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Description
The England Grant of $2500 may be available for qualifying families.
Individualized grant funding for qualifying families may be available through our President’s Grant. Contact us for more details!
We have received the file for a new special girl named Ellie. She was born in March 2019. Her diagnosis is Cornelia de Lange Syndrome. Our Bulgarian staff visited Ellie November of 2023 and said the following:
Ellie did not mind my initial contact or my touching her. She didn’t mind me tickling her or talking to her. She prefers to lie down, turn her body and wave her arms or move her legs occasionally. Periodically the staff places Ellie in a positioning chair, walker or baby feeding chair. They usually try to keep her in a sitting position for about an hour to an hour and a half, but after that time she gets tired. The staff then let her rest for a while in the crib or on a mattress on the floor. She shares her room with 5-6 other children.
Ellie can track objects and people with her eyes. She showed brief interest in a rubber bracelet with fringe and a glowing ball that I brought for her. She rarely reaches for toys but can manage to hold a light, small toy for a while. By the end of the meeting, she was sitting steadily in the baby highchair, with the support at her back. She was constantly turning her head. I tried again to have her play with the bracelet and ball, and this time she tried to play with them while touching them with both hands. During this time, she was making a singing song. She then began to smile often. Finally, she even managed to grab the rubber bracelet with her left hand.
Ellie likes to be sung to. While someone is singing, she makes some peculiar, slightly cooing sounds. The teacher prefers to sing to the children rather than playing music. In principle, Ellie listens and gets calmer hearing the singing. She does not pay attention to a TV.
Ellie can’t speak, doesn’t say words, and cannot pronounce syllables. She emits characteristic sounds that can also be heard during the video. Some of them sound obvious. By the sound and intonation, the staff can often tell if she is happy, tired, etc. She eats pureed food and rarely gets sick.
Ellie uses a diaper. She has no problem with water and bathing. She sleeps in the crib and has an afternoon nap there. Her sleep is peaceful, she sings to herself before falling asleep. She doesn’t appear to have a preference for one staff person over the other.
Personal impressions:
Ellie is a sweet, fragile, and very gentle little child who needs lots of love, cuddles, personal contact, patience, understanding and individual attention and activities. Throughout our meeting, Ellie was extremely calm, but often moved passively. She definitely needs a loving and extremely supportive family environment where she would have the opportunity to be provided with lot of attention, stimulation and interaction. She also needs more adequate and targeted activities and care, and more individual activities with specialists.
For more information contact kathy@wiaa.org. Grant funding is available from Wasatch Adoptions in the amount of $2500 for qualifying families. We also have information on other grant opportunities.
Video is from 11-2023
For more information, please contact: Kathy@wiaa.org. You will be asked to complete a parent eligibility form before any file information can be released.
Please be aware that children on our waiting list may be under review by multiple families. Additionally, a child’s availability status may change on short notice. Please contact Kathy@wiaa.org for the most up-to-date status of a child.
Disclaimer:
WIA is not responsible for the medical information summarized here. Medical information sent by other countries may be inaccurate or incomplete. Prospective Adoptive Parents reserve the right to have medical information evaluated by a medical professional in the United States.
