Photograph by Jeanne Hatch and taken through the efforts of Oregon's Lane County Heart Gallery.

If you have completed an adoption homestudy and would like to have your information forwarded to this child's worker, contact us.

DARNELL (10/95) has a kind heart and a sweet spirit, and longs to be important in an adult's life. Not surprisingly, he tends to want to please. He also loves to joke, and enjoys music and singing. Swimming, riding his bike, and romping on the trampoline are favorite pastimes. With big brown eyes, a shy, engaging smile, and a tremendously infectious laugh, Darnell is a cute little boy.

Due lack of stimulation in his early years, Darnell needs a family that will help him discover that he is a valuable, wonderful child. Because there are many things he's never seen nor done before, his new parents will have many opportunities to open up a whole new world to him.

Although exposed to drugs and alcohol prenatally, Darnell does not fit the criteria for a diagnosis of fetal alcohol or drug effect; he may, though, have some fetal alcohol effects that impair him in some areas. He is about three years behind in his social development and understanding of peer interaction. He often does not pick up on social cues, and has difficulty interpreting the world around him. Darnell also has difficulty grasping the relationship between cause and effect, and tends to be impulsive. Darnell has had comprehensive testing, and the results will be made available to parents who are considering adopting him.

Darnell has had to deal with a great many disappointments in his life. His adoptive family will need to be willing to assist him with his grief and loss and allow him to work through those issues in therapy with their participation and support. In addition, Darnell needs a family that is able and willing to accept him for who he is and not expect him to meet their needs for some time to come.

Although somewhat small for his age, Darnell is a big eater, who sometimes needs help in controlling a tendency to overeat. He has also been known to hoard food. His adoptive family will need to be able to employ techniques that will gradually help him come to believe that he will get enough to eat.

Darnell loves to go to school. Currently he is in a self-contained special education classroom. He loves math, and while he complains about having to learn new words, he's able to sound words out quite well.

In his adoptive family, Darnell needs to have the opportunity to be the center of attention. Darnell's worker would especially like to hear from parent(s) who have parented before and have older teenage children or children living on their own. Nurturing and guiding Darnell will require kind, patient parent(s) who have the desire and skills to truly make the difference in a child's life. While it is likely that Darnell will be independent as an adult, he will likely always need to know that his family is there for him.

Subsidy and Purchase of Service may be available.

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