Birth date: February 2007
Ethno-Cultural Background: Métis
Birth date: October 2007
Ethno-Cultural Background: Métis
We would like to introduce Katelin and Karly. These spunky siblings are currently living in separate foster homes but would benefit from being together as part of a loving family. Although they have had a rough start in life, these two delightful girls have cheerful and affectionate personalities and a positive approach to life.
Older sister, Katelin, is an active, outgoing and strong willed child who loves being outside and expending seemingly endless energy in the playground. Jumping on the trampoline, making things with play dough and going on camping trips with her foster family are some of her favourite activities. Although initially shy and sometimes a little socially withdrawn, Katelin warms up to people once she gets to know them. She is described by many as a “joy to be with”.
Katelin has a speech delay. She becomes frustrated when she has difficulty communicating and, understandably, sometimes shows her displeasure by crying and throwing things. She spends time holding pretend telephone conversations and chatting to her stuffed animals. With people, sometimes she chooses not to respond when spoken to but engages in social activities in her own time. Apart from her speech delay, this little girl is developmentally on track. She thrives in the structured environment of her daycare. Although, like many children, she can find it difficult to focus on one activity, she does well in an environment free from distractions.
Katelin is generally healthy but needs medications to assist with asthma. Her adoptive family will need to be familiar with the effects of this condition as she has had some severe attacks in the past.
According to her foster mom, everyone who meets Karly falls in love with her. Karly was born three to four months prematurely and has significant developmental delays. The extent to which she will overcome her developmental challenges is not yet known. The retinas of her eyes were not properly attached at birth and she reaches the criteria for legal blindness. However, she has some light perception and there is the possibility of future retinal surgery which could improve her vision. Karly also has a hearing loss in one ear. Hearing aids will probably help in the future. Karly is still working on gaining core strength. She can sit up briefly alone but needs support to sit for longer periods. She can move her arms and legs when lying on her back and can roll on her side, but has limited mobility so far. Karly sees occupational and physical therapists regularly and her foster mother works with her daily to improve range of motion and motor skill development. Karly has made great progress and can now support herself in a crawling position, but it is still unknown if she will be able to walk in the future.
Despite her developmental delays, this little girl gets great joy out of life. She loves a bath, having her feet massaged - and food! Karly has an excellent appetite and is very rarely ill. She enjoys being outdoors, being bounced on the trampoline and going camping with her foster family. She responds eagerly to music and when people talk to her. While her vocalizations so far are mostly vowel sounds, she is ready to mimic and learn new words and has a fascination for strange new sounds. Although she does not yet speak much, she expresses herself well and is “quite a character”!
Karly’s future family will need the physical strength and ability to help her with seating, positioning and development of mobility and motor skills, but she is a lively and determined child with great potential.
The forever family for these two delightful and spirited little girls will need to be able to balance Karly’s physical needs and Katelin’s needs for structure, boundaries and assistance with speech development. For a family who enjoys the challenge of helping children overcome their developmental delays and reaching their full potential, the rewards could be great. A family who shares the girls’ Metis background would be preferred, but other families who can help them keep in touch with their cultural heritage will be considered. Katelin and Karly were prenatally exposed to drugs so their adoptive parents should be aware of the potential effects of substance abuse. Katelin and Karly have no contact with their birth family but would benefit from some openness with their respective foster parents.
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