Other Special Needs Girls, 6-9

Katrina’s physical development and gross motor skills are age appropriate. She talks, but has some difficulty with articulation. Her fine motor skills are developed, but slightly delayed. She is diagnosed with mental delays. She knows and names the colors. She knows the letters of the alphabet and she has started reading. She already counts up to 30 and she writes some numbers. She knows the days of the week, seasons, left vs right, body parts, and can follow directions using instructions such as over/under, front/back, etc. She plays well with other children and enjoys attention from adults. She likes to work on a magnetic board, kinetic sand and active cards. She already colors in a contour and she is very diligent when connecting lines. She can cut and glue ready elements. She can read and the fact that she is being praised for that makes her very happy.

 

She follows the directions of an adult in relation to the hygiene and household activities. She can dress and undress her. She washes her hands and feeds herself independently, she makes attempts for self-serving. She takes care her belongings. She keeps her materials from school in a certain place.

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.

Florence is a beautiful, smiley and easy going girl! She thrives with her title of Princess in her foster home.

Florence is nonverbal but uses other ways to communicate. She smiles and arches when she is happy and will cry when she is in pain, hungry or sad. For example, she usually gets sad if others go on a walk and she thinks she’s not going to go. She likes when you give her simple yes/no questions like which outfit she wants to wear for the day. At school, she has been working on different ways to communicate like using an eye gaze program to speak through a dynavox or trying to use her hand to choose answers.

Florence has a g-tube. In the past, she has eaten meals blended by mouth. Her g-tube was used to give her medicine and water. However, currently she is being fed all food and water via her g-tube as her caregivers are assessing what is safe for her. There are not swallow studies available in her home country so it is a little bit challenging to figure out what is best for her. Her diet is being supplemented with a mix of complan, a powdered-milk nutritional supplement, and real food blends. She is doing well. Also, she does take muscle relaxing medication to help with her spasticity.

Her personality has started to shine through even more so. She likes to laugh. She thinks her friends that do silly things are really funny and often they make her snort when laughing a lot.

She attends therapy four times a week currently for stander time, stretching and exercises. The therapists always say she doesn’t complain unless it is a day where she is clearly uncomfortable before she comes.

Florence enjoys being held by her people and especially when they sing to her or dance with her. Even though she cannot talk, she interacts well with her friends in her foster home! Such a joyful, sweet girl she is.

Pippy is a precious little girl, born 2013. Pippy is a twin and was born very premature and diagnosed as having cerebral palsy- spastic diplegia, umbilical hernia, and strabismus. She now wears glasses to correct the strabismus and has received surgery to correct the hernia. Pippy was later diagnosed as having acute lymphoblast leukemia. She is currently in remission, but continues to take medication to prevent her cancer from coming back. Pippy’s twin brother also has CP and is being cared for by his biological family. Pippy is very delayed in all areas of her development. She can manipulate objects using her left hand. Pippy is not speaking at this time. We hope just the right family sees Pippy and knows that she is their daughter.

UPDATE NOV 2019: Diagnosis: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (actively receiving chemotherapy, which will be needed until 2021). Cerebral palsy – spastic diplegia; Gastroesophageal reflux disease, Convergent concomitant strabismus (wears corrective glasses); Delay in neuro-psychic development

Pippy is receiving chemotherapy for Leukemia. She was diagnosed in March 2017 and immediately began treatment. She lives in an isolation room at the orphanage to reduce her exposure to sickness. She is considered in remission, but is required to continue to take daily medication. She has a port, weekly blood draws (to adjust medications), and monthly appointments with an oncologist. Pippy also has CP that results in increased muscle tone in all 4 limbs, primarily impacting her legs. She can grab and hold a toy with her left hand. She can manipulate toys by picking up, dropping, pulling a string, picking up ring toys. She understands basic cause and effect, such as knowing to pull a string on a toy to activate the toy. She explores toys with interest. She pronounces several words and can follow basic commands. She enjoys the attention of caregivers.

A detailed medical report that outlines her Leukemia treatment, other medical history, and her development are available, along with photos and videos of Pippy. Due to her cancer diagnosis, any interested family would need to provide proof of medical insurance coverage that would adequately cover Pippy’s cancer treatment immediately upon taking custody of her. Her birth country will also require a detailed care plan showing the family has the appropriate resources and support to provide the required medical care for Pippy once home.

Molly May has made progress in her development during recent months. She is able to sit unassisted, get up on her knees and has begun to start trying to move around in a walker. She is becoming more physically active. She makes eye contact, looks around for families adults and smiles when someone looks at her. She will laugh out loud when an adult plays with her. She watches children’s cartoons and movies on the TV and will get excited and point to the screen when the TV is turned on. She picks up toys and attempts to play with them. She still needs instructions in how to appropriately play with toys. She makes vocalizations in an effort to communicate. She eats soft foods from a spoon.

Molly May has undergone multiple surgeries to repair her cleft lip & palate. She is under the continued care of the doctor who is performing these procedures. She is also under the regular care of a neurologist, who diagnosed her with CP in 2018. She had suffered from “constant shaking” resulting in uncontrollable movements up until a few months ago. The social worker reports that this has greatly improved and that Molly May’s movement are now more calm and she also sleeps calmly too. Videos taken in April 2019 show her interacting with toys.

Photos and videos are available through the agency.

February 2022 Update: Shilo is a precious little girl who loves to be held and cuddled. She enjoys dancing to music and being twirled around the room.

Shilo vocalizes a lot but doesn’t speak any words yet. She shows the ability to form healthy attachments. She loves her caregiver and tracks her with her eyes as she walks around the room and kicks her legs and moves her arms when she needs her attention.

Shilo’s dosage for her spasticity has been altered and her muscle tone has really improved. Shilo has greater than partial head control and is learning to sit well by herself with her hands propping her up on the ground. Her therapist is working on core strengthening with her and helping her to balance on all fours. She also spends a lot of time in functional standing.

Shilo enjoys water play. With the assistance of her teacher, she splashes water around a sensory bin; using cups, shovels, and other water toys to manipulate and move the water. Her favorite game is when her caregiver counts to three and then leans her backwards. As her caregiver starts to count, a grin will flash in anticipation of being “thrown” backwards. When her teacher sings the I Love You, You Love Me song, Shilo smiles and vocalizes. When her teacher hugs her in the song, Shilo leans in for a kiss too! Shilo is a deep lover of life and friendship and would thrive in a family of her own.

Abby is a beautiful little girl with big brown eyes. Her gross motor skills are good. She is walking with little assistance. Her non-verbal communication is good. She has a ready smile and will respond to stimuli with her eyes. She is speaking words and attempts to communicate. Doctors have recommended occupational, physical, and speech therapies. Doctors have stated, “Concerning her diagnosis one suggestion is that, the child has epileptic encephalopathy (suspect syndrome Dravet).” (This description was from August 2018)

An update on Abby dated May 7, 2021, states her situation has improved drastically. She has progressed in her motor, cognitive growth and social skills. She readily socializes with her peers and caregivers and follows instructions when given. She has developed a rich vocabulary while still having some difficulty pronouncing some of the words correctly. She imitates different behaviors and LOVES to sing her favorite songs. She is attending an individual program suggested by a therapist.

Abby needs an opportunity for family. Can you imagine what she could do with a family who loves her and supports her in all of these activities? Would you welcome this little girl into your home?

Piper is a beautiful girl with a smile that can light up any room! Piper has a warm, sweet personality, and she adores her caregivers. She absolutely loves being read stories or just talked to. It’s clear that she understands what is being said to her. She enjoys music and appreciates a good nap! Piper has a medical diagnosis that may look concerning at first, but she has already made huge strides strides with some daily therapy and a lot of love! This special little girl will be a blessing to the family God has waiting for her. Could your family reciprocate all the love Piper has to give?

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

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

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

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

Sally had one seizure at age one. She’s been on seizure medication since that time and has not had any additional seizures. She touches and grabs with her right hand and moves her right foot. The left hand is almost clenched in a fist. Her muscles are very tight, but she can sit up when placed in that position. She will reach and grab toys with her right hand. She tracks objects that are moving in front of her face. She laughs when adults interact with her. She makes sounds and produces syllabes when imitating someone. She enjoys musical toys and will scoot to get to a toy that is near her when on the floor. She is fed by an adult and can eat from a spoon.

Kaylyn is in severely impaired condition and her development is delayed in all areas. She is completely dependent on adults’ care. Her sleep is calm and rhythmical. She is fed with a spoon by an adult.

Updated May 2019: Harmony was recently moved to a smaller family style center, where is receiving more attention and care. She still goes to the daycare center at the orphanage and will go to school once she turns 7. She is described as very friendly. She is not aggressive at all and interacts well with the other children. She responds to sounds and tone of voice. She can be comforted with a soft tone. She will hold toys and tries to interact with them, but she needs help to know what to do with them. She loves a rocking horse and will play on it for long periods of time. She will laugh and stop rocking to clap her hands in order to show her pleasure. She says some sounds such as “ba-ba”, “ma-ma”, and “la-la”. She enjoys tactile input and responds well to it. She can stand with support and can walk pushing a walker or when someone is holding her hand. She has not had any instruction in how to walk in a way that will accommodate her lack of vision. Since coming to the center, she has learned to drink from a special cup and is eating from a spoon.

Photos and videos from April 2019 are available through the agency

Updated Jan 2017: Harmony tries to sit independently and stands with the help of an adult or holding onto support. She can step aside holding onto support, pushes the walker with help and guidance by an adult. She is visually impaired – holds a toy handed by an adult, studies the objects with her hand. She has delayed neuro psychological development. When she gets upset, she self-harms.

Harmony expresses her emotions with vocalization – vowel sounds and random sounds. When frustrated she can express her discontent. She can tell apart the tone of voice, reacts with a smile to caresses when she’s calm. The child is fed with a spoon by an adult, drinks from a cup held by an adult.

Evelyn crawls in order to get where she wants to go. She can stand with support and take steps to the side while holding on to something. She has spastic muscle tone. She picks up objects and transfers them from hand to hand. She does not talk. She responds positively to attention from adults.

Eastyn had spinal surgery at 20 days old, followed by shunt placement for hydrocephalus. She had a vesicostomy performed at age 2 to prevent kidney infections. She crawls using her hands. She can sit up with support. Her fine motor skills are developing. She stack cubes, puts together simple puzzles, strings objects, and can assemble/disassemble constructed toys/structures. She holds a pencil and can draw lines and curves.She started talking at age 2. She can carry out a conversation, answer questions, etc. She waves and greets people appropriately. She understands cause and effect. She understands and follows directions. She knows her daily routine. She knows the names of everyone around her. She can identify items from photos. She can correctly use familiar objects. She can sort by color, understands direction words such as up/down, has a basic understanding of things like seasons, body parts, food, animals, and other preschool related items. She participates in parallel play. She demonstrates pretend play skills (feeds a doll, gives a doll medicine, talks on a toy phone, etc). She doesn’t like to share toys and will ask for them back. She is not aggressive. She is learning to feed herself, but still requires help from the staff.

They have lived in the orphanage since December 2018. Justice is a sweet, social, independent and kind girl. She is very bonded with her sister, Marley. She is a good student and her life is busy with school activities, trips and competitions. Marley is shy and her sister Justice is a role model for her. She likes to play with other children.

The girls want to be adopted and dream about their future family and new life.

Emma was recently transferred to a group home where she can receive more specialized care to help her continue to develop and receive appropriate medical care. She is receiving monthly blood transfusions at this time for her anemia. She had surgery to correct clubbed feet in 2020. She can sit unassisted, stand next to a stable support, walk around fixed supports and walk while holding the hand of an adult. Videos from May 2021 show Emma playing with an electronic toy. She is pushing the button to get the toy to make a sound. Her fine motor skills are not well-developed at this time, due to her spasticity. Emma responds positively to adults and other children. She smiles and laughs when adults interact with her.

Sweet Jubilee is doing well. She has cerebral palsy and is on medication to control her seizures.

Update Feb 2018: With lots of patient attention, we are finally seeing Jubilee make an effort to be part of the world around her. She is doing so much better lifting up her head during tummy time. She has also started making some small but intentional hand movements when we are holding her with a toy in her lap.

Updated August 2019: Jubilee is a sweet 6 year old girl. She goes through phases where she is very happy and smiles a lot, and then goes through phases where she doesn’t smile very often. She is quite opinionated and will always let us know when she is uncomfortable, hungry, etc. She is adored by everyone that knows her. Her nannies love to dress her up, do her hair, and take her for walks. At school she is working on making choices, using her hands to reach out, and focusing her eyes on one thing at a time. In therapy she is also working on purposeful movement, range of motion, standing, and several other things.

February 2022 Update: Blaire is a sweet, quiet child. She loves to go on walks in the neighbourhood, being pushed in her wheelchair, and likes swinging on the porch swing. Her favourite song is One Little Finger and she laughs when her staff help her do the actions.

At her last birthday party, her caregiver put makeup on her and she seemed to really enjoy all the attention as everyone crowded around her and sang to her and took pictures. She and her caregiver have a sweet relationship. At the Christmas party, her caregiver didn’t put her down as she wanted to see Blaire’s facial expressions for all the dances and treats! She bought her bangles as a gift. Most days, Blaire’s eyes follow her caregiver around the room as she moves. They even do video calls when her caregiver is on vacation!

Blaire spends most of her time upright in her wheelchair, and we have seen this help a lot with respiratory issues she struggled with when she was younger. She has a considerable head lag and very tight muscles. Her therapist stretches her out and works on strengthening to improve head, neck and trunk control. Blaire has a feeding tube and it has helped her to gain weight.

Blaire is a sweet child who lights up with 1:1 attention and would thrive in a family who will love and advocate for her.

Mikayla has the sweetest smile, laugh, and disposition. She is extremely expressive so it is very easy to gauge what she needs and when she is upset. She likes to be silly. For her own entertainment and the entertainment of others, Mikayla makes silly faces and sounds, gargles her water, and echoes the voices of her friends and caregivers. She is a cuddle bug one minute and a determined explorer the next. She is definitely full of light and love and spirit.

Mikayla has made wonderful, consistent progress since arriving at her current home. She is motivated to communicate and will babble and approximate some words. She is now more willing to engage in sensory experiences and has developed some independent play skills. She has good receptive communication and is spoken to in both English and her native language. She will use various vocalizations and behaviors to express some basic things, like making a kissy noise when she wants a kiss. She is gaining physical strength and can sit independently, move around by rolling, can stand with support and take steps using a mobility device.

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

Katherine is a sweet, quiet girl with cerebral palsy and mild scoliosis. She is also profoundly deaf. She received a cochlear implant in 2016.

Katherine struggles with keeping her head up, but when she is very motivated she is physically able to find the strength. Katherine is non-verbal and requires full support for all her acts of daily living. She had a hip correction surgery for hip dislocation and this has helped a lot with positioning and pain management. She receives PT where her muscles are stretched and she works on core strengthening.

Katherine is calm and quiet. Her caregiver loves her a lot. For Christmas, she bought her lipstick and jewelry and did a photoshoot! Katherine enjoys basking in the sun on the balcony and likes when her teachers help her finger paint or read touch and feel books. She likes being held and when her caregiver kisses her forehead. She also seems to really enjoy water play and is always content and soothed.

Katherine would be a wonderful addition to a family!

Taylor was born to a mother who tested positive for Anthetamine and Methanthetamine at the time of her birth. She did not experience any type of withdrawal symptoms. The birth mother also smoked throughout pregnancy. Taylor was placed into government care due to her birth mother’s drug use.

When she was 4 years old, she was placed with a local family for the purpose of adoption. She lived with that family for 17 months. The family chose not to finalize the adoption. Taylor was placed in an emergency foster placement for 7 months and then moved into a permanent foster home, where she currently resides.

The previous foster family described her as “a happy and outgoing child who has a very good memory”. Her current foster parents describe her as “talkative, happy and polite”. She seeks out interactions with others. She can play alone appropriately, but prefers to play with other people. She is willing to share her toys. Her gross and fine motor skills are at the appropriate developmental level for her age. She talks in complete sentences and can answer questions and follow verbal instructions. She is diagnosed with ADD and has difficulty staying focused on activities, especially when required to sit still for longer periods of time. She will also “push the boundaries” to see what she can get away with. If she does not get her way, she will throw a “tantrum” to see if the adult will give in.

She is showing signs of the effects of the placement transitions that she has experienced in her young life. She often asks for permission to do even the smallest things. She worries that she is in trouble. The foster family reports that she says she wants to be good. She is seeing a clinical psychologist, who has begun preparing her for a permanent adoption placement. Interest families should be knowledgeable of the effects of trauma and disruption or be willing to obtain continual education on the topic during the adoption process.

Violet is a beautiful little girl who loves going to the park. She also loves dancing, music, exploring her environment, and playing with different elements and textures. Video available.

Violet has a $1,000 agency fee reduction for her adoption with a specific adoption agency.

Lena has a diagnosis of Turner Syndrome with associated delays and epilepsy.

She has multiple special needs including mild intellectual disability, speech delay, ADHD, heart and kidneys defects.

She is a sensitive and cuddly girl who is friendly with other children and likes playing together. She is working on new skills every day and making a great progress! She willingly participates in all activities and has no problems with behavior.  She likes to help with making sandwiches for lunch and always eager to help. Her self-serving skills are good.

 

 

She is a premature baby. FAS and heath defect (corrected), strabismus. She is s an active, cheerful child who can walk, run and jump. A is a calm girl, she is interested in the surroundings and likes to play.

According to her caregiver, Mariah is a sweet girl, she is such a little “doll”, she likes dresses, shoes, likes to dance and she has an amazing personal charm. But she also has a strong character, pursues a goal, and is very curious about the world. She wants to be independent – she eats her meals alone, uses the toilet herself (and has a good appetite!) – and she also is willing to help.

Mariah has good motor activity, she is physically active, willing to dance and sing. Mariah has a lot of energy, is enduring, does not get tired quickly, and often changes body positions. She tries to be independent.  She does not react with anger to her failures. She is persistent in carrying out instructions and tries to finish what has been started. The girl eats her meals alone, uses the toilet herself, and has a good appetite.

The agency’s representative in country met her in  December 2021 and they have videos and photos to share with an interested family. At the end of the visit while saying goodbye, she quietly asked the representative to find a mother for her.

The agency offers a discount to a special family for this beautiful and brave girl.

The agency was able to spend time with sweet Alanna in November, 2019. Alanna is now 6 years old. Alanna is full of giggles and cuddles. She loves music and dancing. She has such a sweet, fun personality and seems to thrive in social situations.

We last saw Alanna a year earlier in 2018, and she seemed to be much more mobile this year. She was active – bouncing and climbing on soft benches. Alanna has cerebral palsy and is weaker on her left side. Alanna is now eating solid foods – she had been using a feeding tube until January 2019. Her social worker told us she can eat a bowl of food in about 15 minutes now! She attends physical and occupational therapy once a week each. Alanna only says a few words, but her social workers state she understands most of what is said to her and she can follow one step directions. Could Alanna be your daughter?

Jaida has an active and playful imagination.  She LOVES to pretend she is a doctor visiting patients and enjoys playing pretend school!  Jaida enjoys drawing, playing with building blocks, and riding her bicycle.  She is not shy around strangers and easily establishes friendships with her peers.

Jaida has a diagnosis of Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency (Type 1), hearing loss in her right ear, and overall global developmental delays.

Jaida attends special education classes.  Her teacher reports that she is highly motivated and catches on quickly to newly introduced lessons. Jaida recently learned how to write her name, and she’s starting to learn Mandarin phonetic symbols!

Jianna’s favorite activity is singing and preforming on stage at church.  She has a good sense of rhythm, and she can hum the melody of songs she’s only listened to once or twice! When Jianna isn’t performing, she enjoys riding her bicycle and watching Sailor Moon.  Those who know Jianna describe her as friendly and say she LOVES to laugh!

Jianna has moderate cognitive, speech, and motor delays.  She currently attends occupational, speech and physical therapy weekly.  Jianna is enrolled in elementary school and attends special education classes. Her teacher noted she is able to identify colors, identify objects and their names, and speak in short sentences.

Could you imagine yourself dancing and singing karaoke with Jianna?  If you think you could be the right family for her, don’t hesitate to reach out!

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

Update from a family who visited with her in Dec 2021:  Quinnie is smart and clearly understands whatever direction the nannies give her – to pick something up, to sit down, to play with something, etc. It seemed like she could say a few words but is mostly nonverbal. She has her own signs in order to communicate to the nannies that she has to go to the bathroom or that she wants something. She enjoyed participating in games and was able to give hugs when I held out my arms.

Her demeanor completely changed when we were left alone with her. She threw toys, phones, etc across the room and screamed a lot. She kept throwing my phone and got upset when I took it away. I believe these behaviors were because she was scared since she was left alone with strangers who spoke a different language. I think that she would do very well with a family who can devote the time to helping her adjust and to communicate. She did so well when there were people in the room who spoke her language. We only could not proceed because of our young children and the fragile health of the boy we are adopting.

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).

She cannot talk yet and in general is pretty “weak”.

She has FAS and epilepsy and resides at the orphanage in Eastern Europe. Alivia is an affectionate girl who loves to hug and kiss the staff. She is soft spoken and initially with new people she will observe quietly but then she is not shy and initiates conversation with people she knows. She loves singing, acting, and dancing. She also loves to draw and listen stories. Alivia’s psychological evaluation report indicates that she has developmental delays.  She can be easily distracted but is easily redirected with reminders.

 

 

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DeeDee has such beautiful eyes!

Updated Jan 2018: Deedee has a brother born in 2013, do not know his special needs yet.

These sisters must be adopted together!

From a family who met her in March 2021:  Gemma is an adorable little girl. She has a bright and spunky personality and is full of laughter and smiles. She loves to be held and embraced and ran to us with hugs. She played ring around the rosy with us, danced in our arms, and loved to be twirled. When given a kiss, she instinctively gives one back. She is so sweet. She loves to play outside, ride a scooter, play in the sand. She says “yes” (in Russian) for most things but she can say other words. She understands everything said to her. She listens extremely well to the nannies and they speak to her as they would a typical 5 year old. She can do the physical tasks a pre-K age child can do (get dressed and undressed, ride a scooter, play with toys, etc). She is toilet trained, though the nannies had her in a pull up while with us. Her vision is impaired and though she can see well enough to get around just fine, she holds things very closely to her face to see them. She has a hearing loss diagnosis but appears to be able to hear everything, though maybe she could still benefit from hearing aids. We were told that she is developmentally like a two year old. This was true in many of her behaviors but we found that she understands much more than a two year old. She has autistic behaviors without an autism diagnosis. She is definitely a sensory seeker; she has a lot of energy and needs to be given tasks and activities to keep her focused. When she is engaged in something she likes, she is completely absorbed in it. She could play the piano for a very long time oblivious to everything going on around her. Though she appears to be in her own world, we were often able to “intrude” into her world and to play with her, to get her to smile and to mimic us and were seeing gains so quickly. Her smile and laughter bring so much joy! Gemma is smart. She can learn. We taught her some basic sign language (“more”) and she began to use it right away without any coaching. She immediately caught on. She will flourish so much in a family who gives her the tools to communicate. She is truly an amazing child, adorable and full of life.

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This child shows significant facial features of FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome). This is not a diagnosis, but a cautionary disclosure.

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Charleigh has 3 healthy siblings living in a different orphanage: 2 brothers -13 and 9 years old; a sister of 11 years old. As long as all are available they will need to be adopted together.

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