Date of Birth: May, 2000.
Ethno-Cultural Background: Caucasian.
Aidan is a talented young artist, and uses his eye for detail to create beautiful water colour paintings. He has an inquisitive nature and a sensitive, thoughtful way about him. His excellent verbal skills and polite, charming manner make him great company to the adults in his life. And he even likes to help out around the house! Aidan is happy to be kept busy, whether helping with the family dog, baking , or taking on a caretaking role with the special needs adults in his foster home. When not lending a hand, Aidan likes to swim, go for walks, read, ski, and, as with many boys his age, play video games.
Aidan had a rough start in life. He was prenatally exposed to alcohol and cocaine and had difficulty settling with the caregivers in his early life. He requires a lot of reassurance and support to feel safe in his relationships and takes time before he will trust others and let down his guard. His experiences have left him anxious and emotionally reactive and he has a strong need to be ‘in control’. Aidan takes medication for ADHD and participates in therapy to help him focus and better control his impulsiveness. Being the thoughtful child that he is, Aidan can reflect on his behaviour and has stated a goal of working on “listening more and being kinder”. He strives to please others, and with the steady support of his caregivers, is making real progress in changing his learned survival strategies.
In school, Aidan demonstrates strong academic potential. He is both meeting and exceeding the performance expectations for his grade level. He is creative, imaginative, and has good mechanical and spatial ability. He tends to be a perfectionist, and commonly compares himself to others. He is also known to reach out to with real compassion to his fellow classmates, and is learning that lack of immediate attention from a supervising adult does not mean rejection, both on the playground and in the classroom. Though he qualifies for it, Aidan is not currently receiving regular EA support, as he is sensitive to being singled out and only uses assistance as needed. This is working well for Aidan. He generally fits in nicely with his class and is successfully attending school full time.
Aidan describes himself as cute, loving, sometimes jealous, and as a child who at times acts without thinking. When asked about what he wants out of having a forever family, Aidan's reply is “belonging”. This is a simple desire from a boy who deserves the stability and care from parents who will help him continue to heal from his past and reach his considerable potential. Aidan would do well in a two parent family with a good support network. His parents should have a solid understanding of and experience with issues related to FASD. Ideally, Aidan would be the only child in his family, or he would have siblings around the same age or older. Openness with the foster family would be important as they share a strong connection with this lovable boy. And so could you, if you choose to add Aidan to your family.
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