Down syndrome, muscular hypotonia, cognitive developmental delay, moderate mental delay and behavioral disorder.
Alina’s file was updated in Feb 2024.
At the age of 21 months old, Alina was admitted to the hospital with leukemia. Fortunately, her treatments worked and her leukemia was cured. However, Alina also has Down Syndrome and her mother could not care for her. She is currently not taking any medication. She drinks a lot of water during the day, which led to a medical evaluation as to why she drinks so much, but nothing was found.
As is the case with many children with Down Syndrome, Alina loves to give and receive affection. She is enrolled in an inclusive academic program where she attends sixth grade. She interacts in a positive way with her peers and participates in class. Alina cannot say the days of the week, but she knows what she is supposed to do daily. Even though Alina needs to be told what to do she somehow finds out the way to solve problems on her own.
Alina is able to use the restroom and she has been walking since the age of 3. She has been diagnosed with muscular hypotonia, for which she goes to physical, occupational, speech, and psychological therapies. Her fine motor skills are continuing to develop, and Alina cannot fully write or read yet. A special academic curriculum has been designed for her for some subjects. Alina said her first words when she was 4 years old. She has a cyst in her brain and is monitored periodically. The foster mother stated that the child was able to talk and most of her words were correctly pronounced but after having surgery on her tonsils in 2018, there has been a setback on her language skills. However, her language comprehension is the same.
Alina loves to play games on a cell phone, and she is a great helper around the house. She is a very talkative girl who loves to wear dresses. She also likes to color and draw. She easily makes friends and loves to interact with peers. It has been observed that many times, Alina has great leadership skills when it comes to organizing games among her peers. She can verbally express (in a limited way) her feelings and emotions. She interacts in a positive way with adults, peers, younger children, and animals. Alina has learned to be independent in many ways.