Meet Penny! She is a lovable and charming little girl who is 3 years old. Penny came into care when she was about 6 months old. After a few months at the orphanage, she was placed with a foster family, where she has blossomed!

Penny was born with Down syndrome. She has an ASD, which as of her report in 2017, had required no treatment. Penny has the typical delays seen with Down syndrome, but has accomplished a lot since joining her foster family. She is especially close to her older foster brother, and waits impatiently for him to come home from school. Sadly, even an excellent foster family is not a permanent solution for an orphan. Penelope needs a family who will become hers forever. This sweet little one is waiting!

Update from January 2021:  Parker John is well-behaved, follows directions, and fearless.  He gets along well with children and adults in his orphanage.

Wanted: family who loves to laugh, play together, and has room for one more! Parker is looking for you! This handsome guy is 4 years old, and waiting. Parker has Down syndrome with the typical delays. He is very outgoing, loves to play, loves musical toys, and is very sweet. He had surgery in 2014 for a heart issue (PDA) and recovered well. His file states he has an ectopic kidney on the right side. This means the kidney sits in an abnormal position. In most cases, this causes no issues at all, but there is a chance it can lead to later kidney stones or infection. He has had no issues with this to date. Parker needs a family who will love him, and be by his side as he grows and learns.

Noah is a happy and active little boy! Noah was born with Down syndrome and a heart condition, which he had surgery for shortly after arriving at his orphanage. The surgery was successful, and he made a lot of progress as he recovered! Noah loves to roll around on the play mats and play with his toys! He will often hold a ball in his hands and study it while he plays.

Update August 2020:  Noah is an active participant in the daily circle time in his family and attends the in-house kindergarten classes most days of the week. His favorite activities at kindergarten are cooking, music and learning about animals. He loves playing with instruments such as the keyboard, xylophone and tambourine. He at times has difficulty with focus, but can be totally immersed when playing with his favorite toys.

Noah enjoys playing outside particularly ball games, going to the playground, swimming and splashing in the pool. He also likes to dance! He has a good memory and is able to learn different action songs. Noah is a charming little boy who enjoys making funny faces and communicating with others. Noah interacts well with people and is comfortable with his caregivers and brothers. He is able to use single words like “baba” and “mama” to communicate.

Noah is continuing to develop new self-care skills. He is not yet toilet trained, however, is able to feed himself independently with a spoon. With some help from a caregiver, he is able to brush his teeth and wash his face and hands. Noah is a sweet natured, active little boy who likes to explore the world around him. His cheerful nature brings so much joy to all who know and love him.

Nash came into care when he was about six months old and joined a foster family when he was about one and a half. He gets along well with his foster family and is close to his foster mom. Nash can walk unsupported and likes imitating others. He can point to body parts when asked, responds if you ask him to hand you a toy, and cooperates when it’s time to get dressed. Nash is described as a lovely and active boy who likes playing outside.

Update December 2019: Guy is growing up to be such a handsome boy! He is a happy boy who loves to play and spend time with those he knows well, giving big smiles and lots of affection. He lives in a centre in a small group home with other similar aged boys. Guy loves attending circle time in his home, which involves group songs and interactive games. He also enjoys being taken to the playground next to the building that he lives in, particularly liking the swing and slide. Guy has started to develop imagination in play! He loves pretending to pick apples from a tree and eat them with his volunteer grandmother. His attention span in play has been noted to be growing, and he can play for extended amounts of time with motivating toys and activities.

Guy attends kindergarten lessons 3 days per week, and is making great progress in his learning, play, and self-care skills. Guy is very proud that he is now able to independently feed himself with a spoon! His carers report that he is a great little helper, often helping with tidying up after mealtimes or putting toys away when playtime is finished. Guy is a social boy, who actively tries to communicate through a mixture of gestures and a few simple words. Those around him describe him as a child who knows what he wants, and that he will persist in making himself understood despite his lack of speech. Guy is able to follow basic instructions and engages well with his structured daily routine. We are hoping that his forever family sees him soon!

https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-guy01
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-guy02
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-guy03
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-guy04

Update from January 2021:  Dino is well behaved, a little shy, but when he knows you, he is quite active.  He is attached to his caretakers and knows how to make them happy. He knows to care for others. He likes hugs.

Dino enjoys cuddling and sometimes acts spoiled, but is obedient and gets along well with the other children. He is an active and restless little toddler, with a big smile and long eyelashes. He likes to sit in his stroller out in the sunshine, and will lift up his legs to peel off his socks! Dino has Down syndrome and has been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect (PDA), but has not received any surgery for it.

From a September 2018 update: Dino likes climbing and standing, but needed support for walking. He plays with other children, and will clap while looking in the mirror. He likes swinging with the children and building blocks with the other children during group class. He can tear paper and use his pincer fingers to grab things.  His language was not clear, but he will laugh and try to imitate sounds. He recognizes familiar people and understands adult facial expressions. He is a lively baby. After getting acquainted with others, he will often show a cute smile and two cute little dimples.  At this time he has not needed to undergo any heart surgery, as his heart is doing fine.

Conner is an adorable little boy, born in May of 2014 with down syndrome and anal atresia. He has had three surgeries, including a colostomy and anoplasty. Conner receives early childhood education and rehabilitation to work on his cognitive, fine motor, gross motor, and language abilities. After just two months of this, he started learning how to make friends, share, and get around better. Conner likes giving his foster siblings kisses and helping hold their bottles for them. He will even help wipe their mouths like a good big brother. Over time, he has learned how to feed himself with a spoon. He can take off his own shoes and likes to organize all the other shoes. He tries to put on his own socks and shoes, but needs a little assistance getting the shoes on the right feet. He can understand simple language, basic directions, and he reads facial expressions very well. When he sees his foster mother smiling at him, he will smile back, be good, and snuggle up in her arms quietly. If someone is looking at him with a not so nice face, he will make a serious face and play by himself. He gets upset when he is criticized for making a bad choice.

Conner can go up and down stairs on his own now. He has been watching his foster mother carefully over time and has learned how to help his foster mother care for his younger foster sister. He can put his little sister’s diaper, sweater, shoes, socks and coat near his foster mother’s side in sequence and throw her used diaper into the trash can. He can call “dad, dad, mom, mom.” Conner likes watching cartoons and listening to and dancing to children’s songs. He can choose his favorite picture book and ‘read.’ Conner also enjoys painting, playing with play dough, and stringing the toy blocks. He likes playing outdoors with other children too. There, he will help pick fruit, look for flowers, and dig in the dirt. He is said to be happy every day! We know Conner’s going to make a great son! Could your family be the one Conner will call his forever family?

Cecelia is a precious little girl! She has had surgery to correct her heart defect. Cecelia is an active little girl who loves participating in interactive games! At the time her file was prepared, Cecelia liked to crawl around on the ground and explore objects in the room. She could sit up and interact with other children her age. Cecelia’s caretakers were working with her on standing and walking at that time as well. Cecelia makes sounds and laughs a lot. She likes to be outside and observe others. When she sees her main nanny, she will wave her hands and scream excitedly! Cecelia was able to hold some food to feed herself and was working on feeding herself with a spoon at the time. She likes to eat apple puree, bananas, and grape puree. She was reportedly able to swallow, but had trouble with hard foods at the time of her report. Cecelia does not care for bitter foods. She sleeps on her stomach, is good at imitating adult motions, and loves to wave goodbye!

Cecelia has adorable MUST-WATCH videos from 2019 and significant grants to help an adoptive family bring her home! It is our hope that her forever family finally sees her and says YES!

https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-cecelia1
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-cecelia2
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-cecelia3

There is a $2,500 agency grant for Cecelia’s adoption with her current adoption agency.

Xena is known as a girl with a sweet personality, rarely crying. She likes to play in her bed with toys that make noise, listen to music and being near caregivers while holding their hands. Xena can bang two blocks together, understand when others speak to her and will follow simple directions. A report from 3/2018 indicates she can sit without support, stay in a crawl position, creep on her tummy, reach for toys and visually follow her caregivers when they move around the room.

January 2021 Written Update:   Xena is described as introverted. She likes to play on her own and is not very responsive to other kids and adults.  She’s not attached to anyone. She plays alone and has no communication with others. She doesn’t follow instructions, and is not potty trained yet.  Xena can sit up on her own, and can walk a little while while holding on to supports.  She creeps to stuff that she wants — she enjoys colorful balls and toy cars.  She likes bright colors.  She does not currently receive any schooling.