
June

VIDEOS:
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-salvador1
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-salvador2
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-salvador3
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-salvador4
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-salvador5
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-salvador6
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-salvador7
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-salvador8
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-salvador9
Password: Adoptmaa
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.
Jasmine is known for her big, tight squeezey hugs! She is also known for her strength. Jasmine loves water play more than anything else. She dunks her whole head in the water and comes up for a breath with a loud laugh. As soon as she hears water, she beelines for it and tries to dive into it, even if it’s a caregiver filling up a bucket to wash her clothes or another child’s bathtime! She also really likes the sit and spin and the trampoline. She jumps very high!
Jasmine has some commands in both English and her native language that she can follow. She vocalizes but is non-verbal. Jasmine needs support for her acts of daily living but feeds herself. She loves food from her culture and rarely tries even a bite of western food! Jasmine is a happy and loveable girl who brings a lot of laughter wherever she goes.
At the Christmas party in 2021, Priscilla moved from lap to lap of all the aunties in the home, as they each wanted to take part in watching Priscilla experience her first Christmas! She received a swing for her gift and seems to enjoy the soothing motion of being pushed in the swing. The following year in 2022, Priscilla had a chance to perform in a group dance with the support of her caregiver!
Priscilla prefers a slow morning, easing into her day by her caregiver’s side or in her arms for a snuggle. After her morning snack, Priscilla has a PT session and then spends time in her Zing stander. When she is in it, she interacts with her peers and caregivers at a higher level compared to when she is on the floor or in her wheelchair. Priscilla is tired after all that exercising, so after lunch she has a nap. In the afternoons, Priscilla takes part in tummy time which she likes to do while watching TV or listening to music. Then she joins group sensory play time! Priscilla’s favourite is kinetic sand. She will squish it in her hand or fling it all over the room, laughing. Evenings are a little more relaxed and our sweet girl ends up in her favourite spot, right back with her caregiver. She has a sweet relationship with her caregiver, who loves dressing her up in the very fanciest of outfits, no matter what the occasion! Priscilla is always the best dressed girl in the room!
For her most recent birthday party, Mae requested a pool party with chicken nuggets and french fries! She loves making up stories and playing Hungry, Hungry Hippos. She enjoys playing her keyboard and inventing songs and she has a great imagination. She pretends she is being chased by monkeys, laughing and running, or she will be teacher to the other children and pretend to lead a class.
Mae can read uncontracted braille and type on her Perkins braille writer. She dresses herself and feeds herself and is really growing in independence with her daily living skills. Mae speaks well in both her native language and in English. She walks independently with a white cane. Mae has some delayed skills due to institutionalization, particularly her gross motor skills are weak, however she gets around well. She is friendly, funny and loves to laugh. Mae is a comedian who loves life and would be a valuable addition to a family.
Cedar can stand up from the floor by himself and is able to walk independently. He receives training on using his white cane. He can go up and down the stairs independently. Cedar makes lots of sounds but does not yet say any words, although he does understand some words in his native language and in English. He feeds himself.
Cedar loves sensory play in shaving cream, and his last birthday party was a shaving cream party! He covers his whole body in it. The year before, his home played Cedar Says, an adaption of the game Simon Says, where all the kids copied Cedar’s unique sounds and acrobat moves! He loves the standing swing, water play and he gets excited when his teachers help him do the actions to Head and Shoulders. He is known as being his home’s acrobat and can most often be found climbing on something or hanging upside down! Cedar is a joyful kid and brings a lot of laughter wherever he goes.
K is active, strong and is very close with his brother. He enjoys music and is in the 2nd grade. He is independent, curious and likes to think. He is talented in music and enjoys tasks where fine motor skills are required. He has congenital glaucoma and can’t see with his left eye. He is self conscious of his eye, has low self esteem and visits a psychologist to help him learn how to manage his anger and express his emotions. He likes to be alone or in a quiet environment and enjoys watching TV. He has difficulty making friends but wants to communicate with other children and staff members. He has a speech disorder and difficulty with attention, concentration and self regulation. He takes medication to lower his anxiety. He is diagnosed with mixed disorder of scholastic skills, congenital cataract and congenital glaucoma.
Update Dec 2021, from someone who met both Hazel & Ivory: They are really tiny young ladies, so sweet and giggly. They stopped by the orphanage director’s office to say hello. Hazel is practically without special needs, and she is inseparable from Ivory. Since Ivory is blind, Hazel watches out for her little “sister”. So sweet.
Photos and videos from April 2019 are available through the agency
Updated Jan 2017: Harmony tries to sit independently and stands with the help of an adult or holding onto support. She can step aside holding onto support, pushes the walker with help and guidance by an adult. She is visually impaired – holds a toy handed by an adult, studies the objects with her hand. She has delayed neuro psychological development. When she gets upset, she self-harms.
Harmony expresses her emotions with vocalization – vowel sounds and random sounds. When frustrated she can express her discontent. She can tell apart the tone of voice, reacts with a smile to caresses when she’s calm. The child is fed with a spoon by an adult, drinks from a cup held by an adult.
Evan speaks clearly and uses multi-word sentences. He knows the names of all the staff members and their work schedules. He communicates freely, carrying on a full conversation, asking and answering questions and expressing his wants/needs. He can name colors, basic shapes, count to 10, recite poems and identify the names of objects in photos. He understands cause and effect. He understands spacial concepts such as up/down, in/out, around/beside. He seeks out interactions with others. He actively participates in educational activities. His motor skills are impacted. He crawls to get from place to place. He can take steps holding the hands of an adult. His left side appears to be weaker than the right. He can feed himself and washes his own hands. He told the team member that visited him that his wish is to have a new carpet in the room where he plays to crawl around on. He was told to wish for it in his letter to Santa and he did.
He readily enters into play interactions with adults. He spontaneously pronounces syllables and other combinations of sounds. He eats well, with appetite. While bathed, he’s calm. His sleep is calm and long. He sucks his thumb while sleeping. He eats blended food from a spoon.
Olivia has a $500 agency grant, with her current adoption agency. Olivia needs a family with an approved home study to be able to hold her file or move forward with adopting her.
When Landon first arrived at the home, he struggled with transitions and always demanded to be held. However, he was able to work with a wonderful occupational therapist that helped him and he made great improvements. He still loves hugs, to snuggle, and is the biggest fan of piggy back rides! He especially loves singing and enjoys singing English songs like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “BINGO.” He was in an English immersion classroom and has a strong foundation in English to express himself. Thanks to having American volunteers providing an English immersion environment, he can say the days of the week, say left or right, use manners, and express his basic needs in English. His file lists him to have nystagmus and esotropia. Landon is blind. He had been making big improvements in his orientation and mobility classes. He had also been making wonderful progress with his cane. Make sure to watch his videos and see him speak English and use his cane skills! Landon finds music to be very soothing. He loves when you sing to him while holding him in your arms and when you run your hands through his hair. You can feel how much he just wants to be loved!
MANY additional photos and MANY videos available!
Kopelan has started to play with toys more and feels around for them. He is a happy boy who loves to laugh; he absolutely loves being tickled. He has a face and a smile that are sure to steal your heart.
“Meet Kassidy! She is such a beautiful little love. Her health has declined since her last official medical report and she really needs a family. Our team’s PT feels there is a possibility she could improve so much with the love of a family and access to good medical care.”
Report from April 2011: A pretty great report for a 19 month old, Kassidy is extroverted, active and restless, sometimes she is stubborn. She loves being cuddled by caregivers the most. Since she is smart and lovely, everyone loves her and hopes she could find a family of her own to enjoy a happy and lovely family life facilitating her healthy development. She is smart and is able to crawl, take steps while holding onto handrails, take steps with one hand held, imitate words, and speak 3-5 words. She uses thumbs and index fingers deftly and is able to pick up a pill with her thumbs and index fingers. She is a very cute baby with fair complexion. She is not a picky eater and eats every good we give her, therefore, she has a chubby face. She has a lovely mouth and she often sucks her fingers as if sucking a soother, which is very cute.
Report from November 2016: From an advocate who met Kassidy: “Kassidy did not interact with environment or caregiver to determine personality. Maintained fetal position sleeping. Did move her face and arms in response to cold washcloth on face. We observed no noises. She has low muscle tone, hyporeflexia. No contractures noted. Can’t stand or walk. Appears to be failure to thrive. She overall demonstrates severe delays in all domains. She appears to have declined in general health per report of previous function.”
Jack is funny, loving, bright and smart. He walks, runs, jumps, and goes up and down stairs independently. He loves dinosaurs that eat grass, and loves when people read him books about dinosaurs. He has a great sense of humor and outgoing personality. Jack charms everyone who meets him. In a family environment with he will thrive and grow to be the best he can be. He just needs that family to find him.
Alec was born with one missing eye, a condition typically corrected with a prosthetic eye. He has good vision in his one eye and does not appear to have hearing loss. Alec has developmental delays that may be due to brain damage or brain malformation, in addition to lack of stimulation in his first year of life. Alec was in the care of An Orphan’s Wish for over a year and then was transferred to Little Flower. In the care of these loving organizations he has made some progress in his physical strength and development, but he is still severely delayed.
Alec can sit up and can make eye contact, but he is not interested in toys. Alec loves being held and responds to tickles and cuddles. He currently does not attempt to communicate verbally but he laughs and coos. Alec also has feeding issues.
Alec needs the unconditional love of a family devoted to give him access to all the therapies and early intervention services that he needs to reach his full potential. These services are not available for him in China. He needs to come home to a family who will see the value of this little boy and shower him with the love that he deserves.
When he was younger, he was in a private facility and was doing much better. Warren needs a family that has experience with vision issues, access to appropriate resources for vision impaired children and cleft lip and palate services and resources, and understands the social impact of blindness.
Isabella has such a delicate face with the most beautiful lips. She loves to be clean and will cry to remind her caretaker when she goes to the bathroom and needs her diaper changed. After she is changed, she stops crying immediately. Isabella is always moving her eyes; it seems she may have some light perception. She has some hearing loss because of her atresia, but she can hear. By four months of age, Isabella was visually following the light, responding to loud sounds, and babbling. Isabella has rehabilitation training three times a week and is very cooperative. At the time her file was prepared, she was sitting and rolling over independently. She will laugh loudly and happily when called by her caretaker. Isabella loves to be cuddled and teased by her caretakers too. Her favorite toys are dolls. She is said to be a good eater and sleeper as well. Isabella is getting wonderful care while she waits for a family!
VIDEOS:
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-lynette
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-lynette2
Password: Adoptmaa
A specific agency has a $1000 grant for her adoption fees.
Feb 2023 Update: Malachi is a very happy, friendly, active child! He loves to play with the other children in his home, jump on the trampoline, ride his bike, and listen to music. His home recently got gymnastics rings and he loves learning stunts on them and going upside down. Malachi is blind, but has good awareness of his surroundings in familiar settings. Malachi is independent in all his daily living skills. He is very motivated to learn new skills and new information – one of his favorite activities is listening to the news on the radio and also making up his own pretend news broadcasts. Malachi reads braille and is currently at around a 4th grade level. He says his favorite subjects in school are math and social studies. Malachi speaks English and his local language. In English he can communicate his needs and wants, tell stories, as well as explain and understand more in-depth concepts. His schooling is mainly done in English. He attended a school for the blind until class 5 but now attends a mainstream private school. Malachi has been working on multiplication, subtraction, basic money skills, and continuing to improve his braille reading skills.
Malachi enjoys playing independently as well as in groups of his peers. His favorite activities revolve around music, including learning new songs and playing the piano. Malachi has an ear for notes and can listen to a song and figure out the melody on the piano, without any instruction. Within a few days of starting on the piano he had figured out how to play “Happy Birthday” and “Jingle Bells” just by listening to the songs. He has expressed interest in piano lessons as well as learning other instruments. He plays around on the xylophone and ukelele and watches tutorials on YouTube to learn to play. At the end of 2022 he began learning to play the ukelele at school, and he performed the song Count On Me at a school sports day concert. He beamed with pride as everyone applauded for him.
Malachi got Bop It for Christmas and loves playing with that, as well as the Simon handheld memory game. At Christmas he performed “Oh Come, All Ye Faithful” at the party in both English and his local language. He is a great singer!
Malachi is a very sweet and spirited child who has formed healthy attachments with his current caregivers. He has a close relationship with a few of the other boys in his home and enjoys including everyone, regardless of ability, into his play. Malachi is finding his sense of humor and likes to try out different jokes and funny sounds to make others around him laugh. He says when he is an adult he wants to make robots! When asked what he likes about himself, he says he likes his strong brain that is good at math. His favourite animal is a parrot and he wants to learn more about parrots in school. When asked his favourite thing to do, he responded he likes to cook soup with playdough!
He had a best friend in the home and they liked to wear matching outfits and call themselves twins. This friend was recently adopted, and Malachi would love to be adopted too. He is a very bright child who would do incredibly well in a family!
UPDATE July 2020: Georgie has been making steady progress in his language skills. Lately, he has begun to make requests on his own or make jokes in conversations with his teachers, caregivers, and house mom. Georgie’s favorite little joke right now is to reply “JUICE” to each and every question asked of him. He erupts into giggles and repeats the word over and over until tickles and exclamations prompt him to give the real answer that we were looking for. We recently celebrated Georgie’s 6th birthday, and when asked what he wanted to do for his party he answered without hesitation: “DANCE PARTY!” Georgie can count to 10 and is learning his first braille characters!