Photographs by Yuen Lui

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

Legally free, ERIC (11/96) is a handsome youngster with a bright spirit and a warm, engaging smile. Athletically gifted, he enjoys playing football, running track, tumbling, and juggling. While he will happily tell you about all of the positive things in his life, he is humble and does not brag about himself. He works well with a partner in school, and enjoys helping his teacher and classmates. Eric seeks positive interactions with his peers and is successful in engaging them in activities, especially athletic competitions and games. Eric came into foster care in May 2003.

Eric will be in sixth grad for the 2008-2009 school year. During his fifth grade year, he benefited from having academic supports for math reasoning, written expression, and communication, and half an hour of speech therapy a week. He received individualized instruction in the special education classroom and spent time in a mainstream classroom. While he was successful in the mainstream class, he tends to be more successful when given individualized attention and on-the-spot redirection when needed. Eric is eligible for an individual education plan. Although Eric has glasses and is supposed to wear them, he often reports that they are broken and he doesn’t have them. Eric strongly identifies as African American, and currently attends a culturally diverse school.

Like many children who have experienced significant loss and grief, Eric is slow to trust adults and to feel comfortable enough to reciprocate affection. Eric has four siblings. Two older brothers were adopted and have not maintained frequent contact with Eric. A young sister is being adopted by her foster family – a family that once also provided care for Eric. Eric’s youngest sister is medically fragile and is also in an adoptive placement. Eric has infrequent contact with her due, in part, to her medical needs. Having an adoptive family that will help him stay connected to his siblings and support his relationships with them (to the extent that their adoptive families allow) is important.

Eric will benefit from ongoing counseling to address the significant losses he has experienced and to help him learn the tools he needs to grieve and move on in his life. The difficulty Eric had with a recent foster mom suggests that he may not be willing right now to accept any woman as “mom.” Currently, though, he is in the temporary foster care of a woman whom Eric views as a ‘grandmother.’ He is doing well in her care and is accepting her parental authority.

All families who have interest in Eric are encouraged to call! His social worker will be looking for potential adoptive parent(s) who are knowledgeable about issues of grief and loss in childhood, and who understand trust and attachment issues. Being willing to participate in mental health counseling with Eric during his transition into his adoptive home would be a wonderful way for his adoptive parent(s) to show their commitment and love to him.


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