If you have completed an adoption homestudy and would like to have your information forwarded to this child's worker, contact us.

BENNY (12/95) has many interests, talents, and skills for an adoptive family to nurture and build upon – a family where there will be a strong male influence and lots of praise, encouragement, affection, and structure would be ideal. Benny really enjoys the company and attention of adults. He particularly likes hanging out with his foster dad, tinkering with tools and taking things apart to see how they work. From an early age, Benny was drawn to tools and easily masters them. His foster parents say that he can fix anything. With his very good hand-eye coordination, he has developed skills in crocheting (which he loves), making jewelry, and building and creating with Legos and Bionix. His strong verbal skills and ability to remember aid him in telling long, involved jokes (he likes making folks laugh). Ben hungers for action. Camping, climbing the rock wall at the YMCA, swimming, riding his bike, skateboarding, watching movies and listening to music are all pastimes he loves. Benny is an attractive young teen with brown hair, expressive brown eyes, and a great smile.

His early life experiences have left Benny struggling with anxiety and impulsiveness and other behavioral challenges related to past trauma and learning difficulties. Praise, encouragement, and reassurance help to build his self-esteem and bolster his sense of security. Emotionally and socially younger than his 13-years, Benny has intervention services in place at home, in counseling, and at school.

His therapeutic foster family gives Benny the level of structure and skilled parenting that helps him do well. It took time for Benny to form bonds with his foster parents and to develop trust but he is now very willing to work with them, as well as with his therapist and teachers, on behavioral issues. It seems that disappointing the adults in his life is a consequence that has some impact on Benny. Benny also has skilled folks who provide respite care for him.

In school, Benny continues to need a specialized program with academic, emotional, and behavioral supports. He enjoys learning, but processes information very slowly and needs help staying focused. He has difficulty grasping concepts and their application. In the past, Benny has often been mainstreamed for non-academic subjects. He does best when he can alleviate his anxiety several times a day by talking to someone who knows his issues, or participating in structured physical activities. Many of his problems and concerning behaviors originate from a lack of safe, consistent care and from his difficulty developing trust. Transitions are still very difficult for him, and he will sometimes run away – but not too far – when he is stressed. In order for Ben to develop healthy patterns he needs a family that will express their commitment to him through consistency, patience and encouragement.

Benny’s worker looks forward to inquiries from couples and single moms and single dads. Large families are also encouraged to call. What is most important is that Benny’s adoptive folks parent with kindness, patience, affection, and firmness and that they provide him with a permanent, solid base. Of course, they also need to be strong advocates for the various services that help him do well, and be able to work cooperatively with many professional providers. It will be important, too, for his adoptive family to have a good grasp of how parental mental health issues and substance abuse can impact a child’s sense of well-being and his overall development. Benny is eligible for SSI and Medicaid for all medical and counseling services.


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