c7221

Child's name: Kayla
Number: C7221
Birthdate: 7/95
State: Washington
Listed: December 2008, Updated 8/09

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

KAYLA (7/95) enjoys very simple, one to two-step games and activities. Developmentally much younger than her chronological age, Kayla likes the music and videos that are made for the under-five set, and she enjoys riding her bike and playing on swings. With attentive supervision (she needs the in-sight supervision typical for a toddler), she can play with younger children. Kayla loves watching animal shows on TV, especially those that feature tigers.

Kayla, who came into alternative care in November 2002 is eligible for SSI and DDS (Developmental Disability Services). She has a DDS case manager.

Repetition is Kayla’s friend in many, many ways, and it helps her feel more safe and secure. With her very limited adaptive skills and speech and language skills, changes in her routine are very difficult for her. She is most successful in a very structured environment with routines and schedules that are highly consistent.

Kayla is only able to grasp the most concrete, simple directions and explanations. She does not know her birthday or age, she cannot count to 10, and she does not recognize letters of the alphabet consistently. She also is not able to distinguish time sequences, so she can be talking about something in the past as though it had happened today.

Kayla has lived in a group home, since 2004. Treatment at the home includes the use of behavioral tools to help her increase her daily living skills, strengthen her boundaries, and curb her tantrums and sometimes aggressiveness toward others and property.

Kayla is eligible for special education services with an individual plan. A special bus takes her to school, where she is in a self-contained, life skills classroom. It may not misbehave for weeks on end, but then she will act out several times in one week.

Kayla lived with her grandparents for two years before being placed in group care. Since then, her grandparents have been picking her up at least once a month to spend the weekend with them. Kayla really enjoys these visits and usually does very well. She has a strong attachment to her grandmother, who is very skilled at reading Kayla’s cues and re-directing her.

It would be ideal for Kayla to have adoptive parents who have experience with the daily needs of children who have developmental disabilities. Two parents with readily available support services and frequent respite resources will meet Kayla’s needs best. Kayla will need her family to be a resource for her and to help to plan for her throughout her lifetime.

Subsidy and Purchase of Service may be available.

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