Other Special Needs Girls, 10+

New photo Jan 2017. Institutionalization is so horribly wrong. Look at what has happened to her! Please help us find her family!

Lovely Harlowe! She needs physical therapy and a loving home.

Jolina is a darling girl, waiting for her forever family! She has some features of FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome). This is a cautionary disclosure, not a diagnosis.

Update from April 2014: Jolina is a beautiful girl and she is very sweet! Her eyes are mesmerizing and full of hope and excitement. She is attentive to her nannies and seems to follow their instructions well. Jolina longs for attention and it is obvious that she has a desire for a family. She immediately wanted to call me “mama” and she patted the bench to let us know she wanted us to sit down near her. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet but she was walking around the room and she pulled a chair over to sit right in front of us. Jolina didn’t say much while we were in the room, so its hard to say how much she talks. Her orphanage was lovely and we would adopt from there again if given the choice. Jolina’s photo does not do her justice and sadly she seems very overlooked! We can’t wait to see Jolina with her forever family!

From someone who met her in June 2013: “She was one of my absolute favorite kids I met! She is just the sweetest thing. She is diagnosed with MR not sure she really is. She was giggling and introduced herself by saying her name. She has a huge smile! She has a special nanny that does PT with her. She was bed bound when I met her but she came from a very good orphanage before she was transferred here. She needs out now!!”

Smart girl, she can talk, very affectionate Updated picture in stroller from March 2018.

Nadine was recently relisted (March 2021)

What a pretty smile Lucie has! She could do so well with a family. Lucie has recently been transferred to the adult institution. We must find a family for her!

New pic Jan 2017.

From a family who met her in January 2014: Maia is a sweet little girl. She was able to follow orders and do everything that her teacher asked her to do. She doesn’t speak but giggled a lot and made some noises. Her doctor said that while she was unsure if Maia would speak, she felt the prognosis was good. Her eyes are crossed. Vision and hearing are otherwise fine. Maia has mental delays and would benefit from focused attention and education. Maia is lively and active and ready for a family who is ready to play!

Ohh, I love her little pouf of hair, what a lovely little girl. Not sure how much vision she has.

From a family who met her in early 2014: She needs out! She is skeletal and looks to be in very poor condition. Neveah just cries and cries if you get near her. Also, she appeared to be heavily sedated. She had a toy tied to her wrist/hand, and her hands were bound to not scratch herself. So, so sad.

Lovely Lanora needs a mama to let her beautiful hair grow out!

Piper dear, where is your mama? Sweet girl has a lot of needs; a family could drastically change her life — otherwise, she is one who could be destined to spend her life in a laying down room.

Emma is going to be transferred into the school orphanage for mentally delayed children, and it is not the best place to anybody. The orphanage may keep her only till summer 2016, and then she will be transferred!

She is much educationally delayed. She is pretty friendly and calm. But her memory is not good, and it is hard for her to remember any rhymes or poems.

This girl needs a patient family who will love her and care of her. She deserves it!

The one photo she is shown with her sister, who was born in 2002 & aged out (can no longer be adopted)

Beautiful girl, full of spunk!

So sweet!!

She is a very good girl with good potential to develop.

Sweet love needs a family, or she’s destined to a life lying in a crib. She has a host of needs; a family will need to be well prepared — but she deserves the chance to bloom!

She has been transferred and is not in the baby home anymore.

Abigail has developed the main self-service skills – she can eat and drink independently. She copes well with the major activities as part of her everyday life, with some support from the adults.

Although her expressive speech is underdeveloped, Abigail produces sounds so as to express her emotions. She seems to understand adults’ speech as she is able to follow simple instructions. Abigail is radiant and cheerful girl and her mood is mainly positive. She shows interest in listening to children’s songs, playing with puzzles, and trying to draw.

Pics from Dec 2019; video available, too.

Alder needs a family, to spare her from a life in a crib, and reach her full potential.

Giada has grand mal seizures (with small seizures (petit mal) or without them), unspecified; congenital malformation syndromes predominantly affecting facial appearance; genetic syndrome – chromosomopathy or monogenic syndrome; facial dysmorphism; psychological and behavioral disorders related to past trauma. More information is available from the agency for interested parents. Giada is on medication for her seizures.

Family history: the child’s biological mother has mental delay, epilepsy- grand mal seizures (she had Depakine during pregnancy) and cerebrovascular disease; the child’s biological father had mental delay and abused alcohol.

Giada is sociable and outgoing girl. She interacts and looks for contact with peers and adults. She is able to cooperate with other children from her class. Giada loves to draw and color, as well as to solve puzzles. She prefers to play with her peers or older children. She loves to play with children younger than her so she can take care of them. She cooperates in games.

Giada knows what adoption means and she dreams about being adopted and have a forever family of her own.

UPDATE: Oct. 2018: Giada is physically well developed for her age with mild neuropsychological developmental delay. Her Epilepsy (petit mal seizures) is well managed with medication. She has a well developed fine and gross motor skills. She can read and write. She loves to paint and to play sports. She has a well-developed imagination.

She attends a public school and is doing very well there. Her dream is to become a teacher one day. Giada is not shy. She is able to communicate easily and maintain a dialogue with her classmates and adults. She has good hygiene habits.

Malory is a beautiful, giggly girl who lives with a foster family in Eastern Europe. With a contagious smile and laughter, Malory runs, climbs and could be described as an active child. She enjoys the extra attention she receives from her foster parents. She is physically healthy, and she eats well. Her weight and height are catching up with the standards for her age.

Malory has some developmental delays that her caregivers attribute to early neglect and lack of stimulation. She has difficulty pronouncing some words, and her learning is below the norm for her age. Malory understands everything her elders say. She cannot talk yet, but she can pronounce separate words and sounds. She knows her name and the people’s names living around her. She plays with the other kids from the group, and she prefers more dynamic games.

Malory gets one-on-one instruction in each subject, participating in different programs – therapeutic, musical and rehabilitation. She is much calmer then she was before, and she respects the authority of the foster family.

Additional videos are available from her agency.

Despite her CP diagnosis, Prudence is able to go up and down the stairs and walk independently, albeit her gait is not very stable.

She is nonverbal. Prudence does not understand other people’s speech and she tends to self-isolate. Prudence likes to cuddle with an adult and likes it when someone is talking gently to her. She loves listening to music and even starts smiling and dancing in her own way.

Prudence hasn’t developed any self-service skills and fully depends on the caregivers in the facility. She cannot control her physiological needs (she wears dippers). Her sleep is calm.

Aria is able to walk by using a mobility aid – a walker. She can go up and down the stairs while holding onto the railings. She can maintain a sitting position while sitting on a chair, even without seat restraints.

Aria is emotionally stable and has adequate emotional responses in different situations. She enjoys being the center of attention. Aria names animals, fruits and vegetables, counts up to 10, says the alphabet with some help from an adult, and names the children and the staff members by name. She participates in group activities with other children. She is sensitive to the other person’s emotional state and observes his/her reactions. Aria enjoys looking at children’s books and recognizes the familiar objects and animals on the pictures.

Area eats common food independently with a small spoon or fork.The child drinks from a cup. Due to her physical disability, she cannot bath herself independently. She goes to the toilet on her own. The child washes her hands and brushes her teeth on her own.

Allison is a beautiful, giggly girl who lives with a foster family in Eastern Europe. Allison is an active child. She runs, jumps, catches a ball with two hands or kicks it with a leg, and climbs and descends stairs with the support of a railing. Allison likes to connect with others, is interested in other children, and includes them in her games. She enjoys playing with dolls and likes to show others all her toys.

Allison enjoys the extra attention she receives from her foster parents.

Allison is physically healthy. She is eating well, and her weight and height are catching up with the standards for her age. She has some developmental delays that her caregivers attribute to early neglect and lack of stimulation. Allison has difficulty pronouncing some words, and her learning is below the norm for her age. She was in first grade last school year, and the foster family said she loves to go to school.

Shay lives in a foster home. She was hospitalized to look for a cause for her seizures and was diagnosed with ataxic cerebral palsy. She is currently taking medication for seizures, but still has 1-2 seizures each month. She is able to walk and has good gross motor skills. Her fine motor skills are delayed. Her speech is delayed. She uses single words or short phrases to communicate. She has difficulty focusing, which makes it difficult for her to learn new skills. She is very active and needs constant supervision.

Vivianna is able to move around independently for short periods of time in her wheelchair.

She shows interest toward shining materials, cords, ties. Although her speech isn’t developed, Vivianna pronounces vowels and separate syllables with the consonants “g”, “m”, “n”, etc. She demonstrates basic understanding about simple instructions and presents as cooperative.

Vivianna likes to crawl and exercise on a mattress, and she also likes to play in the pool with balls. Vivianna feels comfortable around other children and adults. Vivianna is fed by an adult. She drinks from a cup. She is on diapers. Her sleep is calm.

Laurel is a beautiful little girl! She came into care when she was about 3 years old, apparently having had little stimulation or training. She was diagnosed with CP, and they began working with her at the orphanage. Laurel has good fine motor skills, and is able to walk without assistance. She is toilet trained (during the day). Her language is a bit behind, although it is difficult to know if that is due to the CP, lack of early education and adult interaction (before she arrived at the orphanage), or just general speech issues. A thorough exam and evaluation when she comes home will be helpful and lead her family in the right direction to help her. Laurel is very sweet, active, and a generally happy little girl! She needs a family!

Lizzi Belle was first thought to have Down syndrome, but that was not the case. However, she has very severe intellectual delays, possible CP, and possibly autism. Lizzi Belle cannot speak, cannot walk, is not toilet trained, and according to the nannies…”unable to communicate with the outside world”. A family for Lizzi must be willing to love her unconditionally, and care for her needs for many, many years to come. It is impossible to say what the future holds for Lizzi Belle, but it will certainly be brighter with a family to love her! This photo is an older photo, but the agency has a new video to share.

When Lola came into care she was diagnosed with esophageal and anal atresia. She had an operation to correct both of these in 2011, and recovered well after some good nutrition therapy. Lola has a difficult time hearing because of her bilateral microctia, but she is able to follow instructions and hear her caregivers. When the doctors looked at her heart, they saw that she has left ventricular false tendons, but other than that her heart looked healthy. Lola’s file says that she also has a curved spine, but is able to fully walk, run, and jump. Lola really enjoys being active and independent!

London is a kind, smart, beautiful, shy, and determined girl, born in November of 2012, who interacts positively with her caregivers and the other children. London enjoys watching cartoons, listening to music, and playing with other children. Her favorite activities include singing and playing with dolls and stuffed animals. She likes to be near her caregivers and prefers they hold her hand when they go outside. London has normal cognitive and language development. She speaks in clear and complete sentences and can sing children’s songs. London was born with spina bifida and clubbed feet. She had surgery for her spina bifida, but has not had anything done with her feet/ankles. London is able to crawl, stand with assistance, and sit independently. Her report indicates she has good fine motor skills as she is able to pick-up small objects, play with toys, hold a pen to draw, and turn the pages of a book. This adorable little girl is going to such a blessing to a very lucky family!

From reading 6.5 year old Frannie’s file, it is clear that this girl will do very well in a forever family! And speaking of files, hers is full of information! Frannie likes to play with other children. She also likes to play with dolls, games, and do puzzles. Her favorite foods are apples and eggs and she like to drink milk. She also loves snacks.

At the age of 6, Frannie began going to a special school. She quickly became a favorite. Frannie quickly learned to follow the teachers and learned some sign language. She is learning more gestures, such as one for her name, the numbers 1-10, and a sign for toilet. She has learned to write many numbers and some words. She is an active student in school and she enjoys games and crafts. Frannie won two awards at school- one for “good child prize”, and one for “small pacesetter who helps others prize.” The awards made her very happy and proud. Her overall performance is excellent! Even when she loses a game, she will smile. Frannie needs some help when it comes to fine motor skills, but she is fond of learning and can imitate quite well. She seems to be very interested in gymnastics and can do many tricks. She is flexible and has talent in dancing. Frannie is enthusiastic, outgoing, and fond of learning. All the caretakers in the orphanage love her very much! It is clear that with the love of a forever family and some guidance, this child will make huge gains and will soar!

Emma is a spirited, and awfully cute, little girl! She came into care as a 6 month old, and was initially found to have no significant health issues. There was a clue, however. The back of Emma’s head was flattened a bit, which indicates she had spent way too much time flat on her back in a bed the first 6 months of her life. Needless to say, her development was delayed at that point, and the reason was soon discovered. Emma has since received a diagnosis of CP, which appears to affect her right side. She is not yet talking or toilet trained. Emma has a lot of work to do to catch up with the other kids. The orphanage staff has been diligent in helping her. Emma can walk, and climb stairs.

Emma is quite willing to stick up for herself…they say when she used her walker, and another child took her toy, she would quickly “drive” the walker and chase the child to retrieve the toy! Emma loves to laugh, and gets along well with older and younger children (unless they take her toys). This sweet little girl will surely benefit from PT/OT/speech sessions, and most of all, from the love and laughter of her very own family.

Ellisyn is an energetic and restless girl. She can be very talkative and she loves listening to music. After coming into care, she was able to live with a foster family and adapted well. Ellisyn learned how to walk steadily, progressed in communication and was able to recognize familiar people. Her doctors say that she is cognitively delayed compared to the other children and suffered from an external hemorrhoid. She is taking medicine for treatment and is now living back in the orphanage so that she can go to kindergarten. Ellisyn knows a huge amount of words and can recognize many objects. Ellisyn gets along well with others and is a joy to be around.

Elle needs regular blood transfusions for her Thalassemia. Additional medical information available.

She can laugh aloud. She waves her head when happy. She grasps little toys with left hand and put them into her mouth to bite them. She can sit alone for a short time. She looks around when someone speaks to her. Fern has a good physical state, has balanced nutrition, has a routine life every day, good living habits but is choosy about food.

From an adoptive parent who saw her in April 2014:
Let me start by saying my heart broke for this little one. She is unable to sit up or feed herself. She cannot walk. She was brought to me in the crib. She smiled when I spoke to her and she grabbed my hand when I placed mine in hers. She laughed when we tickled her and she seemed to enjoy my attention. The nannies say she can smile and laugh when tickled. She can chew and swallow food. She has a familiar caretaker and smiles when she is with her. She is described as a very content child. She is easy going.

Note: Fern’s updated file pictures do show her sitting up, although she may be supported by leaning on the wall in one picture. She desperately needs a family who can get her out of the crib and into therapy so she can be all that she can be!

Beautiful Marielli has a contagious giggle. She loves to play with her foster mommy and giggles every time a toy block falls from her head. Like most toddlers, she wants to play the game on repeat. She shows how she wants to play again by grabbing her foster momma’s hand and motions to do it again. One of her favorite times of day is bath time! The sweet girl loves to splash and splash.

She is social, active and definitely not shy. She is often comforted by being held and snuggled when she is upset. Marielli was fortunate to be a part of Love Without Boundaries cleft exchange in 2012 and has had her cleft palate repaired already. Her file states that she congenital cleft palate (now repaired) and poor brain development. She is sure to be an absolute joy to a family. Who is ready to giggle and splash with Marielli?

An update received in the fall of 2015 states that Marielli is now living with a foster family. She is reported to be a healthy little girl who rarely gets sick. Compared to children of the same age, Marieli is still very delayed. She does crawl, stand, and walk with assistance. Marielli is cooperative with her caregivers, but rarely talks and says few well-pronounced words. She is happiest when her caregivers play with her, offer her toys, or hug her. Marielli has quite an appetite and eats a wide range of foods. There is a small hole in her palate, so some foods are difficult for her to eat. It is said that she is receiving rehabilitation training, but no details were given. Marielli has a fear of meeting strangers and her caregivers say she has an introverted personality.

From her 2012 file- Nannette has normal body and intellectual development. At the age of 4 years, she can take care of herself, have a meal, go to toilet, read, and draw lines and scribble. She can walk and run. Nannette’s Language, personality and emotion development is delayed. She is introverted and not talkative. Usually when she communicates with adults, she can understand adults, but she responds less or responds in a low voice, we can’t hear clearly. When Nannette gets along with children, she is talkative and usually happy. In her diet, she has good appetite and good digestion; when it’s time for meal, she is anxious about, even loses her temper. In life, Nannette is an obedient child, and often willing to help the aunt to do something that she can do, such as putting away milk containers, taking diapers, picking up garbage and taking out the trash and so on. Now with her growing slowly, she can learn from imitating continuously, and learns more and more. Now she can draw lines and scribbles and sing children’s songs and so on.

Grace is outgoing, smiles often, and likes playing with other children. She is a beautiful girl and is curious about the outside world. When intrigued by new objects, she will carefully observe and explore them. She likes meeting new people, and gets along with other children her age. She is a very active 5 year old. She can run and jump, can feed herself and use the restroom by herself. She can take on and off her clothing independently. She understands the meaning of “no”, can call “father”, “mother”. She can say “one, two” “give” “want” “fetch.” She enjoys listening to music and singing loudly. Even though nobody can understand what she is singing and yelling, she is very happy and involved in it. Even though she does not like speaking, she is very smart and observant. Grace likes to help the aunt to do some housework, such as folding the quilts and picking up toys. When the caretakers are holding the young children and they drop their toys, Grace will take the initiative to retrieve the toys. When the aunts want to feed the babies, Grace will take the initiative to bring them a towel. Her favorite fruits are bananas and small tomatoes. She also likes desserts.

Grace was abandoned by the train station when she was ten days old and has been living in an orphanage ever since. Grace was born with a cleft lip and palate, for which her first surgery will occur in May. She also had a congenital heart defect which was corrected this past summer. She does not take any cardiac medication but she sometimes pants and her lips become blue after strenuous exercise so her cardiac issues may not be fully resolved.

Grace is reported to have normal intelligence, potty trained, and she walks and runs just fine. She dresses herself, speaks in 3 – 5 word sentences, likes to sing and play games with other children.

Update from 2016: At 6 years old Grace enjoys looking at books, playing with her friends and has a favorite stuffed toy. She has great self help and fine motor skills, she can dress herself, including jacket and shoes, she can draw lines and shapes. She is an extroverted girl and she really enjoys playing games with her peers. She has many favorite foods, dumplings, noodles, fruit and many more. She had a surgery to repair her cleft lip already, but her cleft palate has not been repaired yet. She studies preschool, she can sing, dance, draw, string beads, and put clothes on dolls. Her upper limbs are flexible, she can walk and run, but not very steadily. She is active and gets along well with other kids, and often helps other younger kids.

Penelope has been diagnosed as deaf. She is also post-operative for a PDA heart condition and has received treatment for cataracts, which do limit her vision. Penelope can visually perceive light and people moving around her.

Penelope came into care when she was about a year and a half old. She has good development of fine motor skills in that she could do the motions of grasping, holding, picking and putting things down as well as feeding herself. She has a strong sense of curiosity and experiences the world primarily by touch. We hope she can be adopted by a family who can provide her with the special education and care she needs.

Rona is a ray of sunshine! She is a little shy and timid, but is very friendly to those she is familiar with. She likes to play with toys, especially rag dolls. Rona underwent rehabilitation for her cerebral palsy and she can now walk on her own! She is steadily growing to taking care of herself and the nannies are proud of her progress. We hope Rona finds her home soon!

Sadie is a delightful and bubbly little girl at 5 years old! Her photos & info are outdated. She came to the orphanage as a baby, and was found to have a cleft lip and palate, as well as a vision impairment. Sadie had her cleft lip repaired in 2011, but we are unsure if her palate has been repaired. Part of her file suggests it has, but there are no surgery reports for a palate repair. Sadie is a doll…the nannies all love her! She loves to play on the slide with the other kids, and ride the rocking horse. Sadie’s fine motor skills are good, however, at 3 years old she was not walking unassisted. She was crawling at that time. Sadie is a lovable and active little girl who needs a family to help her reach her full potential!

Meet Rachel! She has been diagnosed with Apert Syndrome and hand and foot deformities. Because of her special needs, Rachel’s development is behind other children, but she has an active personality just waiting to blossom! Rachel loves taking showers and playing in the water. She can’t hold toys well but she likes to bat at them with her hands, and she loves any toy that makes noise. Rachel especially loves to be held. In fact, her caregivers tell us that is her favorite thing to do! Rachel loves nothing more than to sit on someone’s lap and be loved. Rachel needs a family to snuggle with her and help her become all she is meant to be. Could your family welcome this sweet little girl into your life?