The Quiet (young) Man

Greetings Friends!!


I'm here today to tell you about one of the greatest young men there is, Xander! He's very quite but has a very loud personality. Xander will be 12 years old on June 20th of this year and although he can't verbalize it, his hearts desire is to find a forever family. I believe I've shared this before, but in China after kids reach the age of 14 they can no longer be adopted. They lose the chance to have a forever family of their own. As of June 20th, Xander only has 2 years to find his family.
Last April, I wrote a blog post about Xander, we received several inquiries into Xander's adoption file, but haven't had a family step forwards just yet. Here is some of what I wrote last year...

     "When he first came to SFCV back in 2008, Xander struggled to control his Autistic "meltdowns", he couldn't self soothe nor did he know how to effectively communicate his wants, needs, or feelings. Although a sweet boy, he was at times aggressive. At our first meeting, back in 2013, Xander greeted me with a slap on the cheek and him throwing spit on me. Now, if you've met anyone with severe autism, then you know that these are common behaviors. Xander wasn't being rude or mean, nor did I think he was, but I will admit that I was surprised by his behaviors. Nearly one year later, I came back to volunteer at SFCV and I saw Xander. This time I was greeted by a waive and a high-five! I had to make sure I was greeting the same kid! His negative behaviors were gone and he was a very well- mannered young man! For weeks I wondered what kind of therapeutic or sensory integrations the therapy team had been doing with him that would account for his great change in behavior. Later I found out that in the year while I was gone, Xander began attending school at the Beijing school for Autism. He was enrolled in classes for several months and making great progress; however the tuition costs were to great and he had to stop going. Although disappointed, this didn't stop Xander from continuing to grow and progress. He has come a long way and every day he's making more great gains in his socialization skills, sensory therapy, behavior therapy, and communication skills."

When I think about Xander, I'm still amazed at the incredible progress he's made. He's come so far, and made so much progress in the last year since that post was written. As a Therapist, it's my job to make sure that my patients are getting the specific care and treatments they need and to make sure that their goals are achievable, well for Xander, I'm constantly re-writing his goals and treatment plan. Within the last year he's continued to make huge strides in several areas including: communication, behavior and sensory integration. Xander is non-verbal but has found other means of communication to make known his wants, needs and desires. One tool that we've been teaching him is American Sign Language. Xander has picked it up pretty quickly and can sign over 50 signs when prompted. Exactly one year ago, he only knew 25! He's a very smart young man that's eager to learn. He has a very spunky and inquisitive personality too - which is great for exploration and learning. 

Xander is also a huge helper!  Three times a day he helps his Nannies go to the kitchen to get meals for the house, he helps them carry the heavy pots back to the house and then helps by setting the table for meals. He helps clean up after the little ones and he's great at following directions, too. Xander's best friend is Hector. These two boys have beautiful friendship of love and laughter and help each other do what the other can't. Hector uses a wheelchair and Xander gladly helps Hector  do tasks/ chores that he can't do on his own. He helps Hector make his bed, push him around campus, get in and out of his wheelchair, and help him get up/ down stairs. In return, Hector helps Xander verbally communicate with the ayi's and their other friends. Their friendship is so sweet!  Xander loves helping out! No matter what the task, he's very dependable and listens well to directions. 

Xander comes to therapy 4 days a week. When he's with us, we work on communication, sensory integration and behavior training. As I mentioned, he's making such excellent progress. Last summer, we began training Xander with a photo communication system and since then he's done so well. He uses these photos to show his nannies, friends, therapists his needs and wants. This summer his communication system will be updated with new vocabulary and tasks which will help him even more. Xander may be very quiet but he is becoming a great communicator. He thrives on routine and a set schedule. Despite not attending school, Xander has a strict daily schedule of educational and sensory activities and other chores that fill his day and keep him busy.  Xander's absolute favorite activity is playing or building with Legos. Man, this kid LOVES his Legos!! He could sit and play for hours and be completely content. Xander also loves vestibular activities (swinging, bouncing, jumping on the trampoline, etc.). He loves being active and his social skills are greatly improving as well. He loves playing catch, digging in the sand, or shooting hoops!

Y'all this kid....ahhh he's so amazing! He has a precious smile and a deep giggle that can melt any heart! When he smiles, his dark brown eyes sparkle! They SPARKLE!! It's spectacular! If you know Xander, then you know what I'm talking about, and for those of you that don't...come visit him and see for yourself! :)

Check out this video about Xander! We love this young man, but want to help him find his forever family! Would you please SHARE this post and video? Together, we can help Xander find his Family! Great news Friends, Xander's adoption file is DONE! He's ready to be match with a family!!
Please spread this word about this awesome young man, he's the perfect addition to any family.

If you or someone you know are interested in adoption, Xander's file, or have questions, please email me at: naomi.preedin@chinaorphans.org