Other Special Needs Girls, 6-9

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mina is a beautiful little girl who likes to paint and play “sleepover” with her friends. Mina likes to go to the park and put together puzzles. She also loves to sing and listen to music of all genres, especially tango. Mina enjoys children’s stories and watching her favorite cartoons, which include Masha and the Bear, Puss in Boots, and Blue Shortcuts. Contact the agency to learn more about Mina and her listed medical needs!

Joyce LOVES to sing and dance!  Her favorite sing along songs are “Baby Shark”, “Cagabrie Island” and “Jasmine”. Joyce also enjoys riding on a motor scooter because she enjoys looking around at the sights and feeling the wind in her hair!

Those who know Joyce say she has a gentle personality. She likes to act cute and will become lively around familiar people. Joyce has a good relationship with her foster parents and gets excited when their 7 year old grandson visits on the weekend. They get along well and play with each other for hours.

Joyce presents with global delays and has Epilepsy and Thalassemia.  It is suspected she has ADHD.  Joyce attends OT and PT sessions. Joyce attends special education classes at elementary school and an afterschool class. She is making progress with her language skills and can respond to questions with single words.

Are you a family that can support Joyce with growing her language skills? Enjoy singing along to nursery rhymes with her?

Mila turns her head towards sound and looks at people and objects of interest. She recognizes the faces of the staff. She can roll over, but still has difficulty with head control. She enjoys musical toys that spin and will focus on those for short periods of time.

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.

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.

Isla can crawl, slowly walks, climbs and goes down steps. She does not react to any sounds or to people talking to her. Her report indicates that her hearing is normal, despite repeated observations that she does not react at all to any sounds. When a toy is placed in front of her field of vision, she will reach for it and hold it in her hand.  She enjoys playing with light up toys.

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.

This update and new photos were added in October 2022.

Vivian is a beautiful girl who has been living at her children’s home since she was an infant. She has multiple disabilities including a Traumatic Brain Injury, Cerebral Palsy, and Epilepsy. It’s believed that Vivian has some level of both a hearing and vision impairment, although her caretakers are not sure of a specific diagnosis. Vivian also had her right hand amputated as a baby and uses a g-tube to eat. Despite all this Vivian is a happy, lovable girl who continues to make daily progress towards understanding her world and communicating with those around her.

Vivian spends most of her days sleeping. But when she’s awake she will use facial expressions and verbal sounds to indicate her feelings towards something. She enjoys soft and warm textures, music, and being snuggled by her favorite people. She enjoys getting out of her wheelchair and stretching out on the couch. Vivian is the sweetest, most content girl, and a family would be lucky to call her a daughter. She would bring a sense of peace and joy into any household, and find so much safety in having a family of her own.

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.

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?

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.

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

Meet Alma! Alma loves being cradled by her caregivers and people she knows well! She is comfortable and lively at her foster home and often asks others to play with her. How sweet! Alma is able to crawl and walk around with a helping hand from an adult. Her favorite toys make sounds or play music.

Although Alma is diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, she is otherwise a healthy little girl! She is able to stand up on her own, feed herself, and demonstrates developing gross and fine motor skills. She has been receiving occupational, physical, and speech and language therapy on a weekly basis. Recently, Alma has been able to walk further distances and stand more steadily on her feet.  She can understand simple instructions and keep eye contact in order to gain attention.  She is learning how to express simple needs with hand gestures and more language stimulation at home will help Alma tremendously!

Alma has been a little fighter since day one and needs a new forever home that she can thrive in.

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!

Suvi loves to paint, go for walks, and play at the park. She likes singing and dancing to children’s songs. She also likes to watch television. Suvi is a beautiful young girl who needs the love and support of a family to continue to grow and develop. Contact the agency to learn more about Suvi and her special needs!

VIDEOS:
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-suvi1
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-suvi2
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-suvi3
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-suvi4
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Janet’s favorite activities include crafts, drawing, playing house, and outdoors activites such as basketball and riding her bicycle! Those who know Janet describe her as smart and straightforward. She will openly expresses her own thoughts and is strong-willed. Her caregivers say she does well in one-on-one interactions, and is making progress with peer social interactions.

Janet is going through the process of neurodevelopmental assessments for autism spectrum disorder, Tourette’s, and ADHD.  She attends special education classes at her local elementary school and attends the afterschool program. She is an eager learner and enjoys going to school. Janet stated her favorite subjects are Mandarin, Life Curriculum, drawing and PE. Janet has 5 good friends at school, and they LOVE playing hide and seek at recess together!

Janet needs someone who is patient and can give her encouragement and clear boundaries. I

Ariana is a young girl waiting for a loving family of her own.

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Agency fee reductions may be available from the agency, based on the adoptive family’s circumstances.  If you are interested in reviewing Ariana’s file or in adopting Ariana, please contact the agency for additional information.

Melanie is a delightful little girl with a laugh that will brighten any room. She loves to be picked up and spun around, danced with, or held upside down. She enjoys being tickled or playing hide and seek with scarves or blankets. She is extremely bright and could use sufficient speech therapy. She is great at letting you know when something is wrong by calling out or crying. She is working hard to use her hands, as well as her head and mouth to manipulate toys and objects.

Melanie has demonstrated clear attachment to her favorite caretakers. It’s very obvious that a consistent family would help her to thrive most. She recognizes people and is even able to say some names. She gets very excited when people come and very sad when they go. She would bring unending joy to any family!

We are excited to introduce siblings Nila and Nikki!

Nila enjoys playing with toys and playing outdoors. Nila is known to be strong willed, not timid, and gets along well with her peers. Nila resides with a foster family and has a close bond with her 8 year old foster brother.  

Nila has mild cognitive developmental delays. She is a second grader in elementary school and attends resource classes. Nila attends an afterschool program where she can receive extra assistance with her school work. When asked about her favorite subject in school, Nila stated music class because she loves to sing!  

Nikki’s favorite activity is playing games like Red Light, Green Light and Hide-and-Seek! Nikki also enjoys playground slides, drawing, watching cartoons, and anything involving Princess Elsa. Nikki’s foster mother describes her as outgoing and passionate. She isn’t shy and will excitedly approach new people.  

Nikki has global delays and suspected ADHD. She attends weekly physical, occupational, and speech therapies. Nikki made notable improvements since starting these therapies. She can identify colors, count to 20, draw pictures, and speak in full sentences. Nikki attends kindergarten and stated she likes school. Each day, Nikki eagerly shares about her day with her foster mother. 

Nila and Nikki live in separate foster homes. They have had the opportunity to spend time with each other at events sponsored by their social welfare agency. In a recent outing, the girls spent time together enjoying the sights and activities at a dinosaur theme park! The sisters have a 9 year old brother who was adopted to a family residing in Denmark.

Jean likes to doodle with crayons and play with building blocks! Those who know her describe Jean as lively and not shy around strangers. Jean will take the initiative to approach unfamiliar children and play with them.

Jean has epilepsy and right hemiparetic cerebral palsy diagnoses with global delays. Jean attends weekly PT, OT and speech therapy sessions. She has made progress with her speech and can now imitate saying “no no”, “bye bye”, “yes”, and “thank you”! Jean is enrolled in preschool and attends special education classes.

Jean has a biological brother who is being adopted separately.

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

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

When Minerva came she looked petite and weak, and was hospitalized for care and surgery. She has delayed physical development compared with children of her age, but after the operation her physical health is fairly stable and her motor ability improves day by day. She is able to raise her head when lying on stomach, and turn over continuously. She likes to roll over to and fro on the mat best. She is able to sit alone for a moment with both hands against the floor, even occasionally stand for a few seconds with both hands grasping the rail. Her muscular tension is higher, she can not coordinate and control her body well. If her name is called or someone talks beside her ear she is able to turn around her head to locate the source following the sound direction. The muscular tension of her neck has decreased obviously, therefore its turning range is much larger.

If you move a toy with bright colors slowly in front of her eyes she will follow the toy visually. She is able to grasp a toy and shake it to and fro with her hands. She is an introverted and quiet baby, is able to lie alone for some time without noisy crying, but if she is made to practice sitting with her hands against the floor she will be very reluctant and cry aloud. Her crying is very loud and we can hear it from far away. She also likes to be cuddled by someone and her facial expressions and actions will be much richer while she is cuddled. Her speech development is delayed. She is a light sleeper.

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.

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!

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

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