Other Special Needs Boys, 10+

Please meet George & Miles! These brothers must be adopted together, and both are said to want to be adopted together.

George was born in 2013 and is said to have well developed general and fine motor skills. George is emotionally stable and has good social contact with other children in the school. He does need resource help in school. He has friends and shows respect for adults. He has established habits for independence in dressing, eating and sleeping.

Miles was born in 2012. Miles is diagnosed with deformed feet. He also has some contracture of the fingers in both hands. He has congenital syphilis however he has no clinical symptoms and is not contagious. Miles moves independently but walks on his toes. He also has contractures of his upper and lower limbs. He feels pain with prolonged loading of the musculoskeletal system. However he continues to be energetic and happily runs, jumps and plays with other children. Miles shows affection to adults. He is curious and shows interest an interest in everything. He does need resource help in school. He enjoys being involved in outdoor games with other children.

The adoption agency has very recent videos available of the boys.

Galen is an eight year old boy with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which has left him with some dysmorphic facial features and difficulties with problem solving. In difficult situations he resorts to verbal and physical aggression. He enjoys helping out with household activities, specifically in the kitchen. He is visually impaired and has mild intellectual disability. He has been receiving preschool education since last September. He works with a psychologist, speech therapist, and physiotherapist on a daily basis.

Galen enjoys participating in group activities, but he works better when one-on-one with a therapist. He is capable of focusing for long periods of time on a single activity. When something doesn’t go his way, he can get upset, but with the right motivation he can easily return to his activity. Galen can’t read, but he can distinguish single letters of the alphabet, and can even copy letters. He can count to twenty. In the future, more focus will be put toward improving his knowledge of the alphabet and helping him manage his emotions.

Introducing Kellet! Kellet is a medically healthy 6-year-old boy who is active and very curious about new people and environments. He likes playing with younger children and is able to interact and share toys with peers. Kellet likes adventures and challenges and takes initiative to play with others. He has age-appropriate gross and fine motor skills; he can pour water without spilling, draw meaningful pictures, run and climb stairs without rails for support, throw and catch a ball, and much more! He also has good verbal expressions and age-appropriate language development. He can count from 1 to over 100! Kellet can also engage in back-and-forth conversation and tell a story by looking at pictures. He sleeps deeply at night and eats the same food as adults for three meals a day. We hear that Kellet has good focus at school and can follow class progress and teachers’ instructions.

Update May 2022:

Kellet was seen as a part of virtual SuperKids in February 2022.  Kellet recently turned 7!  Kellet is in first grade and his favorite subject is Math!  He is doing well in school and enjoys his friend group.  His social worker shares that she is impressed by his patience and involvement with activities during their time together.

Kellet shows his imagination through art and storytelling as he recently drew a picture for his best friend, who is a mermaid and lives in the sea!  Kellet expressed a desire to also be a mermaid, so he can be with her all the time!  How sweet is that?!  Kellet enjoys imaginary play through dress up with peers and enjoys playing with Legos.  Kellet is enthusiastic about life, playing games, and has a high level of attentiveness.  He lives in an area where he is able to hike and run in the outdoors- activities that he appears to enjoy!

Kellet has foster siblings.  When they are available, Kellet enjoys spending time with them.

David was declared clinically dead at birth and resuscitated. He currently lives in a group home. He reaches for hanging objects and can hold a toy for brief periods of time. He is very responsive to caregivers. He smiles and shows pleasure when spoken to. He tracts objects and tries to focus on people who are talking to him and objects being presented to him. He rolls from his back to stomach in his bed.

Adrien is a charming and smiley boy. His behavior is very good, he respects the rules in the orphanage. He is interested in learning new things and willingly participate in games and activities. His skills are importing in all spheres. He is willing to play all games proper to his age.

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.

Dillon, 10, entered protective care he was 16 months old due to his mother’s inability to care for him. The grandmother indicated that his mother had mental health issues, but that she had been unable to get her to seek psychiatric care.

Dillon is in the 2nd grade. He is respectful towards his teacher and classmates. It is hard for him to fully understand subjects such as math and language, but improvements have been made in his reading. According to an IQ test, his intelligence is lower than expected for his age. He can stay focused for short periods.

Dillon´s social development has been challenging. During the pandemic he did not interact with other children. He is currently learning to be calm during his interactions and not to become aggressive towards them. Dillon participates in group activities for short periods since he might become aggressive or behave in a bad way. There are days when a situation has triggered Dillon and he then does not want to obey instructions. Dillon gets anxious about loud noises and insects. Sometimes Dillon demands the full attention of his foster mother. While Dillon is very affectionate towards people he is familiar with, he gets anxious and nervous when around unfamiliar people. He gets worried about going out, mainly because he worries about unknown people. Dillon is still learning to manage his impulses and frustrations, and when he is upset he usually hits the walls and screams. It is important to mention that Dillon gets along better with younger children than with his peers. Dillon’s fine psychomotor skills have improved over time. There are no major concerns regarding his gross motor skills; however, due to his diagnosis, he is restless and harms himself sometimes. Dillon is learning to become independent in his daily routines, but he still needs supervision and support. He has good sleep and eating habits. Dillon is still learning to urinary and bowel control, and he often will urinate/defecate outside instead of going to the restroom. He does not take care of his personal belongings and is still learning to have proper hygiene habits.

Going to the park or getting to do errands with his foster mother makes Dillon happy. He likes to play alone, and he has a favorite outfit that he would love to wear every single day.

Report is from August 2024 — Roman, 12, lived with his biological and an older brother until he was 7 years old. At that time, the place where his mother worked burned and she had to leave his brother with that child’s father, and she moved to a different town with Roman. Unfortunately, she could not find a stable job or place to live and she sought assistance from Protective Services. Roman was previously hosted by a family, but that family opted not to adopt him. More information is available.

Roman is in the 4th grade. It has been observed that Roman has great leadership skills, especially at school. Most of his teachers have stated that Roman has a lot of potential but his lack of motivation hinders his progress and development. However, Roman has great skills in math. He recognizes authority figures; he is respectful and obedient towards them. He can follow simple and complex instructions. There are no concerns regarding his motor, language, cognitive and social development.

Roman is an affectionate child after he has built a positive relationship with an adult. He can verbally express his feelings and emotions; however, when there are situations of high emotional demand, he limits the externalization of what he is feeling. Roman is still learning to manage his frustration and impulses, but good improvements have been observed. Roman is shy when meeting people but can easily overcome this behavior once he feels the adult is trustworthy. He interacts in a positive way with adults, peers, younger children, and animals. Roman gets anxious when he does not get what he wants immediately or when something he was expecting does not end up happening. Roman is sad when remembering his biological family, and this connection is part of why the hosting family did not choose to adopt him. Roman is afraid of dark, thunder, rain, and heights. In order to fall asleep, he needs some light or a stuffed animal.

Roman loves it when he gets to go to amusement parks, the movies or the pool. Roman likes to ride his bike, listen to music, and watch TV. He has stated that he would like to improve his drawing skills.

He has a support teacher at school who helps him a lot. Wally has difficulty concentrating and the support teacher works with him to be effective in the classroom. He has excellent grades. He is open, creative, intelligent and talkative boy. He interacts better with adults – for example, on the way to school he will approach a person with the dog and ask about something. Because of the problems when other children, he is recommended to adoption of the family without children at home or single mother.  The boy dreams about family of his own and he feels very lonely, nobody visit him, and he has no place to go for holidays or vacations.

Intelligent, extroverted, spontaneous, resilient, loyal, a dreamer, creative, affectionate, loving, self-efficient, autonomous, astute, brave, perseverant, with a restless mind to learn new things and face new challenges, and with great capabilities. Despite extreme difficulties in life, this is how Sani is described even though being a victim of severe child abuse of various types—including abuse that led to vision loss —could have led him to be otherwise described. Sani came into protective care in 2022 at the age of 7 years old. He is now 9 years old.

Sani is currently enrolled in the 4th grade. According to his teacher´s report, the child is loved by his classmates. He uses his cane to walk around and there are no major concerns regarding his motor, language, cognitive and social development taking into consideration his diagnoses of secondary vision loss and severe child abuse syndrome. He has great communication skills and can verbally expresses his feelings and emotions with people he is very familiar with. Sani recognizes authority figures, but many times has trouble being respectful and obedient, especially if he does not agree with an instruction given by them. Sani can easily make new friends and has leadership skills among his peers.

Sani goes to psychological therapy. He is still learning to take full responsibility for his consequences, and sometimes he lies to avoid any kind of discipline. Sani is learning to manage his impulses and frustration. If there is a situation that he cannot handle emotionally, he will start yelling or behaving in a hostile way with his peers. Whenever he throws a tantrum, he sometimes experiences psychomotor agitation and uses bad language. Whenever there are situations that make him feel anxious, he bites his sleeves, has sweaty hands or has motor restlessness. He gets upset when he needs to continue pushing to do his best in order to fully know the Braille system. He is afraid of being in a dark room alone. Because of his severe history of child abuse, it is recommended that Sani be the youngest child in the family though this may be negotiable depending on a family’s experience with children from abuse. Sani has expressed that he would like a family with two heterosexual parents and he would like to have siblings.

Sani likes to play soccer and enjoys building with Legos and also engaging in conversations with adults. He likes to listen to music in English or Portuguese since he has expressed his desire of learning new languages. Sani favorite colors are blue, white, black and orange. He loves to practice soccer, swimming, martial arts such as capoeira and riding his bicycle. He even likes to breakdance as evidence in a video sent with his profile. Sani is good at playing musical instruments. He would like to become a scientist, learn about biology and astronomy and also speak different languages.

Salvador has resided with a foster family since July 2018.

He was born with low weight and with pathological neonatal period. The child has a
physical development within the lower limit of the norm and mental delay in mild to moderate degree (IQ-41). Phrase speech is not developed, he utters single words; lags behind in the development of habits, skills, emotional and social development.
Uses optical correction due to intermittent heterotropy and astigmatism of the eyes.

The child walks stably and independently. There is delay in the development of the fine motor skills. The emotional status of the child is mostly positive – he is calm and curious. He does not show aggression, he is adaptive. He understands phrasal speech, utters single words, but does not speak. The child is able to play by himself, but he also is looking for the company of other children. Participates in the game process. He feeds himself, his personal hygiene is well-maintained. He controls physiological needs.

Archer is living in an Eastern European baby home. Short, smiling and calm, Archer’s main diagnosis is atypical childhood autism. He does not speak, but he pronounces sounds and syllables, and he performs stereotypical movements. Archer loves to be alone, and her prefers angles, areas near the window, mirror or door.

Physically well-developed, Archer’s height and weight are normal for his age. He walks by himself, improving his balance. He also climbs, going up and down stairs held by a hand. He can easily open doors.

Archer eats with a spoon, drinks from a cup and goes to sleep by himself. He is not potty trained. Archer makes short-term contacts with the children he knows by touching them with a hand or pulling their clothes gently. He prefers to play with music toys that have buttons, which he pushes to release the music by himself.

The child is calm and rarely cries when he’s upset or protests. Single demonstrations of stereotypical shaking of the head right-left have been observed. He reacts with cheer and liveliness to the presence of familiar adults and accepts their presence and contact; he smiles to tender speech and laughs loud to teases. He likes close physical contact. He is distanced with strangers and is distrustful with them not showing activity in play interactions. His attention is difficult to attract and keep. He has support in his legs. His motor development is at the level turning from back to stomach and vice versa and moving by crawling. He is steady in the walker and makes attempts to move around in it. His grip is palmar and he manipulates for long time with toys put in proximity, with alternation of the hands. He picks up a toy put in proximity, makes attempts to evoke sounds from it or puts it in his mouth. Currently, he plays with toys manipulating with them for a long time. He rarely pronounces syllables or other combinations of sounds.

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.

We met Kent for the first time on his 6^th birthday! Since this was his first time meeting us, he was pretty shy. We could tell that he has a close relationship with his foster mother as he looked to her for reassurance and followed her directions. In fact, his foster mother described him as “a little prince”! She said that he is sweet, cuddly, active, and likes attention.

Kent did pretty well on the tasks that we asked him to do, including tossing a ball, standing on one foot, drawing a person and putting 6 step sequencing cards in order. When we asked him if he could add 2 + 3, he responded to the social worker “No, because I don’t speak English!” Okay, smarty-pants, you got us there!

He wasn’t up to answering most of our questions, but he after a while, Bill Porter got up and invited him to play. That’s when we finally saw what I think is the true Kent – he was suddenly full of energy and was clearly having a fun time! Kent is reported to have some developmental delays, and we have information about his time living with his birth family in his profile.

Update: april 2021

Kent’s personality truly shined when we met him in person, but this time he wasn’t as excited to participate in our fun games and activities virtually over Zoom. Kent is a shy boy, but we noticed that more during our recent visit with him. He did however tell us that he can ride a bicycle with only 2 wheels and showed us a dinosaur picture that he drew which was very impressive! Kent enjoys riding his bike and wants to learn how to roller skate next. Kent is friendly with other children at school and has good behavior reports from his teachers. He is able to follow rules, play well with others, shower and brush his own teeth, and much more. He tells his foster mother that he enjoys going to school and likes playing monkey bars on the playground. Like most 7-year-old boys, he loves being active! Kent is afraid of strangers and prefers to be accompanied by familiar people. Kent has been diagnosed with developmental delays, attends resource classes at school, and receives occupational and physical therapy once per week.

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.

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

There is a $2000 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.

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.

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.

Jorrell favorites include playing with building blocks, toy cars, and reading storybooks – especially fairy tales and detective stories! Jorrell is inquisitive and loves to explorer.

Jorrell lives in a children’s home with 9 other children of similar age. He attends elementary school and is an eager learner. Jorrell is a helper by nature, and is one of the first to volunteer to assist his teacher and always wants to take care of younger children that he lives with.

Jorrell has a diagnosis of suspected absence seizures and suspected Tourette Syndrome, with developmental delays.

Brody walks independently. He is able to navigate stairs and playground equipment at the park. Most of Brody’s delays seem to be related to being unable to hear and communicate his wants/needs. For example, the foster family reports that he is not aggressive, but he does demonstrate frustration at being unable to communicate with them to express his thoughts and what he wants. He uses some gestures to communicate, such as opening the refrigerator to express that he is hungry. He is supposed to be under the care of a specialist to work with him now that he has the cochlear implant (and to continue to develop his communication skills), but this has not been consistent due to COVID restrictions and the fact that the family must travel to another town for Brody to see the specialist. The foster family does report that Brody seems to be able to hear now that he has the implant and they have seen improvements with the implant in place. Brody does attend a day program for children with disabilities and has recently become more interested in the other children.

Update 2024

Brody was born in  2015 and resides with a foster family. He is a smiley child. He is clinically and medically healthy. Brody has a cochlear implant but despite this, there is no clear evidence of hearing recovery. He vocalizes individual sounds without any meaning or meaning. He uses non-verbal means of communication to satisfy basic needs. He does not have a developed active and passive vocabulary for his age. Lacks developed speech. After the placement of the hearing implant, different-sounding sounds are heard more often, but it cannot be determined whether there is a connection with this. He has been assessed with moderate mental retardation with atypical autism, bilateral hearing
loss, a disorder in receptive and expressive speech, atypical communicative development, and delay in developmental stages.

He looks carefully at those around him. When stimulated, the child reacts, hugs and seeks contact with the foster parent. He smiles when teased, as well as gets angry when a toy he is interested in is taken away. According to information from the foster parent, there are no depressive and aggressive occurrences. He reacts to the absence of the foster parent and looks for her. According to information from the foster parent, the child is active in contacts with significant adults – both close and surrounding. Affectionate and seeking tenderness and attention from them. He takes a man by the hand to show him something he wants. No anxiety is observed when meeting a stranger but does not want to be left with strangers and reacts with grumbling and crying. He likes to be taken care of, smiles at caress and attention from adults. When observed, the boy moves steadily, independently and without assistance. Squats, stands, stretches and contracts arms. Climbing stairs with legs one after another. Handles objects equally with both hands. It is noticed that he walks on his toes. Climbs on chairs and sofas. His movements are chaotic – there is no real judgment of danger

Fine motor skills for the age are not well developed. No stacking of cubes is observed. Holds objects for a short time and throws them. The child does not have skills related to making coordinated movements with his fingers. Tries to play with constructor set but fails to assemble items. Under direct observation, he holds a pencil in his hand but shows no interest in the white sheet. It leaves no traces. With support, he manages to pull a zipper to fasten it. Unsustainable attention and concentration. Difficulty sharing attention. Orients himself in the space of the room, opens the door and wants to go outside. Does not recognize, does not name, does not show parts of his body. It has an orientation to the position of its body in space. Deal with obstacles by removing or bypassing them.

Brody does not use the toys as intended. Interest in the environment is chaotic. During the examination, chaotic play, grasping and scratching of the toys on the ground were observed. Plays with a given toy, but for a short time. According to information, when visiting a children’s corner or park, he prefers the same activities. He does not seek contact with peers, he is more interested in their toys. During observations in an outdoor environment / in a park / the boy walks and runs chaotically, no play activity is observed. Prefers to walk and walk holding hands.

In September 2022, the child was enrolled in the first grade at school, with classes taking place at the Center for Special Educational Support. There were a total of 7 children with different degrees of disability in the class. He was not able to adapt there and for this reason he was admitted to another specialized institution for the child to visit. At the time of preparation of his description to visit the center daily from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There he adapted very well to the new environment. A speech therapist, a psychologist, a rehabilitator and a resource teacher work with the child. Brandon feels very good at the center, interacting with the specialists. Physical therapy – passive and active – was carried out in the center. He did exercises for general strengthening of the body, improvement of independence and improvement of general motor patterns. Work was done on maintaining attention, stimulating fine motor skills and orientation in space, but it was not possible to carry out any educational activity, because of the lack of interest in the educational process. From the information received, he did not communicate with other children in the group, but accepted attention and proximity from the staff there.

Brody lacks developed self-care skills. From the information received from the caregiver, the child does not feed independently but uses a spoon with the support of an adult. He is on a general diet. The child is reported to have a good appetite. Differentiates the taste of food. Shows preferences for certain foods. He likes to eat sweet things. Constant salivation is observed. He is dependent on an adult for dressing and undressing, but according to the caregiver, he is involved and helps with dressing more than before. He undresses himself for sleep and when he needs to go to the bathroom. Brody is reported to be a restful sleeper, sleeping soundly at night and not waking up. The child uses a diaper all day. He cannot control and does not report when a physiological need arises.

Jonah lived with his mother and various maternal relatives in a dysfunctional family and household until he was almost 9 years old.

Despite not attending school until he came into care at 9 years old, Jonah is in the 5^th grade where he is a good student and interacts well with teachers and classmates. He had speech therapies until November 2023 due to a diagnosis of Academic school disorders, but after being re-evaluated he no longer needs to continue with therapy or medication. He follows simple and complex instructions. He can stay focused on one specific activity. His cognitive and social development is in accordance with his chronological age. Jonah is spontaneous and takes the initiative to start a conversation with new people. He recognizes authority figures; he is respectful and obedient towards them. Jonah takes good care of his personal belongings and does his best to be clean and put together every day.

Jonah has many friends and if he feels comfortable enough, he becomes the leader of an activity. He interacts positively with adults, peers, younger children, and animals. Jonah goes to psychological therapy sessions twice monthly, and he loves them. He likes to give and receive affection, and does not get jealous when his caregivers have to pay attention to the other children. He can verbally express his feelings and emotions. Whenever Jonah is upset about something, he isolates himself and gets very serious. It upsets him when people do not understand him. He is afraid of the dark and being alone for long periods, and at these times, he tries to distract himself by watching TV so that he will not hear any strange noises. He can manage his impulses and frustration in accordance with his chronological age. There are no concerns regarding Jonah´s motor development.

Jonah loves to listen to music in English and Spanish, he even makes up his songs. Spending time with other children makes him happy. He likes to play board games and also read comic books. Jonah has stated that he would love to study psychology and own two houses—one for his children and the other for rent. He would also like to build a veterinary clinic and leave that for his children. He would love to be part of a traditional family with a mom and dad with or without other kids.

Gene’s information is from a report in June 2024 — the agency does have older reports as well.  Gene was 7 years old when he entered care due to neglect. He spent most of his days on the streets and there were behavioral issues within his family of origin. His father was in jail and his mother was involved in criminal activities as well as drug usage. While she said she was going to make changes in her life to regain her son’s custody, she did not follow through. Gene is now 12 years old.

Gene is in the 4th grade. He struggles academically. It is difficult for him to understand new concepts and therefore is unmotivated to do his best. He still has trouble pronouncing properly many words. In 2020 he was diagnosed with mild cognitive developmental delay, but this diagnosis was overruled though an IQ test is pending. He can get easily distracted if he does not like a specific activity. There are no concerns regarding his motor development. His language development is behind, it is difficult for him to comprehend a reading assignment; and he mispronounces some words. In the middle of the night, it is necessary to wake him up to go to the bathroom so that he will not have any accidents. Gene has been learning to manage his frustrations and impulses in a better way. Gene interacts in a positive way with his peers. Gene recognizes authority figures; he is respectful and obedient towards them. It has been observed that Gene interacts positively with adults, kids his age, younger children, and animals.

Currently, Gene goes to therapy, and he has been diagnosed with unspecified mixed behavioral issues for which he takes daily medication. He gets anxious whenever he is not permitted to do something he wants or whenever he does not fully understand a task. He gets upset when he feels he is being attacked, but he has not become aggressive. Gene is afraid of being alone, getting lost and being in the dark. Whenever he feels sad it is because he longs to have a family.

Gene loves to participate in any recreational activity, including sports. Some of Gene’s favorite activities are playing soccer, going to the park, playing cops and robbers, making bracelets and painting. When he grows up, he would like to be a professional soccer player or a chef.

Nathan enjoys arts and crafts, playing with toys, and listening to music. Those who know him, describe Nathan as easy going and gets along well with others. Nathan has an outgoing personality and enjoys talking with people.

Nathan is a second grader in elementary school. His teacher stated he is considerate and gets along well with his peers. Nathan receives one-on-one tutoring to help him with his homework, and he is taking additional one-on-one language lessons with his teacher at school.

Naomi’s favorite activities include listening to stories, playing games,  playing with toy cars, running and jumping rope. Those who know Naomi describe her as shy at first and takes time when she is getting to know someone new. Once she has built a relationship with someone, she is friendly and enjoys interacting with them.

Naomi is receiving occupational therapy for fine motor delays and speech therapy for her language delays.  Her speech therapist mentioned she has made vast improvements on pronunciation since starting therapy.  At school her teacher has Naomi read passages aloud from her textbook to help strengthen her pronunciation of words.

Naomi is a first grader in elementary school. Her teacher stated she has good learning skills, and she gets along well with her peers.

Nathan and Naomi live at the same children’s home, where they are able to continue to have a close relationship. Nathan shares a room with 3 other boys between the ages of 6-12 years old, and Naomi shares a room with 3 other girls between the ages of 6-11 years old.

Are you a family that can give the necessary time to build a trusting bond with Naomi? Give Nathan one-on-one time to help him focus on tasks at hand?

Channing is a talented boy, born in December of 2011, with many interests. He likes to play with Legos, create Origami, and play soccer. He is a waiting child hoping for the love and stability of a family of his own. Contact the agency to learn more about Channing and his listed needs!

NEWER VIDEOS:

https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-channingupdate
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-channingupdate

The agency has several older videos available, too.
Password: Adoptmaa

There is a $2000 agency fee reduction for Channing’s adoption. Additional agency fee reductions may be available based on the adoptive family’s circumstances.

 Nick is a very affectionate child who has bilateral hearing loss. While he has multiple diagnoses, he is able to attend school regularly and is in the second grade. Nick has adjusted well to school, his classmates, and teachers. Sometimes he gets easily distracted. He has constant support to improve his learning skills, especially his language development. Nick has trouble expressing his ideas, as his vocabulary needs to expand more and his reading comprehension is weak.

Nick is described as “so sweet and empathic that it is easy for him to interact with adults, peers, younger children, and animals.” He interacts positively with peers, makes eye contact, and loves to participate in games and activities with them. He is always willing to meet new people. Nick recognizes authority figures, and he is respectful and obedient towards them. There are no major concerns regarding his motor development, but it is important to mention that due to his medical diagnoses sometimes he can be perceived as clumsy. In the past 4 years, it has been noted that Nick gets anxious when he is not near his foster mother; however, he still is able to do all the things he is supposed to do.

As mentioned above, Nick has bilateral hearing loss, but is not deaf. He mainly communicates through facial gestures and guttural sounds. He can say and pronounce some words. He goes to special education sessions in order to improve his cognitive abilities. Sometimes Nick gets sad when his peers do not include him in an activity due to his language limitations. He is afraid of sudden loud noises and does not like when vehicles such as motorcycles are very loud. Nick has also been diagnosed with Localized Adenomegaly, Epilepsy, and related symptomatic epileptic syndromes with combined focal localization, Mitral Valve Insufficiency, moderate mental delay, and has an IQ of 40. He takes daily medication.

It makes Nick happy to be able to play with his foster siblings and to spend time with his foster mother. He also enjoys taking care of the household pets. Nick likes to sing, draw and paint. He is good at crafts and loves to play soccer in the park.

His listing agency has additional information and precious pictures of this child from when he was 3 years old! They will be happy to share this information with interested families!

Carl was born prematurely in a home environment lacking the basic necessities; he was moved into residential care homes. He has been diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which has impacted his development.

In his current residence, Carl has blossomed into a kind-hearted and friendly child, creating bonds with his caretakers and peers. He partakes in meals with growing independence, embraces dressing routines and self-care; Carl sleeps soundly.

Carl carries a history of medical complexities. Despite an unsupervised pregnancy and a birth weight of less than a kilogram, Carl continues to receive dedicated medical attention across a spectrum of specialties to bolster his growth.

His therapeutic services include speech therapy, psychomotricity, and psychology, extended under the nurturing folds of his supportive abode. Carl delights in equine therapy and the companionship of dogs. Carl is a good student, benefiting from customized learning supports. He also enjoys music, tablets and computers.

Andy was born with Fragile X Syndrome,and his needs were complex from the start. He was placed in residential care as a newborn.

He has been making progress in his current placement. He enjoys going to school and participating in music class. He may need assistance to focus during school.

Daniel is described as fun and easy physically and mentally. He enjoys activities such as reading, drawing, making crafts and anything related to movies or horror characters. He was diagnosed with ADHD in 2021 and is being treated with medication. Daniel is a calm child who behaves with kindness when situations turn out the way he wants. He can be irritable when they don’t. He is 4th grade and shows good social skills with his classmates. He requires adult support to understand the importance of following rules since his ADHD diagnosis can make it difficult to manage impulsivity and anticipation of consequences of their actions.

Alexis is a happy, playful girl with a lot of charisma. She quickly gains the affection of those around her. She likes to make jokes and her energy level can lead to difficulty regulating her emotions. Alexis is bold, outgoing and social. She likes to give and receive affection such as hugs and kisses and demands attention of adults. She has managed to adapt socially and behaviorally to school and demonstrates autonomy, security and enthusiasm when participating in routines and activities. She is in 3rd grade and is kind to peers and adults. She is being treated for atopic dermatitis and asthma.

Brett lived with a foster family from birth to age 4. He did not attend preschool or receive any interventions during that time. The family was not experienced in how to work with him. He was placed in a small group home at 4 years old. He has thrived in this setting. He has learned many new skills and continues to make improvements in all aspects of his development. He communicates using words and simple sentences. He understands everything said to him and can answer basic questions. He takes care of all his personal hygiene independently (brushes his own teeth, hair, dresses/undresses himself, is toilet trained, etc). He can count to 10, recognize colors and shapes, work puzzles, say his name and age, and also say the names of the other children living in the home. The staff at the group home believe that his mental delays are mild and state that this is because he made such rapid progress once he was placed in the group home and began receiving instruction. The foster family had reported behavior issues, mainly an inability to concentrate. The staff reports no behavior problems and stated that he just needed attention and appropriate instruction. They describe him as very affectionate.

Owen has established self-care skills: He can dress/undress himself, feed himself and is toilet trained. He talks in sentences using 3 or more words. His gross motor skills are well-developed. He can walk, run, go up and down stairs and climb. He participates in conversations, understands everything said to him, and answers questions. He has issues with articulation. He attends a day program where he is receiving academic instruction and therapies. He is interested in everything happening around him. He enjoys Montessori toys. He can string beads, nest items, sort by color, and manipulate items of different sizes. His memory skills are developed. He can recall and reproduce information.

Ames is a joyful youngster who displays notable independence for his age, showing advancement in managing personal responsibilities in spite of his cognitive development in areas such as language mastery, social dynamics, and self-regulation. Ames is progressing, revealing a promising trajectory.

His interests are as varied as they are engaging, ranging from the energetic spinning of beyblades to the strategic play of table football, and the creative assembly of Legos. A fondness for stories also defines him—he delights in listening, reading, and sharing tales with others.

Understanding and following rules come naturally to Ames when they are communicated clearly and applied consistently. He flourishes under positive reinforcement and thrives on routine, which helps him navigate his day with confidence. When faced with choices, he benefits from being offered two options to help enhance his decision-making skills.

Adaptable and responsive, Ames shows a commendable capacity for assessing situations; however, he does rely on adult guidance to navigate safely through his environment. Previously having not experienced a traditional family setting, he formed emotional attachments with his caregivers. Ames longs for what many take for granted—a loving family to call his own.

At his current developmental stage, it’s essential to tailor Ames’s transition towards adoption, ensuring the introduction to a potential family is mindful and gradual. Psychotherapeutic support has been assisting Ames in processing his hopes and feelings about family life, laying groundwork for his future relationships.

Finn is a beautiful boy who will need a special family to care for his medical needs. Agency staff met Finn in July of 2022; they can provide more info on Finn and his medical needs!

VIDEO:
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-finn1
Password: Adoptmaa

Now that Finn is 8, he has a $500 agency fee reduction for his adoption; Additional agency fee reductions may be available based on the adoptive family’s circumstances!

Have you considered adopting siblings?!

Meet Mimi & Micky! They are a delightful duo. Mimi, July 2009, our shining star who reminds us that a little shyness only adds to the charm! She is reported to be clinically healthy.

Her shy sparkle quickly turns to a dazzling ray in the comfort of good company. She’s the heart of our group, spreading joy and giggles with a sense of humor that’s as infectious as her enthusiasm. She has a heart of gold. Her warmth extends to the young ones she cherishes. She’s a caring older sister, always ready to wrap them in a hug or share a playful story.

Ever the social butterfly, she forms deep connections that last, crafting a tapestry of friendships wherever life takes her. It’s no surprise that in every circle, she’s that missing puzzle piece you didn’t know you needed until she arrived.

Meet her younger brother Micky, March, 2014 – a beacon of joy, with a smile just waiting to light up your life! This handsome young man might seem a tad shy at first, but give him a moment, and his true colors shine through, painting laughter and happiness wherever he goes.

Micky thrives in the company of peers, his imagination a treasure trove of fun and games. His spirit of camaraderie embodies a priceless joy that only a loving family can multiply. With football under his belt and his zest for cycling and digital adventures, Micky’s the perfect companion for active days and cozy family nights.

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.

Praise is a sweet boy with lots of love to give! His story is sure to touch your heart! He adores his caregivers and has been very responsive to the therapy he has received so far. He has been diagnosed with global developmental delay, but has made great strides in his health and development since his arrival at the baby home. The changes in him are nothing short of praiseworthy! It is clear that with the love of a family and continued therapy, Praise will thrive in life. Could you give this precious boy all the love and care he deserves?

Ozzie has decreased muscle tone. He can’t walk, but has recently started standing up in his crib with support. He smiles and has positive emotions when interacting with adults and when he is with the other children. He pronounces combinations of sounds. He laughs when playing peek-a-boo.

*There is an older child that is believed to be Ozzie’s older brother. However, they are NOT listed as needing to be adopted together. The other child is listed as Ollie.

Dorie: The girl has a poor vocabulary, and therefore difficulties with understanding. She is active in words, conducts a dialogue, makes a simple description, but her statements are simplified and not always logical. Speech defect (interdental). She is an active child, shows great curiosity and wants to attract attention. She is willing to play and imitate but is less fond of organized games and has difficulty concentrating, as well as controlling and planning his activities.  She shows a bond with her siblings, especially her brother Nathan.

Nathan: Strong motor skills – correct for age. Walks, runs, overcomes obstacles. He participates in games, wants to attract attention and is upper active. Perception and hand-eye coordination – within the normal range for age. The boy notices details, differentiates shapes and colors. Recognizes pictures, selects pairs. He connects the pictures. He places the blocks in the holes of the puzzle. Builds block structures – simple and complex at the age level. Slight speech delay. Social behavior and emotional zone – age appropriate. There is a great need for a relationship, attention and contact. Sometimes he is too impulsive and reacts hypersensitive.

Iggie: Low birth weight,  FAS
Strong motor skills – the boy walks independently, runs, overcomes obstacles with a slightly lower fluency. He imitates simple, single body movements, claps his hands, raises his hands up, stomps his feet, enjoys simple games with adults, keeps up with the group. He puts circles on the pyramid, builds a tower from blocks, creates a row (“trains”). He scribbles with a crayon without imitating the direction and shapes, but he likes to draw with adults.
Speech shaping – reacts to sounds from the environment, looks for the source of the sound, reacts to musical sounds. Active speech at the word stage – repeats many one and two-syllable words on command. Points to parts of the face, says the correct words (ear, eye, etc.). Social behavior and the emotional sphere – visible improvement of contact and relationships, establishing contact without difficulty. He is cheerful, establishes basic relations with children, reacts positively to games, and imitates. Develops the basics of independence in everyday activities. Eats by himself.

The children experienced neglect and abuse before coming to the orphanage.

Update November 2015: He demonstrates interest in musical and mechanical toys. He will play for a short time – studies a toy, puts it in the mouth, transfers it from one hand to the other. He likes activities involving music. He recognizes familiar areas of the orphanage and understands his daily routine related to familiar tasks such as eating. He is very happy when interacting with familiar adults.

Update 2018:  Jesse attention span is short-lived and unstable in relation to objects and people. There is some sharing with a close adult.  Jesse responds when called by name.  His memory and speech are poorly developed. When happy, he laughs loud and when anxious, he cries. Sometimes he pronounces unspecified sounds and separate syllables. He is sensitive and emotional and tends to be nervous around strangers.  When given a toy he reaches out and takes it. He is working on the pinch grip. He hasn’t mastered fully the ability to move a toy from one hand to the other. Jesse is fed with a spoon and sleeps calmly through the night.  He cannot control his physiological needs.  Jesse is entirely cared for by the team in his orphanage.

(Jesse was also previously listed as Andy)

Meet “A, N & R” – three siblings who are longing for a family where they can grow up loved and together. A is a 12-year-old boy who does well in school and gets along with others. He has vision loss in one eye, but that has not seemed to slow him down! His sister, N, just turned nine years old. She has diagnoses of a mild intellectual delay and minor behavioral issues. N is described as mobile and energetic. She enjoys playing with her classmates and while she may learn more slowly than her peers, she is making continual progress. Their brother, R, just turned ten years old. R likes to color, watch TV, and ride on scooters and bicycles. He has diagnoses of a mild intellectual delay and ADHD as well as a congenital foot deformity for which he has undergone some treatment.

Waylon is in 5th grade with average academic achievements. He excels in mathematics and is particularly diligent in art and technology. He is inquisitive during educational trips and is an active participant in physical play. Waylon’s reading skills are good, he is able to narrate and read a text, answer questions, observe, and analyze. He attends wrestling, science, drama and sports clubs. In his free time, he plays basketball, and football, cycles, draws, does needlework, plays computer games, and watches TikTok or films. He has several friends with whom he spends his free time.

Waylon tries to follow rules but has difficulty following rules during lessons and concentrating on tasks. He sometimes
struggles to control his behavior and emotions. When angry, he behaves impulsively and uses verbal aggression. Seeks
leadership positions sometimes overestimating his own strength. He can become angry when he loses an activity and then
refuses to continue.

At first contact, the impression is that he is shy and withdrawn. After familiarizing himself with his
surroundings in a group of other children, he becomes bold and eager to make an impression. Waylon is able to make friends with other children, but is not always able to maintain them for long periods of time. Relationships with staff are generally warm, friendly and respectful. He is willing to interact, spontaneously develops a conversation and initiates conversations on topics of interest to him. Can distinguish, understand and relate emotions (sadness, anger, happiness, joy) to personal experience, although more often suppresses them and then acts them out on impulse. He lacks emotional self-regulation skills and sometimes has complex emotional experiences (loneliness, insecurity, anger, hopes and dreams about family life). Waylon is helpful, inquisitive, polite, generous, loves animals and likes to joke. He has age-appropriate decision-making skills, problem-solving skills. He has some signs of inappropriate behavior (swearing, insulting other children, not always responding to comments, etc.) due to being around older children. Waylon has been receiving psychological counselling since 2019. His caregivers say that it is likely that his mental health will improve significantly if he is provided with a safe, affectionate family environment.

He is happy and  cheerful boy with a great need for individual forms of contact and no behavioral disturbance. He walks correctly, runs, overcomes obstacles, and willingly participates in  the physical games. He has the features of motor hyperactivity, but the boy is able to adjust the activity to the form of tasks. Recognizes pictures, selects them in pairs and combines them correctly. Easily places shapes in the holes of the puzzle. Builds simple and complex structures. Mild speech delay – he can name objects, activities, features. Expresses single sentences, also complex ones, but uses these sentences less well.

From an agency representative who met him June 2021: He is pure joy and his little giggle is contagious.  He is so sweet, always look happy and friendly.  D is getting wonderful care while he waits for a family!

Photos and videos are available through the agency.

Drako has undergone surgeries to repair a cleft lip and palate. He is under continues care by medical professionals and will need future orthodontic surgery and other possible surgeries as well related to his cleft issues. Developmentally, his speech, motor skills, and cognitive processing are all delayed. He can crawl, pull to a stand, cruise around furniture/objects, and walk while holding an adult’s hand. He will interact with toys that play music or light up. He babbles, but is not yet saying any words.

Photos and videos are available.

Marco has a beautiful smile that lights up his face. Marco was born with cerebral palsy. He is trying so hard to walk. Be sure to watch his videos to see him moving. Marco loves to look at books. The listing agency has more information about Marco and his special needs!

VIDEOS:
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-marco1
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-marco2
Password: Adoptmaa

There is a $500 agency fee reduction for Marco’s adoption via the listing agency. Additional agency fee reductions may be available based on the adoptive family’s circumstances.

Orson wants a family and is described as healthy. His special need is his age. He is an active, communicative, curious and sincere child. He attends a junior high school, is doing well in his studies and is regarded by his teacher and the school staff as a curious and easy-going child. He enjoys computer science and technology. Orson is interested in world news and current affairs, reads a lot of books, and especially likes and collects The Diary of a Loser. He enjoys playing computer games and is doing very well. He also enjoys construction and jigsaw puzzles – he is meticulous and completes tasks to the end. He plays football. He is self-confident and likes to try new activities. Orson has a warm and strong relationship with his caregivers. He is able to express his opinions, to argue, to negotiate and compromise and is willing to follow agreements or rules if he understands them clearly. Orson is friendly, gets along well with the other children in the family and is not prone to conflict or anger. He is very thrifty – he likes to save and likes to buy things he wants later. He currently has to wear orthopedic soles and glasses. He receives periodic psychiatric counselling and visits a psychologist. He said he didn’t want a family in 2017 but has changed his mind about adoption and a family. Orson wants to live in a family and have siblings. He wants to have parents that love and support their children and don’t yell.

Axel has been assessed to have atypical autism against the background of a mild degree initial mental disability. Satisfactory general state of health. Ali understands and follows simple instructions. He imitates speech. He communicates non-verbally by pointing at things. He enjoys in his own way activities such as making things from playdough or clay. He does not get involved in the play and activities of the children in the group. Ali seeks contact with adults and peers in his own way by slapping or by caressing their heads. His play doesn’t match his age. Ali shows no interest in toys or blocks. He prefers to look at pictures and to watch educational videogames with animals. He prefers to do something alone. He likes being alone and does not seek attention. In the 2021/2022 school year Axel studied in the first grade at the elementary school in the town. He has a resource teacher as additional support. He studies under an individual plan for his education. His self-service skills are partially formed. He can eat on his own and prefers to eat with his hands. He needs support and care.

Raydor was previously listed on Reece’s Rainbow as Randy.

Raydor’s birth mother was addicted to Heroin and took Methadone during pregnancy. Raydor was born premature and spent the first 5 months of his life in the hospital. Raydor knows his alphabet, numbers and colors in both his native language and English. He can do simple addition problems (single digit plus single digit and single digit plus double digit). He speaks in 2 word sentences and memorizes poems. He loves to build houses and other things with Legos and will stay focused on this task for long periods of time. He plays independently and with other children. He enjoys music and often tries to imitate melodies. Raydor has some behaviors that are commonly seen in children on the Autism spectrum. He has not had any type of formal evaluation for Autism. 

Julian enjoys playing with toys. He is well attached to his caregivers and responds to them when they talk to him. When he is happy, he responds by making noises and clapping his hands. His report indicates that when held by the hands, he will take steps.

Update Jan 2020:

Julian sits on his own while supporting his weight on his hands. He uses his hands to change his posture and move his body. He stands in the walker. He actively grabs and manipulates toys and objects, tries to use them as intended – shakes to produce sound, pulls the string of a musical toy. Visual-motor coordination is slightly impaired.

Despite his diagnosis of infantile cerebral palsy Teddy walks independently. He climbs on and gets off the bed independently. Teddy examines objects with hands, eyes and mouth. He is able to transfer objects from one hand to another. He is able to hold two toys in his hands and knock them in one another.

When the foster mother leaves the room Teddy would start crying and looking for her.

He likes playing with musical toys and shows excitement when they make sounds. He also looks at and likes some of the TV commercials.

The foster mother feeds Teddy with a spoon and some improvement has been reported, as he is now eating solid food. Teddy loves bananas, biscuits with milk, homemade soups and sops.