c7178

Child's name: Melina
Number: C7178
Birthdate: 8/01
State: Washington
Listed: October 2008, Updated 10/09

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

Melina (8/01) radiates fun and energy when engaged in activities that she really enjoys. Upon meeting her, you would notice her charming, energetic attitude and hear her desire to share and be chatty. During play time, Melina loves to tumble and be silly. Some of her other favorites include cats, McDonalds cheeseburgers and yogurt. A great activity to enjoy with Melina is arts and crafts. She loves to color especially with her favorite colors: pink, purple and red. One final and extra-special favorite of Melina’s is Tinkerbell.

Despite the trauma of her rough early years, Melina has the capacity to be out-going, happy, and affectionate. She is able to recognize the needs of others and tries to meet them. One situation in which this is evident is Melina’s love of animals. While supervising her around pets is always a good idea, Melina has a big heart for animals and her hope is to be an “animal rescuer” as an adult.

While Melina is behind academically in the classroom, most of her difficulties at school are believed to revolve around her emotional and behavioral issues; an individual education/behavioral plan is in place. Melina is eager to do well and responds to praise, encouragement and redirection. She wants to learn new things (and picks things up quickly!), and she is interested in the world around her. Best of all, Melina has made some important gains over the past few years. A terrific resource for her continues to be a very structured, after-school program, which uses a variety of play activities to help children increase their social skills and build their self-esteem and self-reliance.

Legally free, Melina came into foster care in February 2006. In addition to her delays, Melina is challenged by mood swings and symptoms of attention difficulties and high energy, such as impulsiveness, risky behavior, aggressiveness, and destructiveness. She has difficulty trusting adults and is still learning how to get along satisfactorily with other children. A very helpful, recent evaluation will be of benefit to Melina’s family. The evaluator his given a straight forward, simple, and concrete approach to Melina that takes her through all the steps and information required to complete expectations.

Because Melina can wear out a single parent in nothing flat, her worker is looking for a healthy couple who can give Melina the time that she needs to learn to trust and form attachments. A family with older siblings whom Melina could emulate would be a good fit, but having much younger, vulnerable siblings would not be a strong match. Melina’s adoptive folks should have a good grasp of attachment issues. Having had meaningful experiences parenting, teaching, counseling, etc. with children who have special needs could be a huge benefit to both child and parents. Finally, Melina needs a realistic family that will love and accept her for who she is and where she is at this point in her life.

Subsidy and Purchase of Service may be available.

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