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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, and especially likes hanging out with his foster dad, tinkering with tools and taking things apart to see how they work. Benny has very good hand-eye coordination, and he has developed skills in crocheting (which he loves), making jewelry, and building and creating with Legos and Bionix sets. His strong verbal skills and ability to remember aid him in telling long, involved jokes (he likes making others laugh). Camping, climbing the rock wall at the YMCA, swimming, riding his bike, skateboarding, watching movies and listening to music are all pastimes he enjoys. Legally free, Benny came into foster care in January 2005.

Benny, who is eligible for SSI and Medicaid for all medical and counseling services, is an attractive preteen with brown hair and expressive brown eyes.

His early life experiences have left Benny struggling daily with anxiety, impulsiveness, and other behavioral challenges which are related to past trauma, attention difficulties, high energy, mood swings, and learning difficulties. Emotionally and socially younger than his 12-years, Benny has intervention services in place at home, in counseling, and at school.

His therapeutic foster home gives Benny the level of structure and skilled parenting that helps him do well. Fortunately, Benny has formed bonds with his foster folks, and is very willing to work with them, as well as with his therapist and his teachers, on behavioral issues. It seems that disappointing the adults in his life is the consequence that Benny fears most. In addition, Benny has skilled folks who provide respite care.

Also essential to Benny’s well-being is his mental health counseling program that includes medication to help him sleep at night and to manage his behavioral symptoms of attention difficulties and high energy.

Next fall for the 2008-2009 school year, it is anticipated that Benny will be in a seventh-grade classroom for children who need emotional and behavioral supports. While he enjoys learning, he processes information very slowly and needs help staying focused. Testing is scheduled to assess Benny’s ability to understand concepts and applications of concepts in regard to various academic subjects, including reading. He may be mainstreamed for non-academic subjects, as he has been in the past.

Benny does best at school when he can alleviate his anxiety several times throughout a day by talking to an adult who knows his issues, or by participating in structured physical activities. Benny usually knows when to ask for a time out.

Benny’s adoptive folks need to parent with kindness, patience, affection, and firmness. 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.


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