Dekota from Texas

Dekota is an extraordinary young man. He is very affectionate and sweet as he loves hugs and loves to make other people smile. He cares for others and will go out of his way to ask others if they are okay. He enjoys laughing and is quite the comedian. He enjoys participating in Special Olympics. He likes to master floor puzzles, explore with PJ Masks, seek justice with superheroes and Jedi's, and practice karate with the Ninja Turtles. To keep up his energy, Dekota fuels himself with his favorite foods: chicken nuggets, spaghetti, tater tots, and mac and cheese. He loves school and currently benefits from educational support services to address his individual learning differences. Though Dekota will need extensive support and assistance at home and at school, he is learning to complete many self-care tasks with some supervision. He is verbal and participates in speech therapy which is aimed at increasing his fluency in words that can be used on a day-to-day basis. Dekota is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is learning to express difficult emotions appropriately. He can be quickly redirected and is very apologetic when he sees that he has done something to hurt others or things around him. Dekota is currently diagnosed with seizure disorder. He has a VNS (vagus nerve stimulator) magnet implanted in his chest as a fail-safe mechanism during seizures.

Dekota's forever family will be 100% committed to loving him and meeting his individual needs. Because of his medical, intellectual, and emotional needs, Dekota would benefit from a forever family that is knowledgeable in managing children with such diagnoses. He will likely need some form of special needs care throughout his life. Dekota's family will provide patience, structure, and consistency while also offering a stable, loving relationship with him. Dekota does well with other children and would do well with siblings.