Xandra from European Union

Xandra was born in October 2007. She is a healthy teen with some developmental delays, particularly in the areas of social emotional skills and scholastic achievement. Xandra’s motor skills are on target, and she is independent with personal hygiene. Her attention and memory are relatively stable. Update May 2022: Xandra continues to make wonderful progress in her academic work, as an eager and motivated student, and with her social emotional development, but the years of growing up in economically poor, neglectful, and abusive circumstances have left their mark on this teen. Xandra thrives when she feels loved and valued and has a deep need for direct attention. Many of her behavioral challenges are rooted around this need, but she does not currently require any medication to be considered stable. Xandra has seen peers from the group home get adopted and as she continues to wait for the same, she is often upset and sad that no family has chosen her. It is her dream to be adopted and she would do best as an only or youngest child whose parents could lavish a lot of their time and care on her. September 2021: Xandra was abandoned by her mother at a young age and lived with extended family until 2019. The conditions were neglectful, and Xandra experienced physical and emotional abuse. Due to bouts of anger, Xandra was examined by a psychiatrist and diagnosed with mixed disorder of conduct and emotions for which she takes medication as needed. The specialists who work with Xandra report that her emotional and mental health have improved and that she is overall more balanced and settled now. Prior to entering state care Xandra’s attendance at school was very sporadic. She has learned to read and write in the last two years and as a motivated student is closing the academic gap between herself and her peers, despite working in a new language. A respectful and obedient girl, Xandra gladly helps with all household tasks at the group home. She has many friends and likes to go for walks, listen to music or watch TV. Xandra is desperate to have a family and is deeply saddened by the fact that her biological relatives do not visit her. Other children taunt her about being unwanted and alone which causes feelings of anger, abandonment, and jealousy in Xandra. She has no hesitations about being adopted and having a forever family. A family interested in adopting Xandra should have experience with developmental trauma and be prepared for long-term mental health, special education, and behavioral needs.