Gary, 8, was born July 28, 1987. He is a caring, charming and athletic youngster. He enjoys roller blading, fishing and most sports. Like many boys his age, he likes Power Ranger toys, candy and music.
Due to abuse and chronic neglect, Gary has emotional and behavioral problems. However, experiences in foster care over the past year have been positive. Medication for depression is helping, and he's doing better with men now that he has a good role model in his foster dad.Gary makes friends easily but has trouble keeping them. His therapist and social worker feel he can attach to an adoptive family, though he'll need help from long-term counseling to work through past abuse and neglect issues and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Gary is in second grade, where he's performing well above average. His verbal skills are weak and he is hyperactive. He gets a couple of hours a week of extra help in reading and math and also receives speech therapy twice a week and occupational therapy once a week at school.
Gary's social worker would like him to be the youngest or only child in a two-parent family. He is considering letting him have some contact with his birth mom through letters and phone calls and a very occasional visit. Financial assistance is available to help cover some of the costs of adopting and caring for Gary.
This is a legal risk adoptive placement. A legal risk placement is one in which it is expected that the family will eventually adopt the child, even though the birth parents have not had their parental rights terminated by the time of the placement.