He's a 16-year-old boy that will require a lot of care and dedication from a loving family. Ryan has severe food allergies, is fed through a G-tube and has additional special needs. Meet Ryan, who deserves a new start in the New Year and a family to give him love.
Ryan has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and autism and has created his own sign language to let you know what he wants.
"He's very good at making eye contact with people, whether they be strangers or people he sees on a regular basis," said Kate Kaltenbach with San Diego County Adoptions. "He also says please and thank you. He does it with his sign language, so he's very polite."
Ryan has shown great strides since being placed in his new foster home. With the help and dedication of his foster dad Jose, Ryan is now able to walk farther than ever before.
"He could only walk 20 steps and now can walk 100," Kaltenbach explained. "I think it shows that in the right kind of environment, he can really thrive and that he is capable of so much. And he's very determined when he wants something he lets people know. He's very good at expressing himself."
"He loves being outdoors, any type of outing he can go on, whether it's in the car, whether it's going on a walk," Kaltenbach continued. "He's very good about getting around, he can crawl and spin on the ground, and he's very mobile."
Now that Ryan is in a good foster home, a specialized school program, and is receiving occupational and physical therapy, he is doing things no one ever thought he'd be able to do.
"Helping to make his bed pulling the sheet up, he can pull his shirt on and off. He can help to pull his socks on and so these kind of things, he usually does with assistance, but he's showing more and more independence," added Kaltenbach.
What Ryan needs now, is a family that will include him in their everyday life and give him the one-on-one attention he needs.
"He likes to be involved with family trips and outings," Kaltenbach noted. "In a setting like that, when he is surrounded by people who love him and included him, I think there would be no limit to what he could do."
If you're interested in adopting or becoming a foster family, call 1-877-I-ADOPT-U.
To meet other children in foster care and discover how you can help restore their hope, please click here.
