited. She is probably the size of a 3 year old at the moment (summer 2015). She probably understands what is being said to her, but she has a hard time following orders. Due to her PKU she needs a special diet and medicine. The baby orphanage she grew up in, didn’t provide the proper care. So (part of) het mental delays may be caused because of that. The facility she lived in right now, tries to provide the proper care. They do not receive funds for it, so they raise it themselves with a charity fund. They really try to take good care of her. Some nurses really like her. Other nurses have a hard time dealing with her, because of her energetic ways. She likes to move and run around all the time. As soon as you let go of her hand or take her out of her wheelchair, you have to chase her. As soon as you give her an opportunity she’ll take it. Some days she was tied up in a wheelchair and we thought she might have been drugged. She didn’t react, she didn’t smile, she didn’t interact. Until the moment my fiancé pulled her from the wheelchair and it was as if she came alive again. I have not seen any selfharming behaviours and I haven’t seen her hurt other children. I have also not seen her interact with other children at all. The nurses don’t like it when she gets all excited, but for me it was a sign that she was not so institutionalized yet. There was so much fight in her. I hope she finds a family before she loses the strength to fight and before her delays will get worse, due to a lack of a proper diet and medical care.”
He needs a family!
