Aaliyah is an engaging 3-year-old girl of Caucasian/Guyanese descent. She loves music and dancing. She will often mimic dance moves she sees in videos. She likes playing outside and watching “Sesame Street,” especially Elmo.

Aaliyah is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and she also has global developmental delays. She is able to follow verbal and visual commands, and she can problem-solve well. She currently attends four days of school. Her teachers report she has done well during the school day and her ability to communicate through a picture book has greatly increased since the start of the school year.

Her permanent placement should be calm and highly structured. Aaliyah requires a significant amount of attention and care, so a two-parent household with no other children would be best. Because of her diagnosis, families should familiarize themselves with this disorder and how it affects children. She is legally free for adoption, and once a placement is identified, her foster mother is willing to stay involved in Aaliyah’s life.

Who can adopt?

Can you provide the guidance, love and stability that a child needs? If you’re at least 18 years old, have a stable source of income and room in your heart, you may be a perfect match to adopt a waiting child. Adoptive parents can be single, married or partnered; experienced or not; renters or homeowners; LGBTQ singles and couples.

The process to adopt a child from foster care requires training, interviews and home visits to determine if adoption is right for you, and if so, to help connect you with a child or sibling group that will be a good match for your family.

To learn more about adoption from foster care, call the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange at 617-6273 or go to mareinc.org. The sooner you call, the sooner a waiting child will have “a permanent place to call home.

https://www.bostonherald.com/2...g-and-sesame-street/