Wednesday's Child: 6-Year-Old Nathan
Nathan is a 6-year-old boy of Caucasian descent who loves to smile and give high fives! Nathan loves Dora the Explorer, Mickey Mouse, and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. He enjoys watching these shows, looking at books with these characters, and having the books read to him. He loves to draw and color and he is a very talented artist. He also loves when adult draws with him. Nathan likes playing with play doh or putty, and gets excited when adults interact with him with these materials. He also loves blocks and magnaformers and enjoys building with them. He plays independently on the play ground and with yoga balls in school. Nathan is the type of child that does not need much teaching to enjoy play or toys; he is independent with most leisure activities!
Nathan is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and communicates primarily through the use of an I-pad. At this time Nathan is not able to make eye contact or communicate verbally without significant prompting. His current placement is in a residential program for children with special needs. He is in a classroom with a very small teacher-to-student ratio and he may always require a therapeutic day school setting. Nathan does not independently engage in social interactions but he is capable of engaging in parallel play with peers in the classroom. Nathan responds well to a structured setting where he can earn preferred activities such as an incentive for following the routine.
Nathan is legally freed for adoption and will require a family with lots of energy and some experience with children on the spectrum. A two parent family would be preferred due to the level of supervision Nathan requires. If there is a single parent with a large engaged support system and experience with children with special needs, they would be considered as well. As part of the Open Adoption Agreement, Nathan needs to maintain regular sibling visitation therefore a family in Massachusetts or the New England area will be considered.
For more information you can contact MARE: 617-54-ADOPT (617-542-3678) or visit www.mareinc.org.
Since its inception in 1981, Wednesday's Child has been a collaboration of the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE), the Department of Children & Families and WBZ-TV/CBS Boston. Hosted by Jack Williams for the last 34 years, this weekly series has given a face and voice to the children who wait the longest for families. Wednesday's Child has helped find homes for hundreds of waiting children and continues to raise awareness about adoption from foster care.
