When Liên was a little girl, her mother would carry her from street to street, asking passersby for coins and food scraps.

At night, Liên shivered — sleeping with only a thin piece of cloth to keep warm…

Her mother, who had intellectual disabilities, loved Liên deeply and did everything she could to care for her. But her own challenges made it difficult to meet Liên’s complex needs. Living on the streets of a coastal city in Vietnam, sometimes selling lottery tickets or trinkets, she wasn’t earning enough income to meet even basic needs — let alone specialized care for her daughter.

Liên could walk and manage basic hygiene, but she struggled to communicate and learn like other children her age. Her mother felt overwhelmed by her limitations and unsure how to provide the care her daughter needed.

Recognizing the difficulty of the situation, compassionate neighbors suggested that Liên might receive the help she needed at a children’s center. While it meant that she would no longer live with her mother, moving Liên away from the harsh realities of street life gave her the possibility of a safer, more hopeful future.

A New Chapter

When she arrived at the children’s center, Liên was welcomed with open arms by a team of dedicated caregivers.

With expertise in nutrition and health, special needs and child development, Liên’s caregivers could provide the care and support she needed to grow and develop. They identified her unique challenges and began creating a tailored care plan that focused on her health and building basic life skills.

One of the first steps of Liên’s new journey was supporting her physical health. Regular health screenings became part of her routine. The center’s medical staff conducted nutritional assessments to ensure she was receiving the necessary vitamins to support her growth and overall well-being. These assessments are crucial for early intervention — addressing health conditions such as anemia and other deficiencies.

Through the center’s partnership with Holt Vietnam, caregivers are trained in feeding techniques, monitoring health benchmarks and creating daily routines and activities for children with disabilities. Because of donor support for the Molly Holt Fund, these trainings are made possible, and children receive the specialized, nurturing care they need to thrive.

Safe and Supported

After living on the streets, Liên’s adjustment to life at the children’s center took time. In the early days, she was content to be alone, sitting in the corner and taking little interest in the activities around her. She seemed focused on her interior world, occasionally watching other children play.

Liên’s caregivers were patient, knowing that she needed time to feel safe, secure and comfortable in her new environment.

Slowly, with gentle encouragement and reassurance, she began to show signs of progress. Liên practiced feeding herself — first with finger foods, then with utensils. She struggled, often spilling food, but her caregivers knew that Liên needed to learn at her own pace.

Over time, she became more adept at holding a spoon and fork. Not only could she start eating without assistance, but she also began to grow in confidence.

Liên was also shown how to dress herself. And with time, she learned how to dress independently. She learned how to zip her jacket and tie her shoelaces — significant achievements for children with special needs.

Growing in Confidence

Liên’s progress with self-care was transformational, but she often distanced herself from the other children. She would sit quietly during group activities, occasionally glancing at her peers but not engaging with them.

Eager to help Liên connect with others her age, her caregivers remained optimistic and patient. They continued to involve her in simple group activities, such as drawing, coloring and singing.

Slowly, Liên began to engage with other children. As she began to feel more comfortable, she grew in her social confidence each day. Soon she started to join in activities without hesitation and even began to initiate simple conversations with her peers.

But Liên’s ability to communicate and express her emotions was limited. Her caregivers encouraged her to express herself in different ways — through art, music and movement.

Ms. Thuy, one of Liên’s primary caregivers, says she is hopeful for Liên’s future.

“[Liên] is a fighter,” Ms. Thuy says. “Every step forward is hard-won, but she never gives up. I see so much potential in her and we are committed to helping her discover it.”

Helping Her Shine

Today, Liên is 11 years old, and she continues to grow each day.

The caregivers at the children’s center remain her biggest supporters, cheering her on with each victory.

“She has shown us all what true resilience looks like,” Ms. Thuy says. “Every child deserves a chance to shine and [Liên] is shining in her way. We are honored to be part of her story.”

Every child’s path is different, and Liên’s path is uniquely hers — and it’s one paved with hope because of your help.

Making a Difference

It is through the continuous support of sponsors and donors like you that Liên is receiving the specialized care she needs to thrive.

But while she continues to receive support and make progress, many children like Liên are still waiting — left without the opportunities and care they deserve. Her story is not an isolated one — it reflects a broader challenge faced by children with disabilities in the places where Holt works.

Private special needs programs, when available, are financially out of reach for orphaned and vulnerable children, whether they live in an orphanage or with their families struggling in poverty.

You can help children with medical and special needs who are left with no other options. Donate today to help provide care, healing and hope for a brighter future.

Your gift will help provide medical treatments, surgeries, specialized feeding assistance, therapies, adaptive equipment like wheelchairs, special education and so much more.

Every child deserves compassionate care that reminds them they are deeply loved and valued. Together, we can bring lasting change for children like Liên and help them shine.

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Your gift helps a child with special needs receive the surgery, medicines, and specialized care they need!

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The post Helping Liên Shine appeared first on Holt International.

Chuluunchimeg is a 2-year-old boy who lives in Mongolia with his parents and older sister. Born with a serious medical condition, Chuka — as he is known to his family and caregivers — is small for his age, has developmental delays and requires constant care and attention. His mother stays at home to look after him, while his father takes on any work he can find.

Because Chuka’s family does not have a stable income, they rely on the generosity of Holt sponsors to provide for his needs. Through your support, Chuka receives speech therapy and other specialized treatments, medication and nutritious meals. He also travels to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital, for regular health checkups.

Chuka is close to his mother and likes to be hugged. She holds him close to her chest when she feeds him. Chuka grows happy when he is fed his favorite foods — bananas, creamy soups and rice with milk. Though Chuka is unable to speak, he communicates with his eyes to show affection toward his family.

To thank Chuka’s sponsors for their support, his older sister sent this photo and letter on her brother’s behalf:

Hello! Greetings of the day when this letter reaches you. Thank you very much for supporting my cute little brother. My little brother got milk, yogurt, clothes and many other necessary things. I am sincerely grateful for [you] supporting my little brother.

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The post Thank You for Supporting My Little Brother! appeared first on Holt International.

Ethiopia

One of Holt’s local partners in Ethiopia, Sele-Enat, recently organized a Cancer Awareness Day in central Ethiopia, which many families in the community attended. Cancer is a public health crisis in low-income countries, including Ethiopia. Treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy are not widely available, leaving families with few options for their affected loved ones. Sele-Enat’s Cancer Awareness Day event brought families together and provided hope for many. Medical professionals specializing in oncology gave presentations and led discussions for the attendees.

Sele-Enat also recently launched a community awareness campaign for children with autism. Autism is widely misunderstood in Ethiopia, leading to a severe shortage of services for children with this condition. Sele-Enat is working to educate the community about autism and autism spectrum disorder to promote inclusivity and understanding for all children and families. Raising awareness and providing education helps equip caregivers with the knowledge to offer the best care for every child and their needs.

Our partner, Sele-Enat, cares for children with autism and other developmental disabilities at their orphanage. They receive nutrition and medical support through Holt’s Child Nutrition Program, education support, as well as recreational and experiential activities to meet their social and psychological needs. Inclusive education is a priority for Holt and Sele-Enat to ensure children with disabilities and other special needs have access to learning environments in which they can thrive. Through the autism advocacy, Holt and Sele-Enat work to raise awareness about autism spectrum disorder with the larger community. This helps to reduce stigma, inform parents, caregivers and educators about the needs of autistic children and ensure families are accessing education and other services they may need. This type of advocacy is essential to preserve and strengthen families, and it would not be possible without the support from Holt sponsors and donors.

India

Holt-supported students enrolled in higher education programs in Pune and Aurangabad recently took a field trip to explore careers in manufacturing. Through Holt’s local partner organization, Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK), Holt sponsors and donors help support these students and join BSSK in their efforts to empower young people growing up in difficult circumstances in India.

The field trip included hands-on experiences and allowed students to observe vehicle production, robotic automation and other industrial technologies up close. The field trip inspired the students to develop their professional skills and explore possible careers paths. For children in Holt programs, experiences like these help broaden their horizons beyond the limited career opportunities they witnessed growing up in impoverished slum communities. This is especially true for many girls in India, who face greater gender discrimination and also marriage at a young age.

With the support of Holt sponsors and donors, BSSK has worked to change that since 1979. Through Holt sponsorships, educational workshops, career field trips and other support, children receive the tools they need to succeed and thrive.

Uganda

Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world, with a median age of 16.2 years. And in the rural villages where Holt sponsors and donors support children, more than 30 percent of children ages 6 to 9 have never attended primary school.

Education is expensive in Uganda. The cost of school fees, books, supplies and uniforms is too high for families living in poverty. In rural areas, schools may also be too far for some children to walk to, and few families can afford boarding school fees.

Thanks to Holt sponsors and donors, our team in Uganda recently provided scholastic materials and school uniforms for 904 children at Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) centers. ECCD teachers also received teaching materials for the term, and the schools received food items such as fortified flour, sugar, eggs and bananas for mid-morning meals.

Your generosity not only provides nutritious meals each day for children in need — but also helps them focus in school, where both attendance and grades have improved!

Colombia

Holt partner Bambi in Colombia has served children and caregivers in an impoverished area of the city for more than 22 years, thanks to sponsor and donor support.

Bambi works to keep children with their birth parents, offering interventions and support to lift families out of poverty and prevent children from being separated from their families. Bambi provides vulnerable parents and caregivers with access to education, job training and childcare to help them gain financial independence and create a safe environment for their children. Caregivers can enroll in vocational courses, such as baking, sewing and cosmetology, or receive support to complete their secondary education. Parents and caregivers also have access to financial literacy and business training, weekly counseling and parenting groups with staff psychologists.

To ensure these caregivers can complete their education and training, Bambi provides 24/7 flexible childcare with health and nutrition screenings and early childhood education for children under age 5. Recently, Holt sponsors and donors helped to ensure the children in the daycare program received wellness and development checks. These evaluations help caregivers cater to the needs of each child and set goals for their development.

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The post Notes from the Field: March 2025 appeared first on Holt International.

Adoptive mom Amanda Kick shares her family’s story of adopting two children with special needs from South Africa, where Holt just launched our newest adoption program.

My husband and I were on our first date when I bluntly asked if he’d be comfortable with adoption as a way to grow a family. I had adoption in my heart for years and knew I wasn’t willing to budge. Although there’s deep beauty in biological children, I just knew I wanted to parent the kids who were waiting. Thankfully, my now husband was fully on board.

We first approached our agency and learned we were too young for many countries, too poor, or our BMI was too high for others. We fit all the parameters for South Africa so it was an easy decision that felt kind of made for us. I had been on a trip to South Africa in high school so I thought I was somewhat familiar with the country.

We eagerly joined the program wanting to adopt a “healthy” baby girl, age 4 or younger.

We quickly learned that would be a long, long, long wait because young children with little to no medical needs were being adopted domestically. (Woohoo — we loved hearing that these children would be able to grow up in the country and culture of their birth!) We then learned there was actually a list of waiting kids in South Africa who were fully eligible for adoption and who had long waited for an international adoptive family.

It was a slow process of peeling back the layers of our desires.

We had to ask ourselves hard questions like, “Are we asking this child to fulfill something for us or are we asking them to come fully as themselves into our family?” We realized it wasn’t about us and was actually about these children.

We saw our son on the waiting list a few months after our dossier had gone to South Africa. He was 6, had “possible hearing loss” and cerebral palsy (CP). He had been on the waiting list for months! I had seen his picture every single day for months, but we had checked “no” to CP on the list of special needs we would be open to. We thought it was too complex for our family. It wasn’t until we saw videos of him walking down a hallway and smiling that we realized we were greatly misinformed about CP.

We were matched with Ben and thought, “Ok so he’s deaf. No big deal. We’ll just learn sign language,” and enrolled in a ten-week class. We had coffee with a friend who grew up with a deaf brother and asked if she thought we could do it (even though secretly, our minds were already made up). She lovingly told us we were in for a bumpy ride and shared the difficult realities of being hearing parents to a deaf child.

Meeting Our Children in South Africa

We met Ben when he only knew about 15 signs and we knew about 50. The early days were full of tantrums. Whew. As we took our screaming, crying, biting, kicking and spitting child out of a mall in South Africa, someone actually stopped and asked us if we had found a lost child. But I think what saved us those first few years was our training on trauma. We had to remind ourselves that Ben couldn’t express himself and didn’t have words. He hadn’t learned sign language yet so all he knew for six years was to physically use his body to express himself.

Imagine not being able to tell someone your tummy hurts or you’re cold or you don’t want to wear the red shoes today?

We failed over and over, but had to learn a lot of patience. We had to learn a brain in trauma can’t be reasoned with in the moment. Ben had to first regulate before we could reason with him. That took time and practice. Today, he’s nearly 10 and has the language of a 3-year-old. We are all still signing and doing our best to be fluent!

He still has tantrums, but they’re much less frequent. We continue to learn his brain isn’t wired like ours so his behaviors can’t be explained like ours. Sometimes, it happens in public and we have to learn to brush it off because a traumatized brain needs time and space to regulate. We’ve gotten a front row seat to watching our son go from not even understanding what a question is to being able to tell time, remind me that on Mondays he rides the bus, and ask if we can have pizza for dinner! It’s a treat to watch him learn new words all the time!

A year after Ben came home, we were matched with his sister, Haddie Thandolwethu. We were quickly making our way back to South Africa, this time for a 2-year-old girl who we were told was born with no cerebellum in her brain, and no ability to walk, smile, communicate or sit up on her own.

How in the world we went in two years from wanting a healthy, “perfect” baby to a toddler who would need lifelong care and therapies, I have no idea!

I think God just slowly peeled back the layers and made us address our selfish desires. These children didn’t owe us anything. We owed them the promise of our unconditional love.

We asked ourselves if we could change diapers for the rest of our lives and we couldn’t think of a reason why we couldn’t. We are a homebody family. We like a slow-paced schedule. We don’t like to be on the go. We couldn’t help but acknowledge that we really were a good fit for a child with special needs.

Building a Strong Attachment

When we met Haddie, unlike with Ben, our attachment was not instant. It was terrifying. Our connection to Ben was instant and fierce. But Haddie’s needs felt big and scary. She screamed hours of the day, her sensory needs meant she slammed her head on any hard surface, and she sucked her thumb until it was raw and cut open. We’d show up to a restaurant in South Africa and realize there was no wheelchair ramp. We definitely had some moments of panic where we questioned what had we just done.

Thankfully, we had well-seasoned adoptive families who let us know it was totally normal if the attachment took time. I didn’t fall in love with my spouse in a day so it was OK if I didn’t fall in love with my child in a single day.

They encouraged us to take little steps each day to attach. No step was too small or silly. For me, it was buying new clothes for her. It sounds funny now, but I wanted to buy her new outfits and try them on her. We did that to build our bond. We worked on her hair, trying new products and styles. We threw on our swimsuits and took our baths together. We took naps together. We did whatever we could to build our bond.

I followed my gut. I found myself making her homemade mashed foods that helped me build attachment. Looking back now, it makes sense. Mothers and fathers care for their baby’s every need in the beginning and it forms a bond, so that’s exactly what we did.

We nurtured her every way we could. Some days, she would scream and slam her head and we would ride in the car and silently cry. We went to our court date and just trusted God that our attachment would come in time — and boy did it come!

I wish I had known all along it’s OK when things don’t come instantly. It’s OK to mourn the version of your family you lose when you add a child. I wish everyone knew that.

Although we faced many legal challenges while in South Africa, the country was a perfect host. The scenery is stunning and the hospitality is warm and inviting. We met amazing people who would stop at nothing to make us feel welcome. South Africans are communal and inviting.

Lessons We’ve Learned as Adoptive Parents

Now that we are home, we are always learning something new. We are learning about the resources available to us to parent two children with developmental disabilities. We bought a wheelchair-accessible van and put a ramp in our garage. We tried therapies and we quit therapies. We went into spaces our kids didn’t quite fit so we found new spaces. All you can do is take it one day and one step at a time. As parents, we have to keep our mental health in check and make sure all our energy doesn’t go to our kids at the expense of our own health.

If I could go back to my old self and tell her anything, I’d tell her this:

1. The weeks before court when your child is still in their care home/orphanage are not the time to form opinions about your parenting or your child. Your child is grieving the loss of everything they know and love and that can present in many behaviors. The people who love them and cared for them are also grieving. This can also make you feel uncomfortable and unsure if you’re the parent, or a visitor. Give space for everyone to grieve and let the true bonding begin after court!

2. Attachment won’t come over night and THAT IS OK! Take each baby step you can take to form your attachment. Snuggle, pick them up, read them a story, spoon-feed them, buy the cute outfit, do hair care! (I carried my 6-year-old everywhere and people stared, but it bonded us in a beautiful way.)

3. You can do hard things for the people you love. You can wipe butts. You can battle schools. You can modify your home, your schedule, your wallet, your priorities and your plans. Life is much richer when you aren’t at the center!

Amanda Kick | Adoptive Mom

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Many children in South Africa are waiting for a loving, permanent family.

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The post One Family’s Story of Adopting From South Africa appeared first on Holt International.

However, orphanages are often at-capacity and low on resources — especially the specialized resources needed to care for a child with medical or special needs.    

But every child deserves the medical and special care to be healthy and reach their fullest potential. That’s why we have the Molly Holt Fund. Named after the daughter of Holt’s founders, Molly Holt was a nurse who dedicated her life to caring for children who were sick and had special needs.

Today, Holt donors continue her legacy by helping to give children with special needs in orphanages the medical care, medications, therapies and specialized care they need to grow and thrive.

Here are just some of the most common special needs in orphanages — and the care Holt donors help provide to them:

Give to the Molly Holt Fund!

Provide urgently needed medical care to a child in an orphanage with special needs.

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The post Orphanage Care for Children With Special Needs appeared first on Holt International.

In this Q&A, Dr. Eckerle and Dr. Gustafson share answers to some of the top questions parents ask about adopting a child with alcohol exposure.

Both Dr. Eckerle and Dr. Gustafson are Korean adoptees who work with adopted children and their families, with a special focus on alcohol exposure and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). 

If a child has exposure to alcohol, does this always mean that they have FASD?

No. Most alcohol-exposed kids will not be on the FASD spectrum. The issue is that, when they are young, we do not know if they will be more or less affected.

What does it mean that FASD is a spectrum?

This means that there are kids and adults who are mildly affected, and there are others who have more severe impairments. Some actually have minor or no long-term effects. We see a range of difficulties with attention, memory, learning and behavior, which may be apparent early on in a child’s life, but also may not be seen until a child is transitioning into adolescence. These behaviors can often be misinterpreted, misdiagnosed as ADHD, or the child can be inappropriately labeled as “not listening, not able to focus, forgetful or willfully disobedient.” A child may not realize that what they are doing is wrong or quite fully understand how their actions impact their surroundings due to the fact that their brain processes things in a different way.

What are the greatest misunderstandings surrounding FASD and alcohol exposure?

People sometimes have an older “picture” that all people with FASD are severely impaired, which is simply not the case the majority of the time. In the same way we view ADHD or autism, an FASD diagnosis means the brain is just wired differently and the best thing we can do is better understand how they see the world and help them move forward at home and at school.

What do you suggest for families considering adopting a child with prenatal alcohol exposure?

Families who are considering adopting an older child may have some good information about the child’s current level of functioning. But in younger children, it’s a leap of faith to see how they develop with the help of a supportive home and intensive intervention services. The earlier we can diagnose and intervene, the more possible it will be for the child to reach their fullest potential. Counseling from professionals both before and after the adoption can help families determine the level of risk and services expected for a particular child or exposure.

How should families prepare for parenting a child who has had alcohol exposure?

Start with a good medical home, meaning a good pediatrician or medical provider — ideally, someone who is familiar with adoption, developmental and behavioral interventions, and prenatal exposures. In addition, the child may need occupational therapy, physical therapy or speech therapy evaluations. The family may also be helped by mental health professionals, parent support groups, and local and national resources like MOFAS/NOFAS.

Judith Eckerle, MD, is an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota and is the director of the Adoption Medicine Clinic. Kimara Gustafson, MD, MPH, is an adjunct assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota and a doctor at the Adoption Medicine Clinic.

This is an excerpt from a longer story that appeared in Holt’s 2018 adoption magazine.

Learn more here about adopting a child with special needs. 

The post Expert Advice About Adopting a Child With Alcohol Exposure appeared first on Holt International.

It was time to go and meet our fifth child, our second adoption from China. Our path to him had been clear — we knew he was the boy that God had led us to. He was to be our son. We knew he would come to us with a couple medical diagnoses and some developmental delays. We thought his developmental delays included learning to walk and speak late. At 2 years old, he was just starting to babble.

I had pored over his paperwork and felt like all of his reported delays were simply related to being institutionalized, and I was encouraged by the great strides in his development after joining a foster family in China. I had heard stories of institutionalized kids coming home to their forever family and overcoming so many of their delays. I was optimistic and ready to welcome my son into my heart and our family forever.

The moment he was placed into my arms in China at almost 3 years old, I knew his delays and issues were more severe than I had anticipated or imagined. He was laughing and smiling, and that was not how kids are supposed to act when being placed into a stranger’s arms.

We took him back to our motel room and I realized he was not making eye contact with any of us. He had no verbal communication and was rummaging through every garbage can he could find, looking for something to play with. He hit himself repeatedly and when we went anywhere new, he would go cross-eyed and grind his teeth. He was so scared and couldn’t communicate it. And so was I.

Those first two weeks with him in China were confusing, stressful and scary.  Honestly, I thought my life was over. I cried every night to sleep. I even had thoughts of not bringing him home. It was my faith in God that pulled me through. I was confident that God had led us to this boy. I didn’t understand anything that was happening with my child but I knew that God was worthy of my trust.

After two hard weeks in China, we traveled home and began the journey of getting to know our son. The world of developmental delays was unknown and uncomfortable to us, but it was the world that we had suddenly been immersed into.

I hadn’t done any specific research on developmental delays before this point — and in hindsight I wish I had done more to prepare myself to understand him better and meet his needs in the very beginning. We interacted with many professionals who all seemed perplexed by our son’s behaviors and offered different theories as to what a diagnosis could be. All we knew for sure is that he was developmentally delayed. He could not speak. He could walk, but not run or jump. He did not follow any commands or direction. He was impulsive.

It was in those many quiet moments in the hospital that God gave me deep compassion and a mother’s heart for him. I remember thinking, I don’t care what his diagnosis is or if he ever overcomes any of his delays. I love him so much just how he is.

Life was hard, and we all needed help.

Slowly but surely, we began to get help and see glimmers of hope. After weeding through many therapists and medical providers, we found those who were comfortable with our son’s complexities and unknowns. Not knowing when his delays started or any of his history proved to be difficult for many providers. But we found the ones who were willing to work with him based on what they saw in him in the present, and they began to help us see glimpses of his potential. As we watched them work with him, we were also being trained. His progress was slow, but we began to observe baby steps in the right direction.

To be completely honest, attachment was difficult for me. He was not the son that I had imagined for our family. I was selfish and had a lot of self-pity because I was out of my comfort zone dealing with him. I had lost control and life was not looking or feeling like I had planned. But two things happened that changed this for me. Sadly, one was him getting critically ill due to one of his medical diagnoses. He spent full days and weeks of his first year with us in the hospital. Watching him suffer softened my heart towards him.

It was in those many quiet moments in the hospital that God gave me deep compassion and a mother’s heart for him. I remember thinking, ‘I don’t care what his diagnosis is or if he ever overcomes any of his delays. I love him so much just how he is!’

The second moment occurred on a day I visited him in his preschool class. I observed two other boys arguing about which one of them got to sit by my son. I asked his teacher what was going on. She told me with a big grin, “This is common. All the kids want to sit by your son. They love him! His laugh and smile are contagious and he makes everyone happy!”

I couldn’t believe it!  My son, who had so many delays and couldn’t even talk, was an important part of his little community, his class. I was so amazed and so proud of him! My son! Over time, our emotional attachment grew, and I also developed great hope for him and his future.

In the beginning, all I could see in my son were his delays and disabilities. But as I experienced life with him and got to know him, I realized on the inside he was the same as me. He was born with a heart to feel and a mind to think. He was born with challenges and strengths, just like me.

He is extremely smart, discerning, funny, adventurous, brave and compassionate. I no longer view him, nor anyone else, as disabled, but I instead view us all as differently-abled.

He has been home with us for five years now and we just celebrated his 8^th birthday.  He is still delayed in some areas but has come so far since coming home. He learned to swim and ride a bike this summer! He loves to climb and run now. He can speak about 20 words and can communicate much more through his iPad. He even likes to tell jokes.

The compassion that he demonstrates for people who are hurting is unlike anything I have ever seen. He has overcome more than I ever thought he could and continually amazes me as he reveals more and more of what he can do! The sky is the limit for my boy! I love and adore my son so deeply. I am his number one fan and think he is one of the coolest and move lovable kids in the whole world!

My life does indeed look different since bringing him home five years ago. Living with a child who has some developmental delays is not easy. But it is worth it and I wouldn’t change it for the world! I am so thankful and honored and blessed that he is my son.

I thank God for leading us to this boy, my cherished son.

Jen Skipper | Keizer, OR

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The post My Cherished Son appeared first on Holt International.

As prospective adoptive families learn more about adoption and the children who are waiting to join families, they may frequently run into the term “developmental delays.” But what does this mean, exactly?

Developmental delays can present in many different ways, often encompass unknowns in a child’s development, and are different for every child.

Here are five things to know about adopting a child with developmental delays:

1. “Developmental delays” is a broad term that can describe anything from late speech to learning disabilities. It may also be used to describe a child who has hit milestones like crawling or walking at a later-than-average age.
2. Developmental delays are usually caused by a lack of one-on-one attention between a child and an adult in the earliest phases of life, and they are common in children who have lived in orphanages.
3. Speech and language delays are very common among adopted children, since these skills form best when a child receives lots of individualized attention from birth to 5. 
4. Many adopted children have huge growth spurts during their first year with their family. A child’s physical, emotional and developmental changes can be astonishing! 
5. Some developmental delays can be overcome with early intervention, including speech, physical and occupational therapies. Others may be life-long, and adoptive families should have access to long-term support and resources their child may need.

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The post 5 Things to Know About Adopting a Child With Developmental Delays appeared first on Holt International.

Five-year-old Tommy is a gentle and sweet boy waiting for a permanent and loving adoptive family!

Tommy has a good relationship with his caregivers, who say he is kind and obedient. Although he is quiet and speaks softly, he is very affectionate with people he knows and enjoys hugs and cuddles.

Tommy has some developmental delays in comparison to his peers and is small in size for his age. He is very active and can walk and run for short distances, and he is very interested in exploring the world around him! In 2020, Tommy started kindergarten, where he is developing his motor, language and social skills. His caregivers say he enjoys school and is excited to go each day! Tommy likes to color and play with cars or on the playground with friends from school.

The ideal family for Tommy will have access to excellent physical therapy, early intervention services and educational resources. Tommy’s family should also be able to give him all the love and care he so needs and deserves.

Learn more about Tommy!

The post Tommy Needs an Adoptive Family! appeared first on Holt International.

Julien came into care when he was 5 years old, and has been waiting for a permanent, loving adoptive family ever since.

Now 10 years old, Julien is sensitive and sweet and likes to be active! He loves to ride his bike, run, use the slide and swings, dribble a basketball and throw a ball as far as he can!

He has cerebral dysplasia and delayed mental development and doesn’t talk very much. But it is clear that he understands his own name and the name of other kids at his care center. If he doesn’t understand something, he looks down and sweetly smiles. He also loves to draw and listen to music.

Despite his cognitive delays, Julien is physically healthy and can take care of himself and can express his needs to his caregivers. He would thrive in a family that encourages his playful and active personality, as well as one that is understanding and willing to help him through his mental delays.

Visit the Waiting Child Photolisting

Meet some of the children waiting for loving adoptive families. Could you be the right family for one of these children?

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The post Julien Needs a Family! appeared first on Holt International.