TRENT from European Union

Trent was born in a depressive state from an unmonitored teenage pregnancy in June 2018 and, after four months in the hospital, was placed into a foster family. He is in general good health, but has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, congenital anomalies syndrome, moderate cognitive disability, and an unspecified behavioral disorder. When he turns three years of age, he will be evaluated for an autism spectrum disorder. Trent’s hearing is reportedly normal, and after a surgical correction of his strabismus, no problems with his vision have been noted. Update November 2022: While an official autism diagnosis does not appear to have been issued yet, Trent continues to show many symptoms of neurodivergence, such as being non-verbal, lack of gesture use, not responding to his name, repetitively lining up objects and stimming with long items (pencils, straws), low joint attention and imitation skills, and sudden mood swings. Trent is otherwise very healthy and likes to be physically active. He is not yet potty trained, still requires assistance with feeding and drinks from a bottle with a nipple. Trent does not interact with other children and prefers the company of familiar adults from whom he accepts affection and gentle teasing. He does not feel comfortable around strangers or in new environments. Trent enjoys being in the backyard, spending time with the foster family’s pets, and watching children’s movies. 2021: Trent continues to be a physically healthy child but aside from progress in gross motor skills, the developmental gap between Trent and same-age peers is steadily widening. Strong-willed Trent still attends a daycare center for disabled children where he works with a team of specialists. He is nonverbal, dislikes strangers and unfamiliar places, exhibits auto-aggression, and does not play with other kids. Trent has begun to eat items that are not food (soil, paper) and self-soothes by sucking on fabrics. He is starting to show an interest in watching cartoons. 2020: Trent is a non-verbal child who does not use gestures or react to his name. He makes random vocalizations and displays a variety of vocal stims. Trent does not follow instructions and his imitation skills are poor. He shows limited interest in his environment and toys and does not play with other children. If nervous or angry, he exhibits mild auto-aggression, but can be redirected. After regular work with a physical therapist, Trent moves with relative confidence but is often observed to toe-walk. He can finger-feed and drink from a bottle with help. Trent is not yet potty-trained. Trent prefers the company of familiar adults and responds positively to tender human voices and simple jesting. He is calm when in the presence of his foster parent and likes to cuddle with her. Our Foreign Supervised Provider visited Trent and spent some time at a playground with him, his foster mother, and his social worker. While there, Trent did not interact with other children and did not use playground equipment according to its function. Trent avoided eye contact and produced continuous vocal stims. When denied access to a desired item, Trent grew very angry and was fully calmed only by being offered a piece of candy. Trent naps twice a day and sleeps for about eight hours each night. In the mornings, he attends a therapeutic daycare where he works with a special education teacher once a week and a psychologist twice a week. He has not yet received speech therapy services. When Trent was placed into his foster home, he was considered a healthy baby, but his foster mother states that developmental delays began to surface when he was six months old.