Other Special Needs Girls, 0-5

We don’t know a lot about sweet Nelly yet, but the agency does have videos of her they can share with inquiring families. Nelly can crawl and can do so well. She loves scooting her way to toys she finds interesting. Nelly can sit up on her own. She enjoys attention and will sometimes interact with other children.

Update April 2022:  The agency recently learned Addy’s, 3-year-old, brother has been approved for international adoption. He has developmental and speech delays.  Addy and her brother will be placed together.

 

Introducing six-year-old Addy! Addy’s foster family and social workers describe her as a gentle, quiet, and introverted young girl who is kind and affectionate towards familiar people. Addy enjoys working puzzles, making handicrafts such as origami and paper cutting, and skipping rope. We have videos of Addy performing all three tasks above and she really is quite talented! Addy has speech and developmental delays as well as suspected autism, although it is noted in a more recent medical update that she has made noticeable improvements in general knowledge, verbal language comprehension and abstract concepts. She is currently receiving speech therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy once per week, as well as physical programs to help increase her muscle strength. She can name daily life objects and their uses and respond to questions in complete sentences. Addy has much potential but lacks self-confidence.

Update Sep 2021:

According to her special education counselor, 7-year-old Addy has made remarkable improvements in self-confidence thanks to the support of her teacher and past learning experiences. Most recently, she is learning the concept of money through shopping activities and is training to enhance her muscle coordination and strength through arts and crafts. Addy has an intrinsic motivation to learn and doesn’t let her limitations of near sighted and borderline sensory integration disorder prevent her from trying new things. She is currently enrolled in gymnastics classes and focuses on four major exercises: horizontal bar, trampoline, balance beam, and floor.

Addy has an excellent relationship with her foster mother. She chats with people and laughs at funny things too. She likes to amuse a younger foster child at home and will protect her like a sister as well. Addy has been receiving extra visual training from her teacher at school. Her teacher reports that she is cooperative and will complete tasks that are required of her, even if she doesn’t enjoy them—like writing. She interacts enthusiastically and cheerfully with her classmates and enjoys taking part in activities with adults. When we asked Addy how she would describe herself, she responded beautiful, gentle, and introverted, whereas her classmates would describe her as a kind and generous person, who can be serious in class.

Jett:

Jett’s favorite activities include playing with building blocks, toy cars, and reading picture books with his caregivers!

Jett lives in a children’s home with 8 children of similar ages. He enjoys interacting and laughing with his peers, and he acts affectionately towards his caregivers.

We’re looking for a family for Jett and Addy who will be able to meet their diverse needs.  Jett is a toddler with language and social emotional delays.  While Addy is a grade schooler with developmental delays and possibly on the autism spectrum.

Sadie has limited movement in her neck, back and hands/arms (due to limited movement of the shoulders). She has more range of motion in her left arm vs her right. She compensates for her limited mobility. She stands on her toes to reach objects (when she cannot extend her arms) and holds on to a support to bend down or she seeks assistance from an adult. She walks, plays with toys, and interacts with her environment. She can put together wooden puzzles, stack rings and perform other basic tasks. She can take the cap off a pen and tries to draw shapes. She interacts with familiar people. She initiates games such as peek-a-boo. She will point to things she wants to communicate her wants/needs. She dances along to music. She can say some simple single syllable words such as ma-ma, but mostly communicates with gestures. She lived in a home with a younger child for a while and did well with the younger child. The foster family limits her interactions with other people, because they are afraid she will get hurt, due to her physical limitations. She plays well with other people, when she is around them. She does not go to preschool due to the fear her foster family has that she will be injured. She shows a preference to certain objects and TV shows (Peppa Pig and Masha the Bear).

Videos from May 2022 show Sadie walking, playing with toys, putting a puzzle together and interacting with adults. The videos show Sadie’s physical limitations.

Julee likes to live a relaxed and easy lifestyle. She laughs around familiar caregivers and takes initiative to ask for hugs. Her caregivers report that she has a persistent personality and clear preferences. We have videos of Julee playing with toys, feeding herself with a spoon, walking with a baby walker, and more. We can see in the videos that she maintains good eye contact and are told that she is able to walk for 20-30 minutes if pushing a baby walker. She of course will take pauses to rest, but typically doesn’t sit down. Julee likes to watch T.V. and play with toys that make sounds. She has been diagnosed with spinal bifida and hydrocephalus and has delayed speech when compared with children her age. However, she has been receiving early interventions on weekly basis and she practices walking 3 to 4 times daily. Julee has received leg splints to support walking and improve muscle tone, and with great success, she is now able to stand up on her own! Could your family be the one Julee needs to support her as she reaches more developmental milestones?

Introducing….Natala! Natala likes crawling, rolling around, and making sounds like she is talking. Sometimes, when she is unhappy, she lets you know by crying and fussing but will calm down quickly once attended to. Natala has good adaptability for a young child and is not shy with strangers. Currently, Natala takes 2 short naps each day, once in mid-morning and once in the early afternoon. Her nap schedule is flexible. She can flip herself over while lying down, stay seated for up to 20 minutes with support, and has recently started crawling! Because she has high muscle tension, her legs sometimes stay lifted slightly in the air while crawling. Among many other capabilities, Natala is able to grasp objects in each hand and pass them from one hand to the other. Although Natala has delayed speech, she has shown progress between her most two recent visits in March and August of 2021. She currently understands a couple of simple words including ‘goodbye’ and ‘kiss’, in her language of course, and has normal hearing. Doctors are monitoring mild vision damage and plan to continue to assess her vision as she develops. Natala has also been diagnosed with epilepsy however since beginning medication, no tremors or twitching have been observed. Natala is currently being cared for by a foster family and has formed appropriate attachment to her foster mother. Young Natala needs a forever family that can support her, love her, and celebrate along with her as she continues to reach milestones. Could you be that family?

Update 2022:

Natala participated in our February 2022 Virtual Superkids trip.  She was 2 1/2 years old during the visit. Natala is a special girl who will require lifelong care by her adoptive parents.

Natala expresses her joy through smiling and laughing.  She enjoys toys that make sounds and lights up when playing with dolls.  She expresses sadness through crying.  Natala has global delays in development and non-verbal.  She is most comforted and connected to her foster mother.

Meet Jolie!  Jolie enjoys walks with her caregiver.  Her favorite part of their walk is when her caregiver speeds up pushing her stroller, and Jolie giggles with joy!  Jolie loves being embraced by her caregivers and communicates with them through giggles and cooing.  

 Jolie has a diagnosis of epilepsy, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, low vision, and overall global delays. Jolie continues to make progress in physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, which she attends once a week.  Jolie recently accomplished being able to turn her body over from her back to her side! 

 Jolie needs a loving, patient, and caring family who will be able to provide lifelong care and help her develop to her full potential.

The agency has many photos and videos of Allison that can’t be shared publicly. Allison is described as vibrant and friendly. She likes to cuddle with caregivers. She likes to play with any toy given to her, and she is still learning how to properly play with different types of toys.

Allison has cerebral palsy and microcephalus. She is delayed developmentally. Allison is able to pull herself to standing (we have video of her doing this!) and can stand alone without support for 10-20 seconds. She can also take a few steps when holding onto something for support. She responds to her name but is not yet saying any words.

Allison’s birth mother made the difficult decision to make an adoption plan for Allison so that she can receive the best care available. Her birth mother visits her at the children’s home on a regular basis. I’m sure it would ease her birth mother’s mind to know that Allison has a loving family who is able to meet her needs and help her thrive.

 

Update April 2020:Allison enjoys watching cartoons and playing with stimulating toys; especially ones with sound and light!  Allison communicates through giggles and physical contact.  Allison has global developmental delays and needs a family who can celebrate her and help her reach her full potential.

Priscilla arrived in her care home in July 2021 and has become more alert and engaged since her arrival. She can roll on her sides but struggles with maintaining head control. She doesn’t yet appear to have very developed receptive language but communicates with her caregiver with cooing sounds and smiles when they interact together. If she is upset, she visibly relaxes when her caregiver talks to her. At the Christmas party, Priscilla moved from lap to lap of all the aunties in the home, as they each wanted to take part in watching Priscilla experienced her first Christmas! She received a swing for her gift and seems to enjoy the soothing motion of being pushed in the swing.

The boys are both listed as healthy.  All three should be adopted together.

Meet Jasmine!  Jasmine is an adorable 5 year old born in 2016.  Jasmine has a happy disposition and loves to laugh! She is not shy and likes to interact and play with others. One of Jasmine’s favorite activities is spending time and playing with her favorite cousin, who is the same age as her. Jasmine also has a close bond with her foster parents and has an affectionate relationship with them. Jasmine has a Cerebral Palsy diagnosis with global delays. She attends occupational therapy and hydrotherapy once a week. Over the course of her therapies, she has made improvements with her mobility and can walk by herself. At home, Jasmine’s foster mother has her practice walking up and down stairs and using a kick scooter to continue with her exercises. Jasmine is currently in pre-kindergarten, and one of her major accomplishments was to memorize 1-30, and she can recite these numbers when quizzed! Jasmine’s speech skills have also improved throughout the school year, and she spontaneously requested a “glittery pair of shoes” recently. She has waited long enough. Could she be your child?

Additional photos and videos available from the agency.

These two are in the same orphanage now, but they have 3 older siblings in a different orphanage. One of the older children was born in 2012; we don’t have the info on the other two children’s age. It’s likely the governmental authorities will want all 5 children to be adopted together in the same family, because they have no severe special needs.

More likely the governmental authorities will want all 5 children to be adopted together in the same family, because they have no severe special needs.

Isla has been registered for domestic adoption for over a year and because of her age, she is internationally adoptable only under the condition of adoption of the older sibling(s).

Feb 2022 Update: Muffy is a sweet little girl who has left side hemiparesis and developmental delay. She had an abnormal MRI which showed bilateral occipito-parietal region atrophy and thinning of the posterior periventricular white matter. She has left side hemiparesis but she can use her left hand well. She falls sometimes, which the neurologist attributed to spasticity so she recently started on antispasticity medication. She also has a bilateral squint and would benefit eventually from a surgery to correct this. She walks, runs and speaks. She has healthy attachments with her caregivers. She was late to begin speaking and walking but now walks and runs well and has grown in her language skills. Muffy speaks in sentences in her native language, including the use of past tense. Her language is delayed compared to that of a typically developing child her age, but she has made so much progress.

Muffy loves finger paints, playing with her fire truck toy, jumping on the trampoline and engaging in water play. She can often be found shrieking with laughter and running through the house as she plays chasing games with the other kids. She got a Barbie doll for Christmas and likes to play with it. She combs its hair and talks to it. As the youngest child in her home, Muffy has lots of “big sisters” who care for her. She has not yet started school due to her age and all the covid restrictions in her area, so she spends her days happily playing.

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

Isabella has such a delicate face with the most beautiful lips. She loves to be clean and will cry to remind her caretaker when she goes to the bathroom and needs her diaper changed. After she is changed, she stops crying immediately. Isabella is always moving her eyes; it seems she may have some light perception. She has some hearing loss because of her atresia, but she can hear. By four months of age, Isabella was visually following the light, responding to loud sounds, and babbling. Isabella has rehabilitation training three times a week and is very cooperative. At the time her file was prepared, she was sitting and rolling over independently. She will laugh loudly and happily when called by her caretaker. Isabella loves to be cuddled and teased by her caretakers too. Her favorite toys are dolls. She is said to be a good eater and sleeper as well. Isabella is getting wonderful care while she waits for a family!

Becky can turn from back to belly and sit up with support. She reaches for toys and tries to play with them. She will hold toys in her hands and knock them together. She reacts very positively to interactions with adults. She gets very happy when spoken to/interacted with and will wave her hands as if to say hello when someone speaks to her. She makes sounds, but is not yet saying words.

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Alyssa was a sleepy girl at the beginning of our Zoom call but as her caregivers slowly nudged and called her name, she began to wake up. Two and a half-year-old Alyssa is not speaking, but we learned from her caregivers that she is a cuddly child who loves being held. She will also smile when she hears her name called. Alyssa likes listening to music as it helps to calm her, along with additional cuddles when she is upset. Alyssa seems curious in new environments. She doesn’t interact much with other children due to her mobility. Instead of playing with toys, she would rather be rocked and listen to music.  Alyssa’s diet consists of her formula which she consumes through a nasal feeding tube.

Alyssa is diagnosed with global developmental delays, hydrocephalus and seizure disorder. She resides in a nursing home and receives 30 minutes of occupational and physical therapy each week. The agency has much more information on Alyssa. Could your family be the one she needs?

These sisters must be adopted together! There are 4 other siblings in a separate orphanage.

Hailey is a smiley, sociable, and cuddly little girl. She can hold small toys and always smiles when someone plays with her. That smile will melt your heart. She is happiest when she is outdoors and loves being in the center of activities. She is very close with her caregivers. She cannot walk or talk yet, but she makes plenty of sounds. She is working hard at physical therapy and is striving towards learning to crawl. Lately Hailey has been taking more initiative to explore her surroundings independently. Hailey recently had a medical check up, including a cardiac ultrasound which showed no abnormalities.

Two year old Wendy is close with her caretakers and likes being held by them. Her file states that she has sharp reaction to outside stimulation such as sound source and visually following objects. She likes being teased, giggling, and can turn over onto her stomach. Her file indicates that she communicates her emotions by facial expression and reacts to being called.