Aaliyah Loves School and Sesame Street

The letter "A" stands for Aaliyah.

Elmo fans, you're going to be able to relate to Aaliyah. She is one of the world's biggest Elmo fans, and she absolutely loves watching all of her friends on Sesame Street. In particular, Aaliyah really likes dancing to the music that the show will often feature, mimicking the dance moves she sees the characters make.

Aaliyah is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. She is able to follow verbal and visual commands, and she also has the ability to solve problems.  Aaliyah’s teachers report she has done well during the school day and her ability to communicate through a picture book has greatly increased over the past school year. 

Aaliyah is legally freed for adoption, and because she requires a great deal of attention and care, a two-parent, childless couple would be her ideal placement. Her family should also be calm, highly structured, and familiar with autism spectrum disorder. Interested families will need to commit to spending a significant amount of time getting to know Aaliyah in person before she is able to transition into their home.  

Who Can Adopt?

If you’re at least 18, have a stable source of income and have room in your heart, you may be a perfect match to adopt a waiting child. Adoptive parents can be single, married or partnered; experienced or not; renters or homeowners; LGBTQ+ singles and couples. As an adoptive parent, you won’t have to pay any fees. Adoption from foster care is completely free in Massachusetts.

The process to adopt a child from foster care includes training, interviews and home visits to determine if adoption is right for you. These steps will help match you with a child or sibling group that will be a good fit.

To learn more about adoption from foster care, call the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) at (617) 964-6273 or visit www.mareinc.org. Start the process today and give a waiting child a permanent place to call home.