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Legally free, DOMINIC (11/95) is a terrific boy – loving, responsive and funny. He is acquiring all kinds of new skills despite having Downs Syndrome and (possibly) some fetal alcohol effects. There is every reason to believe that Dominic will continue to add milestones in a permanent home. His foster mother thinks Dominic clearly has the potential to be a functional adult who could live in an assisted living setting but will always need family support. She sees him as “bubbling over with love” and “just waiting to be opened up, like a book on a shelf.” His foster family has prepared a terrific video of Dominic that they can send to families interested in learning more about him.

Dominic’s greatest strides have been in language. He is now able to communicate in sentences. He’s great at repeating instructions (although he needs prompts to follow them). He is sensitive to cues and copies everything, behaviorally and verbally. He delights in videos and loves to dance and sing along. Favorite videos are “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “Brother Bear.” A favorite TV show is Sesame Street. He likes to sing Itsy Bitsy Spider, Jesus Loves Me and Old McDonald. He also loves church activities. Along with expanding his language skills, Dominic is also learning to count, to tell the days of the week and to master time concepts such as today, yesterday and tomorrow. He is learning to swim and gets to practice this new skill when he travels to Hawaii with his foster parents.

Dominic’s physical health is good. He has sleep apnea and uses a machine at night that helps him get a steady supply of oxygen. His last dental exam was terrific – no cavities. Dominic is “trip-trained” to go to the bathroom. He is a great eater and some of his favorite foods are eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, French fries and rice. He is lactose intolerant, and his adoptive folk(s) will need to learn to read all food labels to help him avoid dairy foods.

Dominic is a child who needs skilled, experienced parenting and teaching and very predictable, structured routines. For the 2007-2008 school year, Dominic will again be in a behavioral modification and adjustment classroom with a one-on-one aide. Changes in routine, different caretakers, too much noise or confusion (escalating behavior of other kids) can all interfere with Dominic staying on track and doing well. He does best with the consistency of a calm, non-reactive caregiver, who is comfortable taking charge (an Alpha dog says his foster mother). Without clear limits Dominic can be a handful.

Dominic needs a family who has lots of time for him, who can provide a very stable routine, who is good at advocating for services, and who can recognize and take joy in each little step he takes. Dominic is very attached to his foster parents, and they want to stay involved as a support for both Dominic and the adoptive parents. A sufficient number of pre-placement visits to allow him time to get acquainted with a new family will be crucial before moving.


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