Cassie, 5 years old, NC

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Cassie is a sweet little girl who had a very rough start in life. She moved here from Florida over 2 years ago and has been in YFS custody for almost 2 years. Due to severe neglect and malnutrition, she is severely developmentally delayed and has a diagnosis of autism. She has made huge strides and progress since coming into foster care and is placed with a family who cares about her and is providing all the support and love that she needs. She is learning to communicate thanks to ABA therapy, and the attention and care she receives at home from her family and her nursing staff. Cassie is now attending Kindergarten for exceptional children and is thriving and doing better than we could have hoped. Cassie gets on very well her foster sister, and they love to dress alike and sometimes play together. She loves singing to herself and though she is still in her own little world a lot of the time she enjoys reading with her foster mom, singing along to Disney tunes and looking at books with any sort of story containing animal characters!

Cassie enjoys playing with her foster brother’s iPad. Before entering YFS custody, she had her own iPad that she frequently used. While in the hospital, she borrowed an iPad and engaged with various programs, which helped her learn to identify colors and different objects. Cassie uses the iPad as a tool to calm herself when she feels stressed or upset, and it appears to be aiding her progress in communication by allowing her to use words she has learned from it. According to her foster mom, Cassie navigates the iPad quite well, despite her cognitive challenges and limited communication skills. The hope is that by having access to something familiar, like the iPad, she will be able to enhance her communication skills in the future.