Other Special Needs

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.

Emeric can sit up in a special chair with support. He has poor support for his legs. He can hold a rattle with his left hand and shake it. He turns his head in the direction of sound. He has recently started tracking objects with his eyes. He enjoys listening to music. When music plays, he will get very still and listen to it with interest. He laughs and smiles in the presence of familiar adults. He eats blended food from a bottle.

Eduardo has been in care since March 2018, with a mild cognitive disability. He has slight delays in general development about 6 years, and is making progress. Under normal weight and short height for age from chronic malnutrition. Astigmatism, myopia and strabismus, wears glasses. Difficulty in reading and writing, math and retaining information. Difficulty to maintain attention. Can become frustrated when can’t perform tasks that peers can. Needs motivation to keep trying. Child has no behavior problems. Gets along with peers. Takes pride in personal appearance. Follows instructions. Reserved with strangers, but affectionate with those he knows. With peers friendly, calm, and supportive. Interest in outdoor activities, sports, especially swimming, board games, puzzles and reading stories. Desires a mother and has an idea of having a brother to play with.

Drako has undergone surgeries to repair a cleft lip and palate. He is under continues care by medical professionals and will need future orthodontic surgery and other possible surgeries as well related to his cleft issues. Developmentally, his speech, motor skills, and cognitive processing are all delayed. He can crawl, pull to a stand, cruise around furniture/objects, and walk while holding an adult’s hand. He will interact with toys that play music or light up. He babbles, but is not yet saying any words.

Photos and videos are available.

Dorie

The girl has a poor vocabulary, and therefore difficulties with understanding. She is active in words, conducts a dialogue, makes a simple description, but her statements are simplified and not always logical. Speech defect (interdental). She is an active child, shows great curiosity and wants to attract attention. She is willing to play and imitate but is less fond of organized games and has difficulty concentrating, as well as controlling and planning his activities.  She shows a bond with her siblings, especially her brother Nathan.

Nathan

Strong motor skills – correct for age. Walks, runs, overcomes obstacles. He participates in games, wants to attract attention and is upper active.

Perception and hand-eye coordination – within the normal range for age. The boy notices details, differentiates shapes and colors. Recognizes pictures, selects pairs. He connects the pictures. He places the blocks in the holes of the puzzle. Builds block structures – simple and complex at the age level. Slight speech delay. Social behavior and emotional zone – age appropriate. There is a great need for a relationship, attention and contact. Sometimes he is too impulsive and reacts hypersensitive.

Iggie

Low birth weight,  FAS

Strong motor skills – the boy walks independently, runs, overcomes obstacles with a slightly lower fluency. He imitates simple, single body movements, claps his hands, raises his hands up, stomps his feet, enjoys simple games with adults, keeps up with the group. He puts circles on the pyramid, builds a tower from blocks, creates a row (“trains”). He scribbles with a crayon without imitating the direction and shapes, but he likes to draw with adults.

Speech shaping – reacts to sounds from the environment, looks for the source of the sound, reacts to musical sounds. Active speech at the word stage – repeats many one and two-syllable words on command. Points to parts of the face, says the correct words (ear, eye, etc.).

Social behavior and the emotional sphere – visible improvement of contact and relationships, establishing contact without difficulty. He is cheerful, establishes basic relations with children, reacts positively to games, and imitates. Develops the basics of independence in everyday activities. Eat by himself.

 

The children experienced neglect and abuse before coming to the orphanage.

He is happy and  cheerful boy with a great need for individual forms of contact and no behavioral disturbance. He walks correctly, runs, overcomes obstacles, and willingly participates in  the physical games. He has the features of motor hyperactivity, but the boy is able to adjust the activity to the form of tasks. Recognizes pictures, selects them in pairs and combines them correctly. Easily places shapes in the holes of the puzzle. Builds simple and complex structures. Mild speech delay – he can name objects, activities, features. Expresses single sentences, also complex ones, but uses these sentences less well.

From an agency representative who met him June 2021: He is pure joy and his little giggle is contagious.  He is so sweet, always look happy and friendly.  D is getting wonderful care while he waits for a family!

Photos and videos are available through the agency.

Daniel is a boy whose cognitive and physical development is close to his expected age. He is described as very curious, sweet, gentle, outgoing and has good relationships with other children. He makes good eye contact, speaks in words and sentences, implements instructions and has a sweet personality. Diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and mixed development disorder. Pictures are available from the agency.

Connor is an 11-year-old boy with joy that is contagious! He is very playful and he loves to laugh. His caregivers say that he is responsive to their teaching and he follows the rules. Connor loves music and likes to pretend that he is playing the guitar. He loves when others join in and make music with him! He appreciates sleeping in after a full day of activity. Connor has a diagnosis that includes global developmental delay, but he continues to amaze his caregivers with his determination to learn and do things for himself. Connor is very strong and is able to stand with some support, get himself in and out of his wheelchair, and feed himself. With a little more therapy, Connor will continue to become independent at even more daily tasks. Connor is an absolute inspiration and has so much potential! Could your family give him the love and extra care he needs to reach it?

Brian recognizes familiar adults and has formed an attachment to his favorite caregiver. He is uncomfortable around strangers. He is working with a physical therapist and a teacher on fine and gross motor skills. He can pick up toys and transfer them from hand to hand. His teacher reports that he understands what is being said to him and has recently begun responding to simple directions such as “give me”. He is able to sit unassisted and moves around in a baby walker.

Photos and videos are available through the agency.

Brett lived with a foster family from birth to age 4. He did not attend preschool or receive any interventions during that time. The family was not experienced in how to work with him. He was placed in a small group home at 4 years old. He has thrived in this setting. He has learned many new skills and continues to make improvements in all aspects of his development. He communicates using words and simple sentences. He understands everything said to him and can answer basic questions. He takes care of all his personal hygiene independently (brushes his own teeth, hair, dresses/undresses himself, is toilet trained, etc). He can count to 10, recognize colors and shapes, work puzzles, say his name and age, and also say the names of the other children living in the home. The staff at the group home believe that his mental delays are mild and state that this is because he made such rapid progress once he was placed in the group home and began receiving instruction. The foster family had reported behavior issues, mainly an inability to concentrate. The staff reports no behavior problems and stated that he just needed attention and appropriate instruction. They describe him as very affectionate.

Anthony is an adorable, sweet 1 year old! Anthony has a lack of development physically and neurologically. In late 2015, a ventriculoperiteneal shunt was placed and he has been free of seizures since then. He cannot sit upright by himself and does not talk, but responds to sound. Anthony is tube fed due to lack of suck reflex. He does not react well to teasing or tactile stimulation by smiling but by irritation and crying.

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.

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

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

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

 

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

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?

Alan is amazing 10 years old boy who had a rough start with an unstable and unhealthy environment. He is the victim of parental physical abuse and suffers from post-traumatic past

He connects well with both peers and adults. He is calm, helpful and kind. The boy eagerly learns about nature, sings songs, makes interesting art works, uses computer programs well.

He needs a forever home to support him as he continues to overcome negative experiences of his past and shower him with the love every child deserves.

He has a lot of potentials and wants to be adopted. He is highly recommended by his caregivers. The family with an involved, hands-on father will be ideal for this boy. He would do really well as the youngest or only child (or in a family where the other children are grown). He needs an experienced adoptive family who can give him a lot of one-on-one attention and help build his trust in humanity back.

AJ is a calm, loving, shy boy who came into the care when he was about a year old; he was found abandoned. He has favorably adapted to the institution where he is being cared for and he has made significant progress in his motor process.  The boy moves his upper and lower extremities, he can take his feet to his mouth, he crawls, and tries to stay standing with support. The report also states that AJ is a boy who explores the environment, he maintains attention and interacts with people, appropriately responding to the sensory stimuli that are presented to him. AJ likes children’s songs and dances imitating his peers, he likes colorful musical instrument toys.

Photo available from agency!

When the medical report was first performed when he was about one year old, AJ was not walking and a level of delay is reported in the cognitive, language and motor areas that are related to the state of severe malnutrition with which he was found as an infant.

His Grade I Osteogenesis Imperfecta is the mildest form of the condition. Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder characterized by bones that break easily. OI is highly variable. Its signs and symptoms range from mild to severe. In addition to fractures (broken bones), people with OI sometimes have muscle weakness, loose joints (joint laxity), curvature of the spine (scoliosis), brittle teeth (dentinogenesis imperfecta), and hearing loss. A classification system dividing OI into several types is commonly used to help describe how severely a person is affected. Type I is the mildest and most common form of OI.

Adrien is a charming and smiley boy. His behavior is very good, he respects the rules in the orphanage. He is interested in learning new things and willingly participate in games and activities. His skills are importing in all spheres. He is willing to play all games proper to his age.

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.

This update and new photos were added in October 2022.

Leonard is one of the most clever boys you could ever meet. Although he’s non-verbal in conversations he often sings his favorite songs out loud for everyone to hear. His favorite toys include tennis shoes, books, and anything that spins! He also loves any sort of sensory experience, such as playing in the dirt looking at moving lights, and swinging. Leonard is not difficult to please. He finds joy in all the small moments in life. His favorite days are water days. He could truly sit in the kiddie pools for hours! He loves splashing and experimenting with how the water moves. Leonard is so much fun to play with and be around.

Leonard is gaining more independence everyday. He can eat, walk, and use the bathroom on his own. He has many ways of communicating what he wants using gestures, verbal sounds, and expressions or body language. Leonard is almost never sad or unhappy. His laugh can be heard even in another room, his joy is truly contagious. When he gets to know you Leonard can be very affectionate. He loves to hold hands or lay in your lap. He might also take your hand to show you he wants his head or back rubbed. He knows how to seek out his favorite people, forming clear attachments to those he loves. Leonard would absolutely thrive with the consistency of a forever family who can love him fully and keep him safe always.

Angelo likes playing with bubbles and painting with tempera. He enjoys crafts and exploring the different materials and textures. Angelo also likes building towers and playing in water. He is described as social and showing great interest in everything that happens around him. He is a great observer.

Angelo is able to kick a ball forward with help, throw a ball over his shoulder and catch a ball with rebound most of the time. He is able to pedal a tricycle and climb the stairs with help. He is able to undress. His motor coordination is good, which makes it easier for him to string objects. Angelo has a good understanding of orders and knows and recognizes language. Contact the agency to learn more about Angelo and his medical needs!

Jasper is a bright little boy, smiling all the time. He holds toys and tries to play with them. He is currently fed with a NG tube. He does have a sucking reflex, but has difficulty with swallowing.

He can turn without help from his stomach to his back and backwards again. He can hold his head up and control it. He has a weak leg support and cannot stay upright, yet, but can kick with his legs and if put into a walker, can even move to a short distance. He plays with hanging toys when he’s laying on his back. He babbles and makes sounds. He cries at appropriate times, like when he rolls over into the side of the crib and needs help to be moved.

Nevan was born prematurely, to a young mother. He had a difficult neonatal period, with use of mechanical ventilation.
The child has a severe impairment of the central nervous system: posthemorrhagic internal hydrocephaly; a VPA shut was inserted in April 2018; later it was twice revised. The child is in a stationed impaired state of health. ECG: Persisting foramen ovale with positive natural evolution; no therapy needed.

Nevan will need observation by a neurosurgeon, pediatric cardiologist; he needs specialized care, physical therapy and kinesiotherapy.

The child turns his head towards sounds. When placed on his side by adults and with help, he can turn the lower part of his body and flip from back to front and vice versa. When awake he is placed in a baby chair. Coefficient of development: 8.
The boy laughs loudly when teased; he is happy when hearing the voice of a known to him adult that he likes. He reacts to the tone of the voice of the person speaking to him. He grasps a toy but does not manipulate with it. He falls easily asleep and sleeps well. He is fed with a bottle. He is calm when being changed and when being bathed.

Bailey accepts physical and verbal contact from others. Bailey likes toys that make noise, and she sometimes smiles at the stimulation of an adult. Bailey will need a family who is able to care for her special needs and provide for her daily care. Agency staff met Bailey in July of 2022. We hope her family sees her soon! Contact the agency to learn more about Bailey and her listed medical needs.

VIDEOS:
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-bailey001
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-bailey002
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-bailey003
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-bailey004
Password: Adoptmaa

Finn is a beautiful boy who will need a special family to care for his medical needs. Agency staff met Finn in July of 2022; they can provide more info on Finn and his medical needs!

VIDEO:
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-finn1
Password: Adoptmaa

Sariah is an adorable little gal, born in summer of 2019, who is described as affectionate and calm. She has established routines for sleeping. She has right hand dominance and can play independently for 15 minutes. She is not potty trained yet. Sariah can reach for objects in front of her, can turn around, and has good head control. She can move around on a mat without help and follow objects with her eyes. She reaches for objects close to her, can adapt to other spaces, and shakes objects that make noise.

VIDEOS:
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-sariah
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-sariah2
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-sariah3
Password: Adoptmaa

Ashford enjoys the presence of adults and emotionally expresses himself with laughter, crying and sounds. He laughs when tickled and smiles when he sees familiar faces. Ashford is unable to sit, stand, nor does he have head control. He prefers to be on his stomach. He does not have coordinated movement of his arms or legs and has little ability to hold a toy. Ashford’s diagnosis is Microcephaly. He was born prematurely and received intervention at the hospital at birth. Some history of convulsions, controlled with medication. Suspicion of left nasal atresia.

Anders currently lives in a small Eastern European country. He is happiest listening to soft music or playing with toys that make sound! Anders is described as a happy, calm child. Tests show that Anders has learning and motor delays, as well as occasional seizures.

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

Updated 2022:  When he was 11 months old, Brogan was abused and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He has weakness on the left side of his body as a result. His gross and fine motor skills are slightly uncoordinated. He walks, runs, and navigates stairs independently. He’s worked extensively on fine motor skills and can now write and draw more purposefully. He can talk, though he has some expressive language delays, particularly with articulation. He can answer basic questions. He will use pointing and gestures as needed to communicate. He is becoming more confident with his speech and expressing his thoughts and opinions verbally.  He is very empathetic and helps care for younger children. He has a great desire to learn and will ask a lot of questions in order to gather information on a topic of interest. He tries very hard to learn new skills, but is aware of his delays. As a result, he prefers to play and interact with younger children. He has numerous self-help skills and is learning to perform all the household activities and tasks in the foster home where he currently lives.

Original posting from 2017:  Brogan is amiable, friendly, at times is too enthusiastic. He cooperates with others; participates in group activities; He shows that he is proud with his achievements; often searches for the approval of the adults and insist to make things independently. He likes role games and pretend games. Brogan easily memorizes and reproduces what he learned and his attention is more sustainable and focused. Because of that he is secure in his expressions and does undertake initiative in the learning process. He likes to impose his opinion in the game and to be a leading figure, but agrees with the opinion of the others as well. He willingly communicates with the others, without too much physical closeness, and seeks approval of his foster parent. His understanding corresponds to his age and environment. He is able to lead a dialogue with others and is empathetic towards others. When communicating with others he uses non-verbal methods as gestures and mimics for better communication. He has some vocabulary is working on that. He knows his first name and his age. He understands and uses the specifications for emotional states, features of the character, for himself and others as well. He loves to listen to tales or stories, expresses interest towards the pictures in the books. He can tell overall if he likes certain story or not. He has established perception of his body structure. He has developed feeling of good and evil. He has developed a sense of justice. He is more patient. He has vast desire to explore the world around him and is constantly asking questions until he receives a satisfactory answer. He demonstrates care for the others and his foster parent.

He loves to play with car toys, constructors, to listen to music and dance. He enjoys independent and group games with peers. He had surgery at 11 months old for inter-cranial trauma. He shows mild to moderate delays and occasional seizures if ill or upset.

Ethan is well developed for his age. He is a warm and curious little boy. His best toy is a ball. He laughs and shouts every time he got his ball. Ethan is a cheerful and peaceful child. He likes the other children. Observes and manipulates with toys. He knows how to charm his caregivers and receives lots of attention.

With a familiar adult, Ethan has a good emotional tone – he enjoys a hide and seek game and sometimes gives his hand for “hello”.

He cannot walk yet, but he sits, crawls and staying straight caught for fixed support, showing progress in his motor skill development. The child has flat feet with valgus deviation of both feet – it was recommended to wear orthopedic shoes. Ethan stands up on his own until he is caught on a fixed support, stands on tiptoe, does not step aside, placed in a walker, moves short distances; pronounces long sound combinations.

Update November 2015: He demonstrates interest in musical and mechanical toys. He will play for a short time – studies a toy, puts it in the mouth, transfers it from one hand to the other. He likes activities involving music. He recognizes familiar areas of the orphanage and understands his daily routine related to familiar tasks such as eating. He is very happy when interacting with familiar adults.

Update 2018:  Jesse attention span is short-lived and unstable in relation to objects and people. There is some sharing with a close adult.  Jesse responds when called by name.  His memory and speech are poorly developed. When happy, he laughs loud and when anxious, he cries. Sometimes he pronounces unspecified sounds and separate syllables. He is sensitive and emotional and tends to be nervous around strangers.  When given a toy he reaches out and takes it. He is working on the pinch grip. He hasn’t mastered fully the ability to move a toy from one hand to the other. Jesse is fed with a spoon and sleeps calmly through the night.  He cannot control his physiological needs.  Jesse is entirely cared for by the team in his orphanage.

(Jesse was also previously listed as Andy)

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.

Mitchell walks independently with an ataxic gait. He talk using simple words and simple sentences. He plays with toys. He shows interest in his environment and everything happening around him. He seeks contact with familiar adults.

Photos and videos are available through the agency.

Janice enjoys outdoor activities, especially riding her tricycle, sliding down the slide in the neighborhood park and bouncing around a basketball.  When she isn’t participating in a physical activity, Janice likes reading books and singing nursery rhymes with “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” and “The Butterflies are so Beautiful” being her favorites!

Janice is shy around strangers, but interacts with them once she becomes familiar. Janice acts affectionately towards people she is familiar with and asks for cuddles. Janice has a close bond with her foster family and likes to seek their affection.

Janice has a Cerebral Palsy diagnosis with moderate cognitive and motor skills delays.  She currently attends physical, occupational and speech therapies. Janice has made good progress, and she is now able to climb stairs, jump on the ground 10 times in a row, and complete a 4 piece puzzle! At home, Janice will imitate her foster mother’s speech and ask questions.

Could you imagine pushing Janice on the swings at your neighborhood park or teaching her how to ride a bicycle?   If you think you could be the right family for her, don’t hesitate to reach out

Danny loves being in the playroom at the orphanage. He plays with toys and gets very excited when adults interact with him. He enjoys listening to music. He participates in therapy each day to work on learning new skills.

UPDATE August 2022: He pulls to a stand in his crib. He crawls using his arms to drag his lower body (“army crawl”). He has a lot of upper body strength. He participates in group activities. He plays with toys. He pushes the buttons on toys, “dials” a toy phone, etc. He follows simple directions. He says a few simple words. He responds to his name. He enjoys listening to music. He eats from a spoon and drinks from an open cup. He tries very hard to be more mobile, despite his lower paralysis. As a result, he has broken a bone in one of his legs. The staff tries to keep him sitting in a chair where he can see everything going on in the room and participate in activities, without risking further injury to his leg. He interacts with other children sitting around him.

Brad walks independently. He plays with toys. He will fill a container with small toys and “pour” or “dump” into another container and continue the game back and forth. He can nest cups by putting them in the correct size order. He goes to other children, smiles to them and takes them by the hands. He smiles and observes with interest the faces of adults when gently talked to or sung to. He understands object permanency. He demonstrates pretend play skills related to kitchen/cooking (putting a spoon in a bowl and stirring, etc) and also bathing a baby. He shows good development in social play skills.

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.

Update October 2022:  Sasha is the cutest, most mischievous 11 yr old! She is deaf, has a hole in her heart, and a global development delay. She understands a lot of things and pays very close attention to so many things but has not learned to sign yet in school. She is very curious and is always wanting to explore (or put in her mouth!) everything around her. She makes our whole house laugh all day long with all the random things she does while playing! She is curious about other kids occasionally but mostly likes to play by herself or wander around by herself. Her favorite thing to do is jump on the trampoline. She is very cuddly and will come up to you and lay her head on your shoulder, climb in your lap, ask for kisses by pressing her forehead repeatedly on your mouth or even give you a kiss! She loves to make silly faces at you and we are trying to get her to copy our silly faces we make back. In school she is working on following simple gesture commands and using the sign “more”, sorting things, and attention to task activities. She loves the sensory activities we do the most! At home she eats (very messily) by herself and is learning to sit on a special toilet seat with a buckle after she eats. She likes to put hats and shoes on by herself but still is learning to do the rest without help. She brings so much joy and laughter into our lives and would thrive in a family! Videos on request!

2021:  Sasha is a spunky, free spirited girl. She has developmental delays, but is very curious about her surroundings. She is constantly walking around and picking things up to examine them, play with them, or chew on them. She loves to interact when you mimic the things she does as well as being tickled. She laughs and has a fun sparkle in her eye. She also loves watching and interacting with herself in the mirror.

Communication with her is limited since she is deaf and has yet to learn sign language. She understands some signs such as “sit” and “no”, but has yet to repeat signs back to us such as “more” and “food.” Sasha continues to work on those both in her foster home and with her teacher at school, but it has been very slow progress. She also has a VSD (hole in her heart), but her body has learned to live with it well. She has been taken off all her heart medicine, and seems to be doing well so far. She has seen doctors about surgery, but none has been needed so far. She is also on medication for seizures, but under the current combination of seizure medication, she has not a had a seizure.

Update October 2022: Lollie is a sweet, easy going 11 year old that has been waiting for a family since she was a baby. She has CP, CVI, and epilepsy well controlled with medication. She doesn’t have purposeful movement in her body and it is very difficult to know exactly how much she can see so it is very difficult to tell exactly how much she understands. She has preferences of what she likes to do, but doesn’t really ever get upset or cry unless she is in pain. Her favorite things to do are sensory input activities like going for walks and in a bike trailer on bumpy roads, and using the sensory materials at school. In therapy she is working on range of motion and other stretches to help her muscles be less tight. Recently her contractures have gotten a lot worse and she has had some other skeletal issues like a dislocated hip, and getting pressure sores a lot easier. She is a joy to be around and is loved by all her caregivers! She would thrive in a family! Lollie has videos on request.

Updated August 2019: Lollie is a sweet girl who is almost always happy. She is adored by everyone she meets, and has been the favorite in our house since she arrived! Her favorite thing to do is go for walks and car rides on bumpy roads. When she is happy her laugh can be heard from quite a long way off! The only thing that makes her mad is standing in her stander at therapy. Her nannies love to dress her up and fix her hair. She has a vision impairment, and does not have a lot of purposeful movement.

In school she is working on responding to different stimulation and focusing her eyes on one object at a time, and at therapy she is doing range of motion stretches, standing, and several other things.

Update October 2022: Breckin is a happy, silly, 11 year old with CP, sensory processing difficulties, and epilepsy well controlled with medication. He LOVES any sort of 1:1 time with his favorite people and lights up the whole room with his smile and laugh when he sees someone he loves. He gives the best hugs, if it were up to him he would be hugging someone 100% of the day! When he is super happy (most of the time) he has a happy dance that he does with a high pitched laugh. He recently started standing in a stander and walking with a gait trainer and has made so much improvement already! His favorite things are any 1:1 time, singing, school, being bounced around on the trampoline, swimming or any water play, going for bike rides in a bike trailor, playing with shaving cream, and cuddling. He can get out of and into chairs well by himself and likes to scoot around on the floor. Most of the time he scoots himself over to get up on the couch or to look in the wall mirror. He loves his caregivers so much and has so much love to give to his future family! He needs help with putting food into his mouth but can hold his water when he drinks independently. He can help putting his limbs through shirts and pants but needs help getting dressed fully. He is in diapers at the moment. He used to bang his head a lot out of boredom and habit, but when he is engaged or in a chair/stander that is more difficult to hit his head against anything he likes to stim by shaking his head around, putting his hands in his mouth, or grinding his teeth. He listens when told to take his hands out of his mouth and can easily be redirected if he is self stimming inappropriately. Videos on request!

Update July 2020: Breckin is such a fun kid who loves hugs and one on one interaction. If you go in for a hug, be ready to stay awhile because he will want to hold you there. He can currently hold his own bottle to drink on his own. He is spending more time in a walker in therapy. He needs encouragement in it, but is getting better. He will walk with you with support for a little ways as well. With more intense therapy, he would really excel in this area. He loves it when his caregivers sing his favorite songs. He really likes hymns as well as the Goodnight Song sung in his house.

Update Jan 2015: Breckin has cerebral palsy, but he can sit up and stand with assistance. He can even take a few steps if you hold onto his hands. He has been receiving regular therapy and loves this time. Breckin is making great improvements – he now has a modified crawl that he uses to get all around his house and can quickly move to wherever he wants to be. He can also pull himself up to stand and does this often. Breckin does not yet feed himself, but he has practiced holding his own spoon and sippy cup and has made great progress. Breckin is a happy little guy who loves to play.

Rowan is smiley, and loves to clap and listen to what is going on around him. Agency staff met Rowan in July of 2022! Contact them to learn more about Rowan and his medical needs!

VIDEO:
https://vimeo.com/maaspecialkids/maa-rowan01
Password: Adoptmaa

Elon walks independently. He feeds himself and cleans up after his meals. He does not talk at this time, but understands what is said to him and follows simple instructions. He responds to his name. He interacts appropriately with adults and with other children. He attends to tasks and works well 1:1 and in a small group.

Brody walks independently. He is able to navigate stairs and playground equipment at the park. Most of Brody’s delays seem to be related to being unable to hear and communicate his wants/needs. For example, the foster family reports that he is not aggressive, but he does demonstrate frustration at being unable to communicate with them to express his thoughts and what he wants. He uses some gestures to communicate, such as opening the refrigerator to express that he is hungry. He is supposed to be under the care of a specialist to work with him now that he has the cochlear implant (and to continue to develop his communication skills), but this has not been consistent due to COVID restrictions and the fact that the family must travel to another town for Brody to see the specialist. The foster family does report that Brody seems to be able to hear now that he has the implant and they have seen improvements with the implant in place. Brody does attend a day program for children with disabilities and has recently become more interested in the other children.

James is 3 years old and has the cutest smile and the sweetest little giggle! His relations with others are close and he is not afraid of strangers.

James has a stable mood and strong curiosity. He can also play attentively for more than 30 minutes! We hear that he has a good appetite and is not a picky eater. His favorite food is corn although he also really enjoys pudding! James can fall asleep on his own and sleeps well throughout the night. He primarily crawls around on his belly and forearms to get around. He has attended daycare since September 2020 and receives physical and occupational therapies once a week and speech therapy once every two weeks.

James was born prematurely and has been diagnosed with cognitive and motor delays, as well as cerebral palsy and microcephaly. That being said, James is able to say some words such as ‘okay’ and ‘yes’, can sit up properly in a chair to feed himself, and is able to express ‘bye-bye’ and blow a kiss!

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!

Such a sweet, squishy little guy! His head is completely flat on the back.

Julian enjoys playing with toys. He is well attached to his caregivers and responds to them when they talk to him. When he is happy, he responds by making noises and clapping his hands. His report indicates that when held by the hands, he will take steps.

Update Jan 2020:

Julian sits on his own while supporting his weight on his hands. He uses his hands to change his posture and move his body. He stands in the walker. He actively grabs and manipulates toys and objects, tries to use them as intended – shakes to produce sound, pulls the string of a musical toy. Visual-motor coordination is slightly impaired.

Josiah moves in space by turning from back to belly and vice versa. He has started forming some of the perceptions about objects from his constant surroundings and everyday life. He connects some objects from his surroundings with the actions performed with them.

When awake, Josiah is mostly calm. He would laugh out loud when jested. During active interactions with adults Josiah pronounces various sounds and random syllables. Josiah follows a specific dietary regime and has food individually prepared for him. He is fed with a spoon by an adult and has a picky appetite. He is calm during dressing and bathing. Josiah’s sleep is calm.

Bennett is a very social child. Whenever he sees his friends, he eagerly greets them with a smile, a hug, and a “Happy Birthday!” He had hydrocephalus as an infant that was treated with a VP shunt. The shunt was later removed but he still has macrocephaly. He does have a history of seizures which are very well controlled by medication. He receives physical therapy twice a week and has made tremendous progress over the past several years.

He is fully mobile, can feed himself, and go to the bathroom independently. Bennett wears a helmet to protect his head. He has become fond of his helmet though because he can show off his headstand. You will often find him enjoying jumping on the trampoline, playing on the playground or going on a walk. He needs redirection often because he is always on the move. Although he is generally happy, he can get frustrated when people do not do what he wants to do or if he is being asked to do something he is not ready for.

Bennett’s favorite part of school is circle time because he likes to sing songs and answer ALL the questions even if his answer has nothing to do with what was asked. He understands and speaks English as well as his native language. He is known for reciting the four seasons in English quite well. At home, he loves to ask other people to dance and sing with him too. Bennett loves to make people smile!