Jesse C

0601C7905

Status:	Available
Name:	Jesse C
Age:	17
Race:	American Indian/Alaskan Native
Gender:	Male
State:	Alaska
Case #:	0601C7905
Last Profile Update:	09/11/12
Photo Updated:	06/19/12

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Jesse C - Male, age 17

About Jesse C

A teenager of Alaska Native heritage (Yup'ik), Jesse C. would like to have a small adoptive family with a dad who is actively involved in parenting. Jesse says he could be an only child or the oldest of one or two younger brothers (no sisters please). Jesse enjoys animals, but would like to have just one (he can get overwhelmed if there are more). While Jesse enjoys being indoors playing video games and having time to himself; he also likes family activities at home and away from the home. He hopes his adoptive family will enjoy camping and fishing, and embrace his Alaska Native heritage.

While an Alaska Native family would be ideal, his social worker wants to hear from all parents who have a strong sense of commitment to parenting, an abundance of patience, good behavioral tools and strategies to bring to parenting, and the ability to interact in calm, low-key ways.

Legally free, Jesse came into foster care in mid-2004 with his four younger siblings. Two of his brothers, 11-year-old and 9-year-old, are placed together in therapeutic foster care. His 4-year-old sister is also in alternative care in Alaska. His 7-year-old brother has been adopted by a Northwest family. As the oldest child in the home, taking care of the younger children was often Jesse's responsibility and he still feels protective of them. He also feels a great sense of loss. Once he has settled into his permanent family, it might be emotionally therapeutic for him to have contact with his siblings through email and, perhaps, phone calls with the agreement, of course, of their respective families.

To find a permanent family for Jesse, his social worker especially wants to hear from folks who are knowledgeable about the daily needs of children who meet the criteria for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and who also have a good grasp of the emotional and behavioral effects of children with residual effects related to past trauma, difficulty trusting, and bi-polar mood swings.

Of great importance in parenting Jesse will be getting him to use the coping skills he learned previously in residential treatment. Like many kids who struggle with fetal alcohol effects, Jesse needs to be reminded to use those skills. He will lose those skills if he does not practice them on a regular basis.

Because his adoptive family is not going to be able to meet Jesse's needs alone, his new parents will need to see that he has the therapeutic support system in place that he needs to maintain and to do well. Such a system will include counseling, special education resources and/or vocational educational resources, medication therapy throughout his adolescence and adulthood, and, perhaps, respite care. His medication therapy has been an especially important component of his treatment program that has helped him to curb aggressive behavior.

In school, Jesse requires a small classroom with a very low student-teacher ratio of three to four students per teacher and an IEP for a learning disability and behavioral supports. While his reading skills are between the third and fifth grade level, Jesse enjoys reading. He also enjoys math even though he needs extra support in that subject; he also has extra supports for penmanship and spelling.

To be successful in a family, Jesse needs a very consistent daily routine, and simple, clear rules, limits, and consequences. Having parents to look up to who model healthy boundaries and relationship skills will help Jesse strengthen his boundaries. If you have a good understanding of Jessie's issues, his social worker wants to hear from you.