Sunday’s Child is a weekly column featuring a child currently in foster care awaiting adoption.
Dayshawn is an affectionate 12-year-old boy of African-American and Caucasian descent. He has a unique personality and is a curious, imaginative, playful youngster. Dayshawn enjoys making up stories as part of an ongoing role play. He also enjoys coloring, art projects, playing with his cars and trucks, and listening to music. Dayshawn is an animal lover and is very caring and gentle toward them.
Dayshawn has some cognitive delays, and his program staff believes the delays were caused by developmental trauma. Dayshawn is also waiting on a departmental evaluation for a possible autism spectrum diagnosis as well. Dayshawn does best given a highly structured day and a routine schedule. He excels when his environment is calm and relaxing. He loves to be outside exploring new environments, but has a harder time when there is a lot of noise or activity around him. He can sometimes show difficulty with sensory skills, and benefits from the sensory room at his program.
Dayshawn has demonstrated a tremendous capacity to learn and is an eager and willing student. He reads well and is also a good speller. He is often the first child selected to attend activities because of his outstanding positive behavior. Dayshawn does tend to get along better with male peers, but he working on improving socialization with female peers as well. He loves having one-on-one time with adults and receiving their positive attention.
Legally freed for adoption, Dayshawn is ready to be placed in a family who could provide him with a lot of one-on-one assistance and is also willing to participate in therapeutic services with him. Dayshawn would be a joyful addition to a single or two-parent family with a nurturing female caregiver and one or two siblings. He also has two biological siblings he maintains contact with every couple of months.
Ironstone Adoption Party
Have you ever considered adopting a child from foster care with an intellectual, physical, or developmental disability? Join the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange at Ironstone Farm on Aug. 6 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in North Andover to find out more about the process and children in foster care of all ages with special needs. Learn about the different services offered to families post-adoption, meet waiting children and their social workers, and participate in activities. Preregistration is required. Please call Victoria at MARE to learn more about this annual event at 617-542-3678 x135, or e-mail victoriat@mareinc.org. You can also visit www.mareinc.org to register.
