Other Special Needs Boys, 10+

Kollen has started taking independent steps. He also crawls, sits, pulls up to a standing position holding on to a support, stays up for a short time without support, and walks holding on to two hands. His fine motor skills are improving. He fits in 3 cups, winds and unwinds toys on screws, “reads” books. He plays well with toys and explores their functions, imitates activities demonstrated to him, knocks on door before going in, claps his hands, stamps his feet, shows where his belly is. He eats with a spoon and attempts to do it independently. He is a calm and quiet child, makes a good eye contact, smiles, delights in interaction, recognizes and differentiates between the adults, has an emotional bond to a caregiver that works 1:1 with him. He pronounces sounds and syllables and currently says 3 words. He also used gestures to communicate his wants and needs.

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!

Isaiah is a sweetheart who has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy with low muscle tone in his lower trunk area and high muscle tone in his arms.

Isaiah practices walking with a gain trainer and the other boys cheer him on as he takes off in a cute, hoppy walk! When he gets tired he vocalizes loudly and one of the older boys pushes him around while he giggles. He continues to work on independent sitting and crawling and always laughs through his exercises. He can’t 4-point crawl yet, but is working on it, however he moves himself around the room in an army crawl. He can sit by himself if his back is against the wall, for short periods of time. Isaiah’s communication is growing. He is working very hard to control his body movements enough to reach for an item or choice he wants to make. His receptive language in both his native language and English is excellent, and responds non-verbally with facial expressions, body movements and sounds. He is learning colour identification in class. Isaiah cannot yet eat solid foods and his food is also blended for him.

Isaiah got a bowling set for Christmas and he giggles endlessly when his caregivers help him knock the pins down! He likes watching music videos and kicking along to the dance moves and really enjoys his fabric tunnel. He moves through it and laughs and laughs when his caregiver pretends she can’t find him. Isaiah then kicks or hits the side of the tunnel to “help” her find him! Isaiah also loves knocking over big towers of blocks. He laughs loudly every time! He is pure joy and would thrive in a family.

Cedar is a sweet boy with an adorable raspy laugh who is totally blind and on the autism spectrum. He is nonverbal and needs support in all his acts of daily living.

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.

Christopher is 13 years old. He has learning difficulties in school and says he wants to participate in an apprenticeship program to learn a trade for a career. Samuel is 10 years old and Stephen is 7 years old. Both Samuel & Stephan are doing well in school. Neither of the boys have any health concerns or known disabilities.

Updated bio from Feb 2023:
Robert is much more easy going and independent now. He’s made a lot of progress in the last couple of years! He’s honestly such a happy boy who loves people, hugs, and music. He’s quite good at taking selfies on cell phones too.

He loves to play on his own, not in a way that he doesn’t play with others but meaning he doesn’t need someone to entertain him. He builds with magnetic tiles and enjoys creative play with his dolls/stuffed animals. Sometimes he sets up his stuffed animals and babies to pretend to feed them or do school. Other nights he’s hanging his sheet across the room to make a hammock swing. He makes his foster family laugh a lot!

He’s independent with getting dressed, showering, changing his sheets and etc. Occasionally, accidents at night but they are few and far between. He eats and drinks on his own but he doesn’t chew well. He could use OT for this.

He is such a kind helper and aware of routines or tasks needing to be done. For example, if his foster mom is getting another child ready, without prompting, he will go get clothes and socks/shoes for them too.

He LOVES his big bike! 3 years ago he was scared of a bike but now he rides around on his 24inch bike, no problem! He enjoys jumping on the trampoline and going on walks. He is still drawn to trees and shadows for sensory input.

He may cross his arms and refuse to cooperate. Sometimes shakes his head or cries. This used to happen frequently but it is not frequent anymore. We can work through it much easier now though. He mostly does it when he is trying to express something he needs/wants or doesn’t want. So he is using it to try to communicate where his speech is limited. He makes noises or talks with the handful of phrases he can say. He is learning to expand his vocabulary.

His natural response used to be to run when he was scared but very rarely does he do that now too. For example, medical appointments were always difficult for him, needing days to prepare ahead. Now he is fine to go and doesn’t need much prepping.

He’s such a joy to live with and he would flourish even more in a family!

School update: Robert loves school! He is such a fun student to have because he is excited about everything he does, and other kids too. He is constantly cheering for himself or for his friends and wanting to help them out in any way! He has transitioned to a full day of school easily.

He is very good at sorting. He can match or sort any colors, letters, and numbers. He has delays but we are continuing to work with him. He likes sensory play like kinetic sand, shaving cream, and water beads.

He has so much potential to learn so many things if he were to have access to more services!

Sweetie!!

March 2023 Update: Connor is a sweet, kind, gentle soul with captivating dark brown eyes. He has displayed the ability to cultivate deep connections with a trusted caregiver. The cheeky boy that he is, he loves to wiggle and kick when being fed with his feeding tube. He laughs and laughs as the nurse struggles to administer his feeding!

He loves playing on the trampoline when the staff make him bounce really high! He likes sitting with the adults and being engaged in their conversations and always wants to be involved in whatever is happening in the home. He is very vocal and interested during 1:1 conversations. Even though he can’t speak verbally, he is very communicative and expressive and has a lot to share!

Connor can identify his body parts and knows his colours in sign language, and he follows simple instructions. His favourite colour is blue. His favourite animal is a monkey and he likes the song Five Little Monkeys. He jumps, scoots, rolls and laughs when he hears it! He likes fashion and beams with excitement when he wears a new outfit and staff take his picture! He gets very excited when he is provided with an opportunity to make a choice, and he especially likes choosing the movie that the children will watch together! His favourite is The Lion King and he makes it clear that he feels annoyed if his movie is interrupted! He loves splashing in water play and taking selfies!

Connor can sit independently for a few minutes at a time and is able to turn his head to sounds without losing his balance. He can balance on all fours and is working on squatting with his PT. He adores his PT and always wants to hold her hand. Connor rolls all around the room in the house! He can get from a laying position to a sitting position independently and enjoys standing in his stander. He is non-verbal but very communicative in other ways. He can communicate using a few basic signs as well, such as “thank you” and “more”. He is now upright for most of the day, in his wheelchair. Being able to tolerate sitting upright for so long has really decreased respiratory issues that he struggled with when he was younger. He would make a wonderful son and his heart longs for a family and deep connection with others.

Agency staff met Andy in October of 2022. Contact the agency to learn more about Andy and his listed medical needs!

There is a $500 agency fee reduction for Andy’s adoption with a specific adoption agency; additional agency fee reductions may be available based on the adoptive family’s circumstances.

Jack is a smiley boy who enjoys hot cocoa. Agency staff met sweet Jack in October of 2022. Contact the agency to learn more about Jack and his listed medical needs!

There is a $500 agency fee reduction for Jack’s adoption with a specific adoption agency; additional agency fee reductions may be available based on the adoptive family’s circumstances.

Jade was born in 2012 and is 10 years old. Jade’s favorite activities include playing dodgeball, cutting out shapes and gluing them to make colorful collages, writing and painting! Her foster mother has accumulated all of her artwork into a book as a keepsake. Jade also enjoys attending church activities, such as Sunday school and summer/winter camps. Those who know Jade describe her as easy going with the ability to easily adapt to new environments. Jade is enrolled in 5th grade, and her teacher stated she is an excellent student. Her favorite subjects being Mandarin and Science.

Jack was born in 2014 and is 8 years old. Jack lives in a foster family. He enjoys playing video games, jumping rope, playing ‘Go’ board game and singing. Jack is a little timid when meeting someone for the first time. Once he has warmed up to them, he will become lively and engaging. Jack is enrolled in 3rd grade and attends an afterschool program. His teacher described Jack as cheerful and smart. His favorite subject is Life Curriculum.

Jay was born in 2015 and is 7 years old. Playing with a diabolo, jumping rope and reading are some of Jay’s favorite activities. Those who know Jay describe him as cheerful and energetic. Jay resides at a children’s home where he shares a room with 3 other boys. Jay has a diagnosis of ADHD. He is enrolled in 2nd grade and makes good grades at school.

Jared was born in 2016 and is 6 years old. Jared’s favorite activities are acting and pretend play. On this particular day, Jared pretends he is a street vendor serving up foods to his customers! His caregivers state Jared is good at playing various roles at one time, while changing his voice and tone. Jared also enjoys playing with toy cars and making his caregivers laugh. Those who know Jared describe him as active and smart. Jared resides in a children’s home where he lives with 6 children of similar ages. Jared is enrolled in kindergarten.

While the siblings live in separate residences, they have occasional meetings and Skype calls.

The siblings need time, love and space to help them re-adjust to living with one another.

Adam uses a wheelchair and can also move around using his hands and arms. He does not have any cognitive delays or health concerns. He was born missing both lower limbs and was abandoned shortly after birth as a result.

Adam attends school. He is doing very well in math class. He enjoys helping with housework, especially washing clothes. He enjoys going to church. He loves to dance and performs with a group from the orphanage. He gets frustrated when he cannot perform certain dance steps like his friends. He is self-conscious about people looking at him due to his missing legs. He needs a family that will help him grow into confidence with who he is. His favorite extracurricular activity is swimming. His social worker believes he can develop into a very good swimmer and that swimming is a great activity to help his confidence.

Update: Jan 2023:  Agency reported the boy is will waiting on the list as available for adoption, but neither of his sisters are.   The agency assumption is that she has been adopted.

Update Sept 2022: Agency reported the oldest girl was no longer listed as available for adoption. The younger girl & the boy are still on their country’s list, and listed as available for adoption together or separately.

Original listing for “Andy, Izzy & Kayla”:
Currently, Andy & Kayla are being raised together in a foster home, while Izzy is being raised in a different foster home in the same town. The children see each other often and want to be adopted together so that they can all live in the same home. The foster families do not speak the country’s native language in the home, so the children speak one language while at home and a 2nd language at school.

Andy tested at age appropriate levels on all psychological and emotional testing. He does well in school and does not have any behavioral concerns. He has age appropriate friendships, social skills, communication skills, and self-help skills. He likes to play football and eat French fries. When he grows up, he wants to be a policeman.

Izzy tested at age appropriate levels on all psychological and emotional testing. She does well in school and does not have any behavioral concerns. She has age appropriate friendships, social skills, communication skills, and self-help skills. She enjoys playing outside with her friends. When she grows up, she wants to be a teacher.

Kayla has speech delays that make it difficult to understand what she is saying. She is working with a speech therapist and learning to make the correct sounds so that her words are more easily understood. She is very active and takes medication to control impulsive behaviors and to help her attention span. Her foster mother reports that her behaviors have greatly improved with the addition of medication. She is attending kindergarten and responds well to play based learning.

If you’ve always imagined yourself surrounded by laughter, hugs, the pitter patter of little (and not so little) feet, and, if we’re being honest, noise, you’ll want to check out Joplin, Jake, Jewel, and Jillian.  They are a precious sibling set of 4 who need a family ready for the adventure and joys of raising a large family.

Joplin is an amazing 11 year old who is described as optimistic and persistent.  He likes Legos and dinosaurs and plays basketball and occasionally hockey.  His favorite subjects are Science and Mandarin.  He has ADHD and is on medication to control it.

8 year old Jake is lively, cheerful, whimsical, laugh-loving, smart, and creative.  Cars, building blocks, and drawing are among his favorite things to do.  Jake also takes medication to help with his ADHD.

Jewel is a creative 6 year old who puts 50-60 piece puzzles together and likes building blocks.  She is comfortable meeting new people and has a smile that will melt your heart!

Sweet Jillian is 4 years old and a total snugglebunny.  She likes dress-up, listening to music, and dancing.  She’s a great learner and has good oral expression.

Parenting a large family is a beautiful, rewarding, and sometimes messy challenge and these 4 siblings will need parents who can walk with them through the hard places they come from and help them reacclimate to living together again.

Thomas lived in an orphanage for the first 4 years of his life. He was then moved to a group home with 10 other children with disabilities, where he lived for another 4 years. He made developmental progress while in the group home, but was still not receiving the 1:1 care and attention that he needed. He was moved into foster care at age 8 and has made significant gains in all aspects of his development since then.

Thomas can communicate verbally with words and short phrases. He also uses gestures and pointing to objects, in order to communicate his wants and needs to his foster family.
He is a sociable child who enjoys the company of other children, particularly his friends with whom he loves to play. He is so full of energy, enjoying running, climbing, and riding his bike (which is fitted with stabilizers). He particularly likes to kick a ball around in the garden with his friend and play with balloons. On outings to the park and the zoo, he takes great interest in everything he sees but loves most of all anything with wheels.

His motor skills have improved recently and he is able to do more complex activities without being told how. For example, when his jacket sleeves are inside out he turns them the right way round before dressing himself. He takes great interest in many different kinds of toys. He loves the rides in the school bus every day. He is in a small class group. He is independent with self-help skills such as dressing, undressing, toileting, eating and drinking.

Sibling set – Must be kept together!

Casey, the younger girl was born in 2008 and has some kind of development delay. She is smart and active, participate in all orphanage performances. She has now been transferred.

Her older sister, Lynn, was transferred from her orphanage due to her age. She was born in 2006. By orphanage social worker her older sister is VERY smart and beautiful, very active in all performances. She has now been transferred again.

Both girls need a family asap!!!  These 2 siblings are to be adopted together for sure.

They have an older brother born in 2004. Elliot is no longer eligible for adoption, due to his age.

They have a younger brother as well, and he has already been adopted.

 

Enrique is an active young boy. He enjoys school and earns good grades. Math and art are Enrique’s favorite subjects. He also likes to draw. He loves to eat soup, especially seafood soups. Enrique’s favorite colors are orange and blue. Adoption agency staff met Enrique in October of 2022! Contact the agency to learn more about Enrique and his listed needs.

There is a $2,000 agency fee reduction for Enrique’s adoption via a specific agency; additional agency fee reductions may be available based on the adoptive family’s circumstances.

This update and new photos were added in October 2022.

Anthony has been waiting for a family for a long time. Despite his Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy he loves to get out of his wheelchair and stretch out on the floor or bed. He is good at moving himself into silly positions, often falling asleep in the funniest ones! Anthony’s favorite toys are those with lights. He loves all colors of lights and often finds them around the room during school. He also enjoys music or being outdoors. Anthony enjoys having people he knows near him, and will often find them and initiate affection with his hand or head.

Anthony has the best smile, but only shows it when he’s truly happy. This might be while he’s being tickled or comforted, during a favorite song, or while feeling the breeze on his face. He has many ways of communicating, such as laughing, crying, and making lots of facial expressions. Anthony is not one to hide how he feels! Anthony would benefit from a family who can care for all his needs, especially as he grows bigger. He’ll bring a sense of love and joy to any household!

Leo is very agile and curious. He likes to read and play sports and is talented in music. He has many friends, has completed 3rd grade and is eager to learn at school. He is helpful and quick to understand. He is describe as curious, calm, friendly and smart. He forms his own opinions and quickly absorbs new information. He is very interested in creative play and books. He is talented in music and likes to sing, dance and play instruments. When conflict occurs, he tends to feel hurt and then he checks for others feelings. He tries to provoke other children when he gets angry. He communicates well and has strong social skills. He enjoys playing with other children. He is diagnosed with Hypermetropia.

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.

Jayson is described as brave, happy, active and loves all sports. He is independent and is able to take care of himself. He takes care of his room and tries to help with food preparation. He likes to be helpful and knows how to repair and construct bikes. He is friendly and tends to take a leadership role by organizing different activities. He is sensitive and impulsively reacts negative to criticism. He loves to be outside and to participate in all kinds of sports. He likes basketball, bike riding, jumping on a trampoline and likes to work “with his hands”. He enjoys art, construction, repair, drawing and listening to music.

Eduardo has been in care since March 2018, with a mild cognitive disability. He has slight delays in general development about 6 years, and is making progress. Under normal weight and short height for age from chronic malnutrition. Astigmatism, myopia and strabismus, wears glasses. Difficulty in reading and writing, math and retaining information. Difficulty to maintain attention. Can become frustrated when can’t perform tasks that peers can. Needs motivation to keep trying. Child has no behavior problems. Gets along with peers. Takes pride in personal appearance. Follows instructions. Reserved with strangers, but affectionate with those he knows. With peers friendly, calm, and supportive. Interest in outdoor activities, sports, especially swimming, board games, puzzles and reading stories. Desires a mother and has an idea of having a brother to play with.

Connor is an 11-year-old boy with joy that is contagious! He is very playful and he loves to laugh. His caregivers say that he is responsive to their teaching and he follows the rules. Connor loves music and likes to pretend that he is playing the guitar. He loves when others join in and make music with him! He appreciates sleeping in after a full day of activity. Connor has a diagnosis that includes global developmental delay, but he continues to amaze his caregivers with his determination to learn and do things for himself. Connor is very strong and is able to stand with some support, get himself in and out of his wheelchair, and feed himself. With a little more therapy, Connor will continue to become independent at even more daily tasks. Connor is an absolute inspiration and has so much potential! Could your family give him the love and extra care he needs to reach it?

Alan is amazing 10 years old boy who had a rough start with an unstable and unhealthy environment. He is the victim of parental physical abuse and suffers from post-traumatic past

He connects well with both peers and adults. He is calm, helpful and kind. The boy eagerly learns about nature, sings songs, makes interesting art works, uses computer programs well.

He needs a forever home to support him as he continues to overcome negative experiences of his past and shower him with the love every child deserves.

He has a lot of potentials and wants to be adopted. He is highly recommended by his caregivers. The family with an involved, hands-on father will be ideal for this boy. He would do really well as the youngest or only child (or in a family where the other children are grown). He needs an experienced adoptive family who can give him a lot of one-on-one attention and help build his trust in humanity back.

This update and new photos were added in October 2022.

Leonard is one of the most clever boys you could ever meet. Although he’s non-verbal in conversations he often sings his favorite songs out loud for everyone to hear. His favorite toys include tennis shoes, books, and anything that spins! He also loves any sort of sensory experience, such as playing in the dirt looking at moving lights, and swinging. Leonard is not difficult to please. He finds joy in all the small moments in life. His favorite days are water days. He could truly sit in the kiddie pools for hours! He loves splashing and experimenting with how the water moves. Leonard is so much fun to play with and be around.

Leonard is gaining more independence everyday. He can eat, walk, and use the bathroom on his own. He has many ways of communicating what he wants using gestures, verbal sounds, and expressions or body language. Leonard is almost never sad or unhappy. His laugh can be heard even in another room, his joy is truly contagious. When he gets to know you Leonard can be very affectionate. He loves to hold hands or lay in your lap. He might also take your hand to show you he wants his head or back rubbed. He knows how to seek out his favorite people, forming clear attachments to those he loves. Leonard would absolutely thrive with the consistency of a forever family who can love him fully and keep him safe always.

Updated 2022:  When he was 11 months old, Brogan was abused and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He has weakness on the left side of his body as a result. His gross and fine motor skills are slightly uncoordinated. He walks, runs, and navigates stairs independently. He’s worked extensively on fine motor skills and can now write and draw more purposefully. He can talk, though he has some expressive language delays, particularly with articulation. He can answer basic questions. He will use pointing and gestures as needed to communicate. He is becoming more confident with his speech and expressing his thoughts and opinions verbally.  He is very empathetic and helps care for younger children. He has a great desire to learn and will ask a lot of questions in order to gather information on a topic of interest. He tries very hard to learn new skills, but is aware of his delays. As a result, he prefers to play and interact with younger children. He has numerous self-help skills and is learning to perform all the household activities and tasks in the foster home where he currently lives.

Original posting from 2017:  Brogan is amiable, friendly, at times is too enthusiastic. He cooperates with others; participates in group activities; He shows that he is proud with his achievements; often searches for the approval of the adults and insist to make things independently. He likes role games and pretend games. Brogan easily memorizes and reproduces what he learned and his attention is more sustainable and focused. Because of that he is secure in his expressions and does undertake initiative in the learning process. He likes to impose his opinion in the game and to be a leading figure, but agrees with the opinion of the others as well. He willingly communicates with the others, without too much physical closeness, and seeks approval of his foster parent. His understanding corresponds to his age and environment. He is able to lead a dialogue with others and is empathetic towards others. When communicating with others he uses non-verbal methods as gestures and mimics for better communication. He has some vocabulary is working on that. He knows his first name and his age. He understands and uses the specifications for emotional states, features of the character, for himself and others as well. He loves to listen to tales or stories, expresses interest towards the pictures in the books. He can tell overall if he likes certain story or not. He has established perception of his body structure. He has developed feeling of good and evil. He has developed a sense of justice. He is more patient. He has vast desire to explore the world around him and is constantly asking questions until he receives a satisfactory answer. He demonstrates care for the others and his foster parent.

He loves to play with car toys, constructors, to listen to music and dance. He enjoys independent and group games with peers. He had surgery at 11 months old for inter-cranial trauma. He shows mild to moderate delays and occasional seizures if ill or upset.

Update October 2022: Breckin is a happy, silly, 11 year old with CP, sensory processing difficulties, and epilepsy well controlled with medication. He LOVES any sort of 1:1 time with his favorite people and lights up the whole room with his smile and laugh when he sees someone he loves. He gives the best hugs, if it were up to him he would be hugging someone 100% of the day! When he is super happy (most of the time) he has a happy dance that he does with a high pitched laugh. He recently started standing in a stander and walking with a gait trainer and has made so much improvement already! His favorite things are any 1:1 time, singing, school, being bounced around on the trampoline, swimming or any water play, going for bike rides in a bike trailor, playing with shaving cream, and cuddling. He can get out of and into chairs well by himself and likes to scoot around on the floor. Most of the time he scoots himself over to get up on the couch or to look in the wall mirror. He loves his caregivers so much and has so much love to give to his future family! He needs help with putting food into his mouth but can hold his water when he drinks independently. He can help putting his limbs through shirts and pants but needs help getting dressed fully. He is in diapers at the moment. He used to bang his head a lot out of boredom and habit, but when he is engaged or in a chair/stander that is more difficult to hit his head against anything he likes to stim by shaking his head around, putting his hands in his mouth, or grinding his teeth. He listens when told to take his hands out of his mouth and can easily be redirected if he is self stimming inappropriately. Videos on request!

Update July 2020: Breckin is such a fun kid who loves hugs and one on one interaction. If you go in for a hug, be ready to stay awhile because he will want to hold you there. He can currently hold his own bottle to drink on his own. He is spending more time in a walker in therapy. He needs encouragement in it, but is getting better. He will walk with you with support for a little ways as well. With more intense therapy, he would really excel in this area. He loves it when his caregivers sing his favorite songs. He really likes hymns as well as the Goodnight Song sung in his house.

Update Jan 2015: Breckin has cerebral palsy, but he can sit up and stand with assistance. He can even take a few steps if you hold onto his hands. He has been receiving regular therapy and loves this time. Breckin is making great improvements – he now has a modified crawl that he uses to get all around his house and can quickly move to wherever he wants to be. He can also pull himself up to stand and does this often. Breckin does not yet feed himself, but he has practiced holding his own spoon and sippy cup and has made great progress. Breckin is a happy little guy who loves to play.

Keller: Is there anything cuter than a little 3 year old boy in a train shirt with yellow sleeves?  Keller had just turned 3 when agency staff met him in November. He has some developmentally delays, but seems to be doing really well. He may have some mild hearing loss, there is further testing scheduled. He likes playing with toy cars and playing outside. He communicates in short sentences and can follow 1 step directions. He scribbles with a crayon and made a nice stack of blocks for us. Keller has an older sister who is also available for adoption.

Kelsey:

She did well on all of the tasks asked of her. She even did some simple multiplication!

Kelsey told us her favorite color is pink and she loves bread. Her favorite animal is a water buffalo, which she had recently seen at the zoo. She likes playing outside, and when she gets to play frisbee in PE class at school. Kelsey is in the 2nd grade and her foster parents told us she especially excels in Mandarin and math.

Kelsey has been living with her current foster family for about year. Foster mom and dad both came to meet with us – which is rare, we usually just get to meet foster mom. It was clear that Kelsey has a good, trusting relationship with her foster parents – who we learned are both social workers! Kelsey has had a bit of a tough past, but it seemed to us that she is in a wonderful place now. Her foster parents confirmed that they have seen positive changes in Kelsey throughout the last few months.

Update 2022:

Keller is described as a lively, cuddly child.  To view his original post, click here.  Keller was seen by virtual SuperKids in February 2022 and wow, he has developed into a happy kid, loving to learn new things and share his knowledge!  Shy and reserved around the video camera, he was hesitant to sing for us but did hum the tunes of Paw Patrol while playing and interacting.  Some of his favorite cartoons are Paw Patrol, Robocar Poli, Masha and the Bear and Shimajiro!

Keller is almost 5 1/2 years old and learning in kindergarten class.  He is now able to participate in sports, ride a bike, paint, build towers, and enjoys watching cartoons.  He is receiving early intervention services and has an IEP, with goals of maintaining focus while in groups, improving fine motor skills and interpersonal interactions- all goals he is working hard to achieve!  He receives weekly speech therapy.

On a recent outing, Keller was able to go to Ocean World to watch the dolphin and sea lion show.  He really enjoyed this experience and seems to enjoy learning about animals and nature!  How amazing would it be for him to be home next years with his forever family, enjoying theme parks, aquariums, and the zoo?!

Keller is progressing in multiple areas, including language and motor skills – he enjoys singing songs, counting to 30, and working on fine motor skills such as using scissors.  Keller has received speech services for since 2019.  While he is working on various goals, there have been gains as he is able to shown ability to problem solve, and speaks in more complete sentences!  Keller responds to reward and encouragements in his day to day life.  He is encouraged by  receiving stickers when he learns something new!

Keller has quite the sweet tooth! He likes cakes, cookies and pudding.  He shared that they are yummy treats and shares his treats with his caregivers.   Keller wants to bake and eat cookies with you!

Kelsey: Kelsey will be nine years old soon and is still waiting for her family. When we met with her, she kept a steady smile on her face and appeared to be in good spirits. She told us that her favorite class in school is P.E. and she finds English class to be the most difficult. It certainly isn’t easy learning a second language, but she put her skills to use saying ‘thank you’ several times during our visit. We learned that Kelsey’s favorite sports are dodgeball and frisbee, and summertime is her favorite time of year. Kelsey showed off her knowledge by correctly answering our multiplication math problems without hesitation. Kelsey’s favorite colors are yellow and blue, and she told us she wants to be a dancing police officer when she grows up! Kelsey is a medically healthy and active young girl waiting for the loving family she deserves. She has been diagnosed with ADHD which is controlled with medication.

He lives at the orphanage since 2016. Normal weight and height parameters. Psychomotor development is normal. He is the victim of parental physical abuse and suffers from post-traumatic past. He is under the care of psychiatrist and take medication. No medical diagnoses in his chart, but trauma. You could tell that he is emotionally somewhat fragile.

He is communicative, talkative and charming boy. Positive relationship with peers and adults. His teachers describe him as very good, active and independent student. The computer class, math and English are his favorite subjects. He loves to play soccer, card games and chess. He has a lot of potentials and wants to be adopted. He is highly recommended by his caregivers. The family with an involved, hands-on father will be ideal for this boy. He would do really well as the youngest or only child (or in a family where the other children are grown). He needs an experienced adoptive family who can give him a lot of one-on-one attention and help build his trust in humanity back.

Zeke has a pair of small eyes, but his eyes are bright. He is an obedient child, is active. Every morning he helps mom to fold up a quilt, clean and take care of young sister; he helps sister to put on clothes and he is very diligent. He holds sister’s hands to go to school and helps sister to go upstairs when back home after school; he teaches sister to sing children’s songs, play games, draw and he watches carton with sister together; he puts food onto the plates of sister when having a meal; he is a little sweet guy and is so caring. He speaks clearly.

Zeke gets along well with classmates in the class; they like to play with him. When his foster mom takes him to play outdoors, he always runs around mom and doesn’t let her out of his sight; he is naughty and adored. He loves sports, loves to run, loves to jump and loves small toys. He likes to take photos and is good at making pose; he always makes a handsome pose to ask mom to take photos for him.

Zeke is very clever. He loves to learn, to use his head and has good memory. He knows the knowledge taught by the teacher and is able to finish his homework alone; he would teach sister to draw and write after school. He is careful in learning; he also likes to play puzzles with sister and spell outs various patterns.

From Zach’s host family (hosted December 2014)
Zach is a lovely 6-year-old boy and an absolute delight. He has a joyful and cheerful disposition, a sweet spirit, and an infectious smile. He is smart and resourceful in his interactions and playing. He enjoys playing with cars, dolls and animals, flying helicopters, and almost any mechanical objects. He enjoys playing pretend games, like pulling pretend luggage around the house and pretending to cook and serve us with play food, plates, cups, saucers, etc. He loves music and often sings as he goes about his day, and he’s been enjoying learning to play his new harmonica. He interacts well with other children: in our case with our 7- and 8-year-old daughters. He also has a good memory and surprised us by quickly learning things like where all of our dishes go and where we turn to get to our house. He has adapted so well to life in a family, and loves the bedtime rituals of bathing, brushing teeth, getting into his pajamas, and reading; but he also has an endearing habit of making sure the proper lights are turned off, doors are locked where they need to be, etc. He clearly is proud to show he can take on big-kid responsibilities. Zach has to work harder than most children to climb up steps and to get himself up off the floor. But he does navigate steps well, though he needs a boost at times getting into vans or other high places. In December, he was still able to walk normally, except that he has to be more careful than other kids in negotiating uneven surfaces, and steps. He doesn’t let this slow him down or limit his activities. On playgrounds, even with many unfamiliar children, he is not inhibited about climbing the equipment and riding down slides. He accepts help sometimes from us or from our children; other times he wants to show that he can do things alone even if it is harder for him. Zach can sometimes act like a much younger boy. He has a strong stubborn streak, which will sometimes manifest itself in a tantrum. Those tantrums did lessen over the weeks, however. He also enjoys being held, cuddled, and paid attention to and will come and say “Mama bao bao” when he wants to be picked up and carried. As our 7-year-old (without prompting from us) wrote in her journal, “Zach is the best boy I have ever met. He is cheerful and happy.” The medical evaluations we were able to do point to significant medical challenges ahead for Zach, and he will need a loving family to support him through those and ensure that he has the best care possible. Zach loves being a part of a family and will be a blessing and joy for whomever is lucky enough to adopt him.

Wylie has a handsome boy who is facing transfer soon.

From a family who visited him in 2015: He is calm when being walked around but becomes over stimulated easily. He is getting close to being transferred and this will be terrible for him. In the baby house the caregivers have more time to spend with him. In an institution I can see him just being constantly sedated… This handsome little guy needs out now!

From a family who met him in 2014:  Wylie is a sweet boy, and obviously loved by the nannies. They often stooped down to talk to him, and walked hand in hand with him. He walked constantly, clapping his hands and smiling. He exhibited what I would describe as autistic tendencies. I don’t recall ever hearing him speak. One day he wondered out of his groupa (apparently the door wasn’t latched) into the common area we were visiting out son in. My husband took his hand and led him back. He has a special place in our hearts and we pray someone will see him and choose him. I would be glad to talk to anyone interested. He is precious. He’s at a great baby house, that is very pro-adoption, and in a faster region than most.

*** This child has significant facial features of FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome). This is a cautionary disclosure to better prepare our potential adoptive families. Families considering this child should research and be prepared for the challenges that can come with this condition. You can learn more about FAS here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fetal_alcohol_syndrome and post to our Facebook group to ask other adoptive parents about the challenges and blessings of children with FAS. ***

Updated pic 2019; Wilson has lost the ability to stand and walk.

Wilson is a sweet, happy, playful boy. He is great with little kids and bigger kids. He loves to play legos, color, watch tv, go to the beach and just be with those who care for him. He spent one summer and winter break with a host family, he bonded well with them. He is affectionate and makes good eye contact.

He has a progressive form of Muscular Dystrophy. He can no longer stand, walk or crawl. He can still sit upright by himself. He does require help dressing, bathing and some help with eating. He is toilet trained but needs help to get to the toilet. He longs to belong and be given love and attention. He adapts well to new adventures, people and places. He will be a blessing to any family.

New pic January 2017!

 

Tommy is a darling boy. He was born with fetal alcohol syndrome and the physical effects of it. Please research this condition so you are best prepared to help him with his lifelong needs!

Does not speak, but smiles a lot.

Seth and Victor are brothers currently residing together in a foster home. Seth has a moderate mental and physical delay but is otherwise clinically healthy. Victor has hypothyroidism but is otherwise healthy and not delayed.

Ray is facing transfer to the institution.  Please share him so he can find his forever family!

From a missionary who knows him: I loved this boy. He really enjoyed attention and affection. He just giggled and giggled. He liked getting high fives and having his belly and head rubbed. Even when I walked to the other side of the room he was still giggling and waving. He has so much joy for someone stuck in a crib all day. He needs a family to reach his potential!

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.

Boy, born 2011: FAS, Specific disorders of mental development

Boy, born 2013: (wearing blue socks-pink shorts) No diagnosed special needs

Girl, born 2010: (wearing dress) FAS, Microcephaly, low paraparesis

New pic January 2017!

Kellan is an adorable little guy who has just turned 3 years old! He came into care as an infant and was found to have ectrodactyly affecting both hands and both feet. His report is not up to date, and his agency hopes to get an update soon. When Kellan was about 12 months old, he was very social, and able to use his hands to grab and play with toys. Kellan is a comical little one…when he was just a baby, he would look into the mirror and raise and lower his eyebrows, making faces at himself! This sweet little guy needs a family!

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.

Ezrah can keep his head steadily and can hold his head up; he can stand up with wrists held slightly; he can recognize the aunt who cares him, can make sound of ma-ma, nai-nai, can shake and stare at the rattles, can take a block in a hand and take another one, can reach and grasp the toy beyond, and can shake the rattles consciously; he can chase the toy with hands and can look for the dropped toy; he can react to the game of hide and seek and looking oneself in the mirror; he is very curious and likes to discover and recognize all kinds of never seen objects and fresh things. He cares about the changers of around people and things.

Ezrah has an extroverted personality, is active, likes to play games with peers; he likes colorful toys with making sounds; he responds actively to stimulation of new things or strangers.

In an update from January 2016: Ezrah isn’t receiving any therapies for his conditions, and can’t yet stand or walk on his own. He gets around very well by crawling using his arms. Ezrah can speak in simple phrases, and express his ideas easily, as well as follow simple instructions from caregivers

April 2016 update: Ezrah is active and outgoing. Ezraht’s mental development is the same as kids the same age. His lower limbs make it so that he cannot walk. He knows and will tell adults when he needs to go to the bathroom. He can use the baby toilet by himself. Ezrah is well behaved and obedient.

He cannot walk, but he can move on his bottom with hand coordination. His fine motor skills are good and he can pick up rice. He cannot go to school due to his special need. Ezrah has good emotional development. He can read faces. He is attached to his foster mother and will share food with her. Ezrah can express his needs well and can follow simple directions. He is a very smart child! He can call the familiar people properly. Ezrah likes to play games with his foster family and other kids. He has been in the same foster family since March of 2014. He is not on any medication.

Ezra has had a shunt placed, and is doing better. His adoption may necessitate consultations with medical personnel, to safely transport him home.

Ezra has had a shunt placed, and is doing better.  His adoption may necessitate consultations with medical personnel, to safely transport him home.

From someone who met Ezra in 2013: Ezra is absolutely precious! He is sweet and adorable and oh so lovable! He laughs when his toes are tickled, or when someone around him laughs or talks or sings to him. He often smiles or laughs so hard his chubby cheekers make his eyes close. He ha s learned to blow spit bubbles and coo. It is hard for me to tell if he is able to use his limbs normally, but he is able to move from his back to his side with little or no assistance. He has not yet learned to play with toys, but he has a very strong grip and enjoys holding my finger. I was told he can see, but not very well. I observed his eyes moving rapidly from side to side, and sometimes appearing to be looking in two different directions. In spite of this there were other times in which he appeared to be quite focused and looking right at us. He has absolutely stolen my heart, and I hope that he will find a family that can help him meet his full potential!