Verena from European Union

Verena was born in September 2010 and lived in her family of origin until she was 7 years old. She experienced and remembers neglectful and abusive conditions, including malnourishment and physical abuse. She now lives in a foster family where she is well attached. A physically healthy child, Verena has moderate developmental delays. Verena is a curious and positive girl whose gross motor skills are on target. She is working to improve her fine motor skills and speaks in simple sentences, sometimes with difficulty in pronunciation, after being nonverbal to age 7. Efforts are being made to improve Verena’s memory, thinking and concentration. Academically, she is in 5th grade, but currently works on a Kindergarten level. She has an hour of resource support per day and is well-accepted by her classmates. Verena is obedient and respects the rules at school and in the foster home. She likes to assist with household tasks. Verena is alert and follows a conversation. She answers questions without delay and appears to have a quick wit along with a sense of humor. She struggles with certain social and life skills, such as maintaining proper distance, assessing danger, and susceptibility to manipulation by others. Verena likes to play with dolls for whom she cares well and enjoys watching cartoons, drawing, and swinging. She would like to learn how to ride a bike and loves chocolate cake. Our in-country representative visited Verena and believes that many of her delays are rooted in her early years of deprivation and that she could develop much further with the right support. Diagnostic labels may be impacting her motivation and preventing her from receiving appropriate interventions and from reaching her best potential. A family interested in adopting Verena should be prepared for the life-long impact of complex developmental trauma.