Nolan has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. He is also profoundly deaf. He uses ASL at a beginner level. He received a cochlear implant, but due to the age that he was implanted, it has not been successful in helping him to locate sound. He used to be able to walk independently for short distances with orthotics, but recently lost that ability and crawls within the house or uses a wheelchair outside the house. He has a g-tube for feeding due to aspiration when he eats by mouth. Because of his oral motor challenges, he cannot speak and is on medication to control drooling. No seizures. He does classes every day at home with his tutor. He is very social and loves to be around other children. He is bright and learns a lot, when he applies himself. He knows the full English alphabet in ASL and knows many words. He communicates mostly in single words in ASL, as well as simple sentences like I want… He is potty trained day and night. He craves 1 on 1 attention and cries when the younger children get adopted and he has to say goodbye. He likes to be silly and play jokes. He likes to be a helper and enjoys doing chores. He is sensitive and his feelings are easily hurt. He can get frustrated by lack of ability to communicate and be understood. He would thrive in an environment where sign language is understood. August 2020 Update: Nolan is looking older and older every day. There is a new nurse in the home who is a male and Nolan is really enjoying having a male to spend time with, as most of the staff are female. Having a big brother figure to look up to has been so special to him! He is a great big brother himself, and really enjoys bringing toys to the younger kids and trying to help with them. In class Nolan is playing lots of new games that involve following patterns, reading, and categorizing items!

Molly can sit independently for short periods of time. She has a feeding tube to supplement her nutrition and help her gain weight, but she continues to eat her meals by mouth. She likes self feeding with hand over hand support. She is potty-trained using a Rifton chair. She tries very hard to communicate using limited sign and speech. She has an eye gaze-controlled computer which allows her to communicate with others. Molly is laid back and content. She loves to be included and likes being silly and goofy. She is very intelligent but has a difficult time showing what she knows given her communication limitations. Knows her English alphabet and can read simple words. Can spell her name. Enjoys playing games (she is competitive) and listening to stories (she can recap the plots of simple stories by selecting images that correspond with the plot). Likes to color. Enjoys being social and playing with other kids, especially make believe (baby dolls are her favorite). Jan 2019 Update: In March 2018, due to increasing hip pain and subluxation of her hip joints, Molly underwent a major double hip surgery: femoral derotation and osteotomy to correct the alignment of her hips and femurs. She was in a spica cast (immobilizing her hips and knees) for over a month. She then spent much of the year re-gaining the strength and movement that she had lost while immobilized. She is a fighter and persevered through significant discomfort over the past year. She maintained her joyful, sweet spirit throughout! Molly celebrated her 12th birthday in December. She was very excited to receive a new traditional dress for the occasion and to get henna designs drawn on her arms. She loves getting fancy and looked so gorgeous! Molly was also very enthusiastic about her cake as she loves all sweets. Over the past year, Molly developed a new interest in make-up and will request to wear it by reaching up and rubbing her hand on her lips and cheeks. She also was introduced to the movie “Frozen” and it has become a favorite. She will “sing” (vocalize) along to favorite songs such as “Let it Go”. Molly may not stand out as one of the youngest or one of the sickest, but she is so worthy of a family. She would be a beautiful addition to a family and a beloved daughter, sister, and cousin. July 2020 Update: Molly has had a great summer! She is enjoying her classes where she is working on following patterns, reading, categorizing items, and using alternative communication and sign language to engage in pretend play. Molly’s teenage sass is undeniable! She is very insistent when she wants to watch a new movie or when she wants her make-up done. She also gets so excited whenever a new dress is brought to her home and she is persistent to have her photo taken and shown to everyone! She loves being with the little kids of the home, especially helping an adult to push them in the swing or dancing with them sitting in her lap on her wheelchair.

February 2020 Update: Esther is a sweet girl with a joyful and spunky spirit. She speaks her native language fluently and can understand most English. Her sentences in English are simple and she would benefit from the support of a speech therapist. She has many friends and can usually be found in a circle of girls playing with toys or sitting in a reading corner with her favorite book. Esther enjoys English and writing but has difficulty concentrating in math. She has memorized her alphabet and numbers 1-300. She can write four and five letter words neatly. Esther thrives on one on one attention and can focus on her schooling best when given individual attention. Esther’s hobbies include jumping on the trampoline, coloring, painting, dancing, and singing. One of her favorite times of the day is when everyone is settling in for the night and she is able to sit down, either singing or dancing with her friends, or reading her favorite book. This sweet girl longs to have a family of her own. Esther speaks her native language fluently and understands some English. Her sentences in both languages are not clear and she needs the support of a speech therapist. She is on medication to control seizures and is seizure free. She tends to have trouble concentrating and attending to conversation. Social skills are delayed but she is well liked by the other girls and plays nicely. She has memorized her alphabet and numbers 1 to 200. She is writing four letter words neatly. She thrives from having adult attention and asks desperately when her family is coming. She is learning appropriate boundaries with strangers and tends to request hugs from any adult. Esther likes jumping on the trampoline, cuddling with caregivers, coloring, dancing and singing. Esther likes to be active with the other children in her house, but she also is comfortable entertaining herself with books and other quiet activities.

Dinah is giggly, likes to snuggle, sweet, content. Will play with toys, seek out preferred toys, and seek out preferred children to play beside. She has been working on using a simple voice-output communication system to greet the other children and choose between two toy options. She is social and gets very excited when surrounded by lots of people. She likes to do what the other children are doing. She can follow simple commands in English and can identify body parts by touching them when asked. She shows ability to build strong attachments and follows her preferred caregiver and opens her arms for a hug. She loves to dance and immediately stands up and starts dancing when music comes on. Aug 2020 Update: Most weekdays, after breakfast, Dinah spends time working on self-care skills.. She also has class where she works on a variety of skills, especially her gross motor and O&M skills. Dinah radiates joy and excitement when she dances!

February 2020 Update: Daylan participates in daily educational and motor skill classes with the use of his wheelchair and a lap-tray. Daylan is eager and determined to learn! He loves working on basic spelling and math, and is so proud of himself when he learns something new! He is currently using a combination of assistive technology and PECS to help him with his non-verbal communication. Even without these, Daylan is still loud and clear in his communication using vocalizations, facial expressions and pointing to make his needs and feelings known. He loves to use switch-adapted toys and toys with large buttons that he is able to use independently. Unfortunately, Daylan’s dystonia has become more severe as he has grown over the past year. His ability to roll and scoot around the floor has decreased significantly, but he is still able to sit comfortably in his wheelchair with the support of a back brace. Daylan is incredibly joyful, sweet, goofy, sassy, and spunky. One of Daylan’s current favorite games is to lay next to one of the other boys in his home and attempt to stick his finger into their noses and ears! This always brings lots of laughter from everyone around him! Daylan truly has so much potential to thrive in a family! Video available.