Other Special Needs Girls, 6-9

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.

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.

February 2020 update: Eden’s acrobatic skills have only increased over this past year. She has discovered how to climb out of her bed and into the bed of one of the older girls in her home. This cuddle bug loves any chance to seek out physical touch- whether it is sneaking late night cuddles or laying in the swing in her home with one of her friends. The disc swing in her home remains her favorite place, however she has grown fond of a plastic rocking horse as well.

Eden continues to take daily morning walks with her teacher to continue to practice her cane skills. Eden is now able to climb a flight of stairs while holding onto the railing and receiving promptings from her teacher. Recently, Eden has shown an increase in desire to explore her surroundings. Eden’s teacher has been working with her on spatial recognition and her ability to find new landmarks in her home. Eden is currently working on self-feedings skills. At first she was reluctant to hold her spoon during meal times, but now she is able to hold it with assistance for her entire meal. She is doing incredible! We are optimistic that this is a skill she will master this year! Eden continues to wear her processors daily. Recently Eden has begun attending speech therapy three days a week. She has begun babbling more. We hope that with speech therapy she will be able to begin to associate more meaning with the noises that she hears.

Jan 2019 update: Eden has started moving around the home with purpose more independently. She is now able to climb up 3 flights of stairs while holding onto the rail for support. She is also able to come down the stairs, also holding onto the rail for support. Eden has always been quite the acrobat and has now learned to climb on the sofa in the home and will stand while holding onto the back and jump and giggle. She has also learned to find a low hanging disc swing in the home and climb on it. She loves the swing and will vocalize sweet sounds as she enjoys the motion. Eden continues to work with her guide cane and still needs encouraging and prompting to use the guide cane throughout the day. She takes daily walks down the street with her teacher. She mostly enjoys the walks, unless she is tired, then she cries to be picked up and comforted. Eden continues to wear her processors allowing her to hear and she often responds to the sounds of toys falling on the floor, familiar voices, and music. She does require frequent prompting to complete activities in her classes. Eden also continues to demonstrate some aversions to a lot of textures. This is addressed in the home through a lot of opportunity for sensory play. She enjoys having lotion rubbed on her, sensory brush actives and water play.

Andy (2009), Izzy (2010) & Kayla (2013)

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.

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

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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.

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.

DeeDee has such beautiful eyes!

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

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

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).

Scarlet was originally listed with her brother, Rhett. Rhett has been adopted.

New pics January 2017!!

These sisters must be adopted together!

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.

Anna has cerebral palsy and, as a result, is severely delayed. She and her brother were born very early, each weighing around 2 pounds. Anna is unable to stand. While Anna does vocalize, she is unable to articulate words. She has severe cognitive delays, and it appears unlikely that she will be able to make these up. Anna smiles when she is touched and is willing to play games, but she tires quickly and requires constant stimulation to stay engaged. She is unable to feed herself and is fed through a bottle.

Anna’s twin brother, Alex, has bronchopulmunal dysplasia, cerebral leukomalacia (brain injury from birth), and an intestinal hernia which will likely require surgery. He is described as “lackadaisical” and “good-natured.” Alexander is able to walk 5-6 steps before falling over, and has generally uncoordinated fine motor skills. He does vocalize, but his speech patterns are underdeveloped. The assessment from Bulgaria states that with the appropriate interventions, Alexander could make up for some of his delays, but that his capabilities will always be limited.

UPDATE: 2019 Alex and Anna are twins who are living together in foster care.
Anna has spastic CP that impacts her entire body. When lying on her back, she can raise her right hand to reach for a toy. With some assistance, she can roll onto her stomach and once there, can hold her head up and track objects. She turns her head to sounds. She vocalizes and smiles when she is happy. Sometimes, she reacts to her name by turning her head when her name is called. She will respond to an adult talking to her by making sounds back. She raises her arm when someone waves hello or goodbye to her. She can follow some very simple commands that she repeatedly hears.

Alex also has a diagnosis of CP. Alex is able to walk, though his report indicates that he has a flat food and a possibly shortened thigh length on one leg. He attends an early intervention program, where he is receiving therapy and basic preschool services. He can only say a few words, but is learning to use PECS (picture exchange communication) and is up to PECS level 4, which is the ability to use picture cards to build sentences. He can sort by shape and color, stack blocks, and is learning beginning handwriting skills (tracing, drawing lines, etc). He plays with toys appropriately. He is showing imaginative skills (tucks a baby doll into bed, feeds stuffed animals, etc). He is classified as having a mild intellectual delay based on preschool testing.

Photos and videos are available through the agency.

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.

Blaire is a sweet child who loves attention. Blaire receives physical therapy and her current therapist has been working with her for several years. Blaire loves to go on walks and enjoys swinging on the porch swing.

Last December, Blaire had a feeding tube placed. At the end of February she had a second surgery to have her feeding tube replaced due to minor complications. Ever since, she has been doing so well! Her cheeks are getting nice and plump! Blaire is deeply loved by everyone in the home, especially by her caregiver. She is very bonded with her current caregiver and will follow her throughout the room as she moves!

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.

Pics from Dec 2019; video available, too.

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.

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.

Karen loves social interaction and receiving lots of love and attention. She has several special needs conditions, which include CP, microcephaly, epilepsy and Strabismus. Despite these challenges, she is able to do many things. She can crawl to get around and walk with assistance. She also does well playing alone with toys and if one catches her attention she will spend a long time studying it and playing with it. She especially enjoys noise maker toys. Karen is non-verbal and her communication consists of syllabic patterns. She makes attempts to repeat different sounds and syllables. She has no trouble bonding with her caretakers and does not have any issues with eating or sleeping.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Maggie is a precious little one. She arrived at the orphanage when she was about 6 months old; a frail and quiet baby girl. She was found to have a cleft lip and palate, CHD (PDA), and the ring finger and middle finger of her left hand fused. She had the lip surgery in 2014, but no palate surgery yet, to our knowledge. Her heart defect, Patent Ductus Arteriosus, is not at all uncommon. An x-ray of her hand showed mostly adhesion of the adjacent skin of the two fingers. Maggie has delays of both motor skills and speech. It is difficult to say if the delays are due to her known medical issues (plus unknown care for her first 6 months), or if there may be another cause. We do know Maggie needs help. She needs a family to love her unconditionally, and medical care plus therapies to help her reach her full potential. Maggie needs a family.

Magnolia is a precious little girl, who is described as being extroverted and sweet tempered. She is fairly active, talkative, and has quick reaction time. Magnolia enjoys singing and listening to music. She gets along well with others and likes playing outdoors with her friends and with toy cars. Magnolia lives with a foster family and though she likes to be cuddled by her foster grandfather, she is closest with her foster grandmother. She is a good sleeper and sleeps in her own bed. She is not a picky eater, though she has been spoiled by her foster grandparents who tend to hand-feed her and let her use a bottle to drink her drinks from. Magnolia’s favorite foods are meat, dumplings, noodles, vegetables, and fruits. Magnolia can walk independently. She was able to imitate words and say simple things like, “What is this?” Her intelligence was said to be delayed compared to her peers, but her orphanage also seems to say this about many children in their care.

In January of 2014, Magnolia received surgery for lumbar spinal meningocele and hydrocephalus. She had good recovery after the surgery, though she is not toilet trained. We are unsure if that is a result of her meningocele surgery or because she just hadn’t been trained yet, but a family should be prepared for her to be incontinent. An update from August (you can read the full update below) mentions that Magnolia has had a handful of seizures over the years. Magnolia has the sweetest little face with the cutest little voice.

Magnolia has a $2,500 agency grant for her adoption with a specific adoption agency. You have to watch her sweet videos! The agency has several.

Olivia is an energetic, smiley, and beautiful little girl who likes listening to music and playing outside. She is especially close to her caregivers and loves to be cuddled and tickled by them. Olivia is diagnosed as having microphthalmia, which means that both of her eyes are very small and underdeveloped. She also has very low muscle tone. She is able to stand with support, but she can’t walk yet. Her caregivers have been working with her, but she still struggles to move independently. She can sit up for about 30 minutes, but she gets tired and often needs support. She knows her name, responds when called, and can follow simple instructions. She can make sounds like “ah,” but doesn’t say any words. She gets excited when her caregivers tell her it’s snack time or time to go play! Olivia has some feeding issues. She mainly eats soft foods like mashed vegetables. She has a hard time swallowing and needs food chopped up for her. She really likes to hold her bottle herself. Olivia is in a school program in her orphanage during the week days and lives with a foster family on the orphanage grounds the remainder of the time. Olivia is making progress, but what she needs most is a family who can provide her with love and therapies that are simply not available in her orphanage!

Olivia has a $500 agency grant, with her current adoption agency. Olivia needs a family with an approved home study to be able to hold her file or move forward with adopting her.

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?

Anney’s file states that she is a cuddly girl who loves being held by her caretakers. Her file says she loves to laugh and clap her hands when happy. Her pictures capture her bright and happy smile that light up a room.

Addison is a petite and precious three-year-old girl who loves to be cuddled. When Addison was younger, she could walk independently and she had good fine motor skills. She could take small things out a bottle, turn the pages of a book, and take off her own socks. Addison loved to wave hello and goodbye, clap her hands, and blow kisses. Her nanny adored her and often took her to play on the playground. Addison could speak simple words, such as mom and sister and she could understand the adult’s instruction. She was described as cooperative, active, full of expression, and adored. Addison was sometimes mischievous and would occasionally lose her temper, as any 2-3 year-old would. She enjoyed the rocking horse and playing with balls.

In April of 2016 she started having seizures and was sent to the hospital for treatment. She does have a CT scan in her file which was normal, but once Addison came back she was like a different child. She had stiff limbs and couldn’t walk or sit. She was able to make small guttural sounds and could visually track moving people. The orphanage decided to have her start rehabilitation training. Addison started receiving acupuncture and massage therapy and her muscular tension improved. She can now hold her head up when lying on her stomach and responds to toys that make sound. She knows her name and will look when called. She still makes good eye contact, but has less facial expressions than she used to. She now imitates making sounds and recognizes people. She is still attached to her favorite nanny and enjoys when the nanny spends time with her. She will cry when the nanny leaves. Her nanny spoon feeds her porridge and she often bites the soon tightly and sometimes has trouble swallowing.

The agency has received a recent update. This sweet little girl has been through so much without a family by her side. It is our hope that the perfect family for her comes forward and meets her where she’s at and helps her reach her fullest potential!

Emery can move using a walker and can make a few steps with support, too. Specialists are working with her to continue to strengthen her legs and are hopeful that she’ll become more independently mobile. Emery likes listening to music and is able to reproduce some of them. She can say a few words and makes short sentences as well. She receives support and intervention from specialists in the local community. She likes to receive an individual attention. She has emotional bonds with adults. She eats by herself and her sleep is calm.

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?