Margot from Bulgaria

Margot was born prematurely and at very low birth weight from a twin pregnancy in November 2014. She had respiratory distress syndrome and endured a difficult neonatal course. Margot has been diagnosed with infantile cerebral palsy/spastic diplegia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, convergent strabismus, and delayed development. She has a history of acute lymphoblastic leukemia for which she received treatment, and as of May 2019, she is considered to be in full clinical hematological remission. Margot is a gentle, loving little girl who smiles often in spite of her difficult history. She expresses joy at the mention of a favorite person and loves receiving attention and affection from her caregivers. Margot watches other children with interest and shows no aggression, self-aggression, or stereotypic behaviors. She rolls from back to front but cannot sit independently and has minimal head control. She loves toys, differentiates her play depending on the type of toy in front of her, and searches for hidden toys with her eyes. She grabs objects in her left hand, places small toys into a box and takes them back out, and stacks rings on a fixed support. Although her right hand is often clenched in a fist, she will at times transfer toys from hand to hand. She cannot feed herself or drink from a cup on her own. Margot follows simple verbal directions, currently vocalizes about 5 words, and uses some social gestures such as reaching out a hand to indicate ‘hello’. Weight at birth: 1.230 kg Height at birth: 48 cm Head circumference at birth: 24 cm Weight Nov 2019: 12.700 kg Height Nov 2019: 103 cm