c7187

Child's name: Caleb
Number: C7187
Birthdate: 2/98
State: Washington
Listed: October 2008, Updated 9/09

Scroll down to view Caleb's Wednesday's Child video
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.

Bright in many areas and creative, CALEB (2/98) has an outstanding vocabulary and is a gifted writer who displayed a gift for language at an early age. Academically, he is doing very well. Caleb has a beautiful singing voice, which should be encouraged. Some of his favorite activities are drawing, playing video games, playing with action figures and toy cars, and eating. Caleb thrives on physical involvement and is passionate about riding his bike and his scooter. He loves to swim and to go camping. Caleb is taking great pride in the “battle fort” he recently built in the yard of his foster home.

Caleb, who came into foster care in February 2005, has been making good gains in his behavior with the help of therapeutic supports. Recent evaluations indicate that in addition to having residual effects of past trauma, Caleb has symptoms characteristic of children who have Aspergers Syndrome. Caleb continues to work on being able to talk about his feelings of anger related to past neglect and abuse in his birth family, where there were unsafe adults living in the family home.

Caleb has settled in nicely to his therapeutic foster home, where he has been for the past two months. His foster parents report that he is doing very well. On a scale of 1 to 10, they give him an 8! Knowing that Caleb responds best to calm, clear explanations and regular encouragement, that’s how they interact with him. Caleb benefits greatly from having frequent feedback throughout a given day about what is appropriate in various situations, as well as assurances that he can meet behavioral expectations. A huge step forward for Caleb has been his ability to acknowledge and to express regret for his own inappropriate behavior. His social skills with peers and other children continue to grow and develop.

To give Caleb the best opportunity for success in an adoptive family, he really needs to be an only child or the youngest of much older kids who are emotionally healthy and have good social skills. He thrives on recognition, caring, personal attention and frequent encouragement. He will need lots of structure with a predictable, consistent daily routine. Caleb requires ritual and organization and his daily routine is posted on a board in his room; he likes to keep his room just so and to have meals and bedtimes occur at the same time every day. Having a safety plan in place with highly attentive parental supervision will further help him to strengthen his boundaries and learn personal safety skills. Caleb is very sensitive to transitions and loss, and it will be important for his adoptive folk(s) to have a good grasp of how early neglect, lack of safety, and abuse can impact on a child’s sense of well being and on his emotional and behavioral development. Caleb has lots of potential to be encouraged and nurtured. And he is ready for an active, nurturing family to claim him.

His adoptive parent(s) can show their love and commitment to Caleb by being willing to participate with him in family counseling during his transition into his adoptive home. Having experienced parental separation and loss he is not secure in his sense of belonging. His adoptive parents will need to use gentle persistency to build a relationship with Caleb. They also need to be highly supportive of his on-going treatment program and a good understanding of Asperger’s Syndrome.

Subsidy and Purchase of Service may be available.

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