c7574

Child's name: Drew
Number: C7574
Birthdate: 7/96
State: Oregon
Listed: October 2009

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

DREW (7/96), is a fun-loving boy who likes to play and watch sports. With lots of black hair and lively brown eyes, he has an expressive face, an infectious smile, and a stocky, athletic build. He has lots of fun playing football, riding his bike, skateboarding, and shooting hoops. Like most kids, he does best if he gets time to be physically active every day. An affectionate boy, he is especially sweet with younger children. His enthusiasm and ability to be “in the moment” make him a lot of fun to take to places like amusement parks, ballgames, and the beach. He is good with animals and has had pets, including dogs, cats, and a rat.

Drew is a sports fan who has a lot of loyalty to his favorite teams, especially the OSU Beavers. He enjoys fishing, camping, going to sporting events and movies, and playing video games and board games. With a lot of childlike exuberance, Drew has a passion for new experiences. He brings this passion to all areas of his life and also experiences love and joy with a high level of intensity. He likes to joke and kid around. He has a good appetite and likes all kinds of food.

Drew’s teachers enjoy having him in their classes. He has an overall good attitude about school and does best in hands-on classes, such as the one where he got to build a robot. He has extra academic supports. Recently, Drew decided to work on increasing his reading skills and began with a Harry Potter book.

Little is known about Drew’s early years as he was adopted privately at 10-months old. It is believed prenatal exposure to alcohol may have minimally impacted his cognitive abilities. Personal problems in the adoptive family resulted in several informal placements for Drew before he entered foster care in 2005. He has also had multiple placements in foster care, including two long term placements. Despite his history, Drew remains open-hearted, good-natured and resilient. He very much wants to belong to a family.

Drew has been in his current foster home for over a year. This home has been a good fit and he has made important gains, including forming attachments with his foster family. His foster parents have developed parenting tools and strategies that are working well with Drew. They have also learned to recognize cues in Drew’s voice and body language when he is getting frustrated or sad and are often able to redirect him and help him work his way through his feelings. When Drew has an anger outburst, his foster parents have found him willing to talk about the situation after he calms down. He can be empathetic and is able to apologize. Such incidents, though, are becoming fewer and further between in his current home.

Therapeutic supports are in place to assist Drew to deal with past hurts and develop healthy coping tools and strategies. A good relationship with his therapist and his foster mom’s willingness to participate in sessions with Drew continue to be great assets. While talk therapy provides some benefits to Drew, he also needs skill building and opportunities to practice those new skills. Because he has difficulty planning very far into the future, repetition is a great tool for helping him learn.

Drew will do best with parent(s) who will join him in his fun-loving ways, and who enjoy interacting with children and introducing them to new adventures. Drew would not mind being an only child; however, he does get along well with young children and enjoys playing the part of “big brother.” Drew would also do well in a home where the children are several years older than he is. Drew has ongoing occasional contact with an uncle and aunt, and he would like to keep that contact after he is adopted.

Drew needs parent(s) who can match his passion for life. Nurturing, loving folks who parent in a consistent and structured (but not rigid!) manner will meet his needs best. It would be helpful if the parent(s) have had experience with children who have difficulty with academics and with impulsiveness. Drew needs to feel accepted just as he is, while at the same time encouraged to reach for all the potential he has. Parents who demonstrate maturity, a calm manner and a sense of humor, and who can patiently give Drew the security and stability he needs will be rewarded with a loyal, loving son.

Subsidy and Purchase of Service may be available.

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