Other Special Needs

Igor walks independently, though he favors one side of his body. His left arm and leg are weaker than the right side. He plays with toys and is interested in everything going on around him. He recognizes familiar people and seeks to engage with them. He has positive emotional development. He mimics actions and gestures of others. He enjoys musical toys, and listening to children’s music and children’s stories. He pronounces sounds and syllables, but is not yet saying words.

Ian walks with support and can take some independent steps. He’s easily comforted with hugs and affection. He loves music and will smile and dance when he hears it. He also loves cars and trains. His expressive and receptive speech are delayed. He is not yet speaking and the difficulty with communication (his foster mother not understanding what he wants) leads to crying and “meltdowns”. He foster mother reports that he likes to do things his way and he has learned that when he’s told “no”, he can have a “meltdown” and get his way. He has recently started speech therapy to assist with his language delays, but is living in a small town that has limited resources to provide the therapies and support he needs.
Photos and videos are available through the agency.

Mitchell walks independently with an ataxic gait. He talk using simple words and simple sentences. He plays with toys. He shows interest in his environment and everything happening around him. He seeks contact with familiar adults.

Photos and videos are available through the agency.

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Joe has a ready smile, he watches what his caregivers are doing and gets their attention by shaking his head and wiggle his upper body. Perhaps because of his body, he prefers to have motion of upper body, shake head, wiggle body and roll over to one side etc. At 10 months old, he could sit alone, say ba and ma, liked colorful toys; he liked to be close to others. He communicates with others with his eyes and has sweet smiles.

Alec is a beautiful darling little boy.

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.

Legend is a great little boy who loves to listen to sounds and music! He is drawn to toys with sounds and exciting noises and will give you the biggest smile when he has one! Legend is shy but active and is able to crawl on his hands and knees. Legend has cerebral dysplasia but he’s not letting that get him down! Legend will continue to grow and thrive in his forever home!

Lew does not speak much yet. He can make “Yiyi-yaya” sounds and point to the objects he wants. He can express himself with other ways. For example, if someone took his ball, he will make “yiyi-yaya” sound to caregivers and pointed to the ball and ask the caregivers to get it back. When you get it back for him, he will laugh to you He can stand up without any help, he can walk alone (al little waddled) and walk hand in hand with other kids. He can pick up a very small object from the ground. He can hold a ball and raise it up and throw it out, then pick it up and repeat. He is a little bit shy and can be very cautious with strangers. He is very open and happen when he is with caregivers and kids he is familiar with.

What a little love! Another one who is so young and will greatly benefit from therapy and a family. Someone scoop him up!

Donna desperately needs a mama.

Bert has cerebral palsy; we don’t have any detailed information

NEW VIDEO!! A new video of Bert!!! He looks to still be in the baby house. He needs a family NOW! He is so adorable! Shareable video link: https://youtu.be/ZlnVHrFiH8k

Bert’s younger brother has been adopted domestically.

Please note, there is limited information on all children. Some children may have FAS, Autism, RAD or other institutional behaviors NOT diagnosed or disclosed.

Aleks is a sweet boy who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. He receives physical therapy and is working on bearing weight and sitting independently. He is active and alert and smiles whenever anyone interacts with him. He loves playing with all the kids and gives big laughs. He enjoys music class and shakes the bells. He dances by kicking his legs and making his chair rock.

Rebecca is of typical social ability, as well as social skills. Her fine and gross motor skills are also typically developing, somewhat delayed due to her blindness. She plays with dolls and communicates verbally with peers and caregivers. She has good behavior with staff and other children. She is described as sober, happy, content, active, and engaged.

The younger brother has been adopted! The older boy is still waiting for a family. He has a history of abuse, and would do well in a family where he is the only or oldest child, with an experienced family who can help him with his trauma.
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These adorable brothers are active, fun, rarely sick, interested and curious. They have never had anything that resembles a family so they will need structure. Aggy attended Kindergarten and will be in a first grade class this year. His challenges are in the light range. If you did not read his diagnosis, you would not notice any differences between he and his brother. Even in a group of kindergarteners he does not stand out as handicapped physically or mentally. He does show some signs of ADHD “type” behavior but many of our children present as ADHD until they are in a stable family environment. He had plastic surgery to correct a cleft lip in 2014. He has a type of scoliosis and wears glasses. Iggy has a diagnosis of nearsightedness and astigmatism and he also wears glasses. Both boys have general good health and good teeth. The boys are in a wonderful orphanage that is structured in family groups.

Silvio is a Roma boy who was born extremely premature (22 weeks), with a very low birth weight. He spends 6 months at the hospital and fought for his life! He had a tracheotomy procedure and eye Lasik surgery in October 2017.

Last update 2020: Delayed psychomotor development. Visible improvement after rehabilitation. Feeding the by the bottle, playing with toys, rolls out of the back on the stomach and vice versa. He tries to crawl. A very active child who initiates contact. He makes eye contact, focuses his attention on the human face, and smiles back. Video is available from the adoption agency.

Updated August 2019: Lollie is a sweet girl who is almost always happy. She is adored by everyone she meets, and has been the favorite in our house since she arrived! Her favorite thing to do is go for walks and car rides on bumpy roads. When she is happy her laugh can be heard from quite a long way off! The only thing that makes her mad is standing in her stander at therapy. Her nannies love to dress her up and fix her hair. She has a vision impairment, and does not have a lot of purposeful movement.

In school she is working on responding to different stimulation and focusing her eyes on one object at a time, and at therapy she is doing range of motion stretches, standing, and several other things.

 

Videos show Bonnie smiling at the camera, responding with smiles when spoken to, grasping a toy when it is handed to her and shaking it, lifting her head and working hard to control it and attempting to engaging with the person videoing her by making sounds and eye contact.

Melany is physically healthy with mild intellectual delays. She is in 7^th grade and has worked with a resource teacher online during the 2020-2021 school year. She is described as shy and introverted, though she communicates freely with familiar people. She enjoys talking about topics that interest her and is very friendly. She has friends at school and at the children’s center where she lives. She states that her dreams are to have a family, finish school and become a teacher. When asked what adoption means, she said, “to have a family, to live forever with these people who take care of you and not to be left alone anymore”.

Isabella is a gorgeous little girl with congenital atresia of external auditory meatus of both ears and leukoma of both ears (translation error that should have said eyes).

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!

Jesse is definitely a smart boy! He is nonverbal, but already recognizes a lot of letters and their sounds. He communicates by moving his hand closer to the letter or option he is choosing. He is working hard on these skills in preschool, which he currently attends two afternoons each week. He also uses his eyes to communicate. Sometimes I will tell him to look at someone to say please, thank you or sorry and he is always quick to comply, unless he is mad, in which case he will either shut or roll his eyes. If given two choices, I’ll ask him to look at one person for the first choice and another person for the second choice. He is quick to answer, especially if it’s something he really wants. For example, I will say look at Irene if you want your milk or look at Judith if you want more food and he will look at Judith to indicate he wants another bowl of food. Jesse knows the name of all his familiar people and will quickly look at them with a smile if I ask where they are.

Jesse loves to laugh and is quite entertained by the antics of his foster brothers and sister. Every night, I take Jesse into his bedroom to sit by his bed and pray together. Our one year old has a habit of following us in to the bedroom and sitting down beside us until another adult comes to get him. Jesse always anticipates this and as soon as I sit down with him, he watches the door and smiles, until the toddler comes in and Jesse wiggles and dances with joy. Sometimes after Jesse is in bed, his buddy will climb in with him and they both laugh at the craziness of bedtime.

Physically, Jesse can balance in a sitting position for several seconds, with his legs crossed and using his arms for support. He doesn’t do it for long at a time before he tumbles over, but he is always very proud of his accomplishments. He doesn’t roll over, but when he is laying on his tummy (his favorite position!), he can lift his head up and look around. Jesse loves to practice his walking, especially if he can “chase” the other kids around. I support him by holding him under his arms and then he lifts his feet and off we go. Jesse wears AFOs to use his stander every day. He really enjoys this time and rarely fusses while he stands. He has a musical light up toy that he likes to use during this time and he is quick to fuss if one of the other kids tries to take it. He also goes to physical therapy four days a week where he works hard on continuing to develop his skills. Jesse still wears a diaper, but he is working on potty training and sits on his modified potty every evening before bath time. He will usually use it and always smiles proudly when we praise him for this. Jesse eats well, with mostly pureed food, although he also likes to eat things like crackers or cookies. He does not self-feed, but if we give him the spoon to hold, he works hard to bring it to his mouth. Jesse drinks from a sippy cup and a water bottle with a straw – he especially loves milk and juice, but nothing too cold!

Jesse enjoys spending time being pushed in a supportive swing and fusses when it is time to get out. He also likes watching movies and going for walks in our stroller. Jesse enjoys story time and holding his baby doll or stuffed lamb. He is an amazing little guy who will definitely be a huge blessing to his family!

Vivian is a gorgeous, joyful girl. Though she had a difficult start in life, she is an absolute fighter and has already come so far! She appears to have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) at birth which has led to her disability. She also has cerebral palsy that affects all 4 limbs and uses a wheelchair. In her physical therapy she is working to keep her range of motion and improve her head control. Vivian appears to have both hearing and vision loss, although she responds to light and dark, and loves it when you open the curtains and turn on the lights to greet her in the morning. Her right hand was amputated as a baby, but she makes great use of her left hand, and enjoys holding hands/fingers and grabbing her favorite blanket and toys. Vivian is fed by a G-tube, but also enjoys occasional oral feeding for a tasty smoothie (not too cold please!) or a hot chocolate treat. Although she takes daily medicines to manage her epilepsy, Vivian is generally a very stable little girl and her epilepsy is well controlled.

As a result of her vision impairment and TBI, Vivian sleeps more than might be expected for a girl her age. For instance, after enjoying her breakfast Vivian often falls asleep until around lunch time when she wakes up for food and is then ready to enjoy an afternoon of activities (snuggles and playtime!) before falling asleep just after dinner with a bedtime story/cuddle. Once she gets to know her caregivers, Vivian learns the feeling of her favorite people (she identifies them by the feel of their bracelet, hair, or other identifying features) and responds happily when she knows they are with her!

Although Vivian is non-verbal she does express herself by facial expressions and vocalizing in response to what is going on or to get your attention. For instance, she loves being bounced around and will respond with her mouth wide open and a joyful noise. Once you get to know Vivian you will be better at recognizing how she communicates. She might let out a little noise, give you a sassy side eye, or open her mouth wide to let you know exactly how she feels. In the mornings she is normally very excited to see her people, and gives a big smile and an open mouth when you wake her up! Caregivers use objects of reference to let Vivian know what’s going to happen next, but our prayer for Vivian is that she and her caregivers will be able to find a comprehensive communication system that enables her to express her thoughts and opinions with the world.

Vivian has a gentle and lovely personality which you will quickly come to cherish. Some of the things that make her the happiest are picnics outside under the trees, walks, bubble baths, and snuggles on the couch. She is most at peace when she is close to the people she loves. With the right care and support, Vivian is capable of making beautiful progress in life. She is a treasure to have around and would absolutely love to join a forever family!

From a family who knows him: Even though Ravi spends most of his days in the same bed, staring at the same ceiling, he’s fascinated by everything that goes on around him. He loves the rare walks he gets outside in the summertime and being held up in the window to watch snow falling in winter. He obviously recognizes his favorite people and cries when they leave. He cannot sit up on his own, and seems to get tired even when held sitting for long. But he scoots all around in his bed, very actively turning his head to where his feet should be, or the other way around to see and hear everything. He is completely non-verbal. Ravi really needs a family and a chance to get out into the world that fascinates him so much!

Regina’s Apert’s syndrome does not prevent this curly-haired little girl from playing, learning, and living an active life! Regina is an intelligent and imaginative child who enjoys dolls, swings, slides – and watermelon! Could she be your daughter?

Regina needs corrective surgery for her hands, feet, and face, to help her be all she can be. A loving family would give Regina a future outside of a bleak institution.

Many additional pictures and videos of Regina are available upon inquiry.

Sweetie!!

He has 5 siblings in the family-style children home, they are not adoptable.

Cassandra has two sisters, who have both been adopted.

These two sisters must be adopted together! Both girls are very good and friendly.

He has a brother born in 2012 who was placed in a different orphanage.  A prospective family should be approved for two — they may be required to be adopted together.

He just started talking, and his stature is pretty small.

Gabrielle really needs a family of her own! She will remain bedridden for the rest of her short life if she is not adopted.

from a family that met her 4/19:
She is gentle and sweet. She knows how to roll, and she rolled over to a toy phone and was pushing the buttons because she knew it would make noise. She loved when I rocked her and sang to her, and she liked playing with my hair. She has a beautiful smile and is ticklish. She loves snuggles and her eyes looked better, not as crossed as before. She is really smart and with therapies and medical for her eyes she will do amazing, even the doctor there told us that.

From a family who met him Nov 2018: Quincey is one of the most darling, endearing boys we have ever met. He is pure joy and just exudes love and affection. His little giggle is contagious. He begged us to take him home to America- he so desperately wants a family. He loves to show off how he can get into his wheelchair (which he calls his car!) himself and beams with pride. He speaks well, is very bright, and will flourish in a family.

He is so sweet, always look happy and friendly.