Wednesday's Child: 7-year-old Aaliyah

BOSTON (MARE) - Aaliyah is a curious and engaging girl of Caucasian and Guyanese descent who loves to dance. She also enjoys climbing and any kind of water play, and is described as sweet, bright and fun-loving. Her favorite show is Sesame Street, especially Elmo and Abby. Aaliyah is academically motivated and curious about the world around her- she is a great problem solver!

Diagnosed with autism and developmental delays, Aaliyah benefits from support around speech/language, social interaction and safety awareness. She is able to follow verbal and visual directions and effectively uses an iPad for communication. Aaliyah's teachers report that she is well-liked by peers and is interested in engaging with them. She requires a modified diet and it will be important that any potential families are willing to learn about this.

Aaliyah is legally freed for adoption and, because she requires a great deal of attention and care, a two-parent, childless couple would be her ideal placement. However, any family constellations can potentially be considered. Safety precautions and supervision will be important, as well as a willingness to participate in supportive services and to maintain her specialized diet. Interested families will need to commit to spending a significant amount of time getting to know Aaliyah in person before she is able to transition into their home. For this reason, as well as the fact that she has existing connections here in Massachusetts, her social worker is interested in exploring families who reside in state or within close driving distance.

For more information you can contact MARE: 617-964-MARE (6273) 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 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.