Diego from Bulgaria

Diego was born in January 2012 to a mother who tested positive for syphilis. He has been diagnosed with Arnold-Chiari malformation Type 1, moderate cognitive delays, epilepsy (under good control with medication), ectopic left kidney, strabismus, and food allergies (gluten and dairy). Diego has lived with his current foster family since 2015. Update May 2021: Diego continues to live with his foster family, but his developmental progress appears to have slowed. His development is currently approximated at the level of an 18-month-old child. Diego walks unassisted with a wide gate and maneuvers up and down stairs while holding on to a railing but is not yet potty-trained. He feeds himself, scribbles, and shows stereotypic interest in toys, such as spinning tops, ropes, spirals, and cords. He enjoys being outdoors, swinging, and visiting playgrounds where he requires assistance to use the equipment. Diego is nonverbal but communicates to a certain extent by using some gestures and objects to express his needs. Diego has not yet acquired any academic skills despite attendance at a specialized education and therapy center where he works with several specialists. Diego is very comfortable in his foster home and exhibits attachment to the family, especially his foster dad. While the family shows much patience and understanding for Diego, they have not attempted to teach him any alternative means of communication. Diego displays little initiative and motivation to acquire new skills and the foster parents do things for him rather than encourage independence. His foster father believes that Diego will do well with the opportunities a permanent adoptive family can offer him. A prospective adoptive family should be prepared for additional diagnoses upon adoption based on symptoms such as near constant rocking from side to side when standing and back and forth when seated, absent pincer grasp, hypersensitivity to noises, variable levels of eye contact and response to his own name, low joint attention, chaotic and inconsistent play skills, lack of a sense of risk or danger, mouthing objects, and impaired interactions with peers. A consultation with an experienced International Adoption Specialist is required. 2020: Diego is an active boy who takes notice of his surroundings and often imitates the actions of others. He walks and runs with good coordination, climbs stairs on his own, and catches a ball with both hands. Diego scribbles on paper with a pencil, clips and unclips clothes pins, eagerly searches for small objects hidden in sand, and enjoys painting. Diego has a short attention span and focuses best with one-on-one support and when the activities are no more than 15 minutes in length. He can follow simple verbal instructions especially if accompanied by nonverbal gestures. Diego vocalizes chains of syllables and some purposeful words, including ‘hello’, which he uses appropriately as a greeting. Diego attends a school for special educational support where he works with a teacher and several therapists. He enjoys school and is well adapted to the routine there.