Photolisting Profile for Shawn O

Shawn O is an 18-year-old boy from Maine who is hoping to be adopted.

Shawn is an engaging teen who was born in June of 1991. Shawn has auburn red hair, and a face full of freckles. Shawn has a great smile and he smiles often. Shawn has a great sense of humor and he can be a lot of fun to spend time with. Shawn likes swimming, basketball, and fishing. He enjoys trading and dueling with his Yu Gi Oh cards. Shawn loves animals, and he can be sensitive and caring to those around him. Shawn values hard work and he enjoys helping his foster dad do house repairs and projects. Shawn spends the summer collecting bottles and cans to earn extra money. He takes a great deal of pride in this accomplishment. Shawn has also participated in fund raising activities that raised about $200 for a local charity. He's been the manager of the girl's soccer team and he's been asked to manage the girl's basketball team. Shawn has made a great deal of progress and he truly wants to work through the issues that have hindered his interpersonal relationships. Shawn has joined the Boy Scouts and he is doing very well in the organization. Shawn enjoys school and his teachers love him and appreciate his desire to learn. Shawn recently graduated from Middle School and his teachers developed a skit for Shawn to celebrate the great progress that Shawn has made during the time that he has been in Middle School. The school staff presented a trophy to Shawn for his work as the soccer manager and for his commitment to always doing his best in his academic studies. He will be entering the ninth grade in the fall of 2005 and he receives resource room assistance for many of his classes. Shawn is below grade level because of his difficulty with reading and information processing. Shawn’s foster mother introduced him to novels on cassette tape, and he enjoys that activity a great deal. She is encouraging him to read the book while listening to the tape. Shawn has made great progress in his abilty to make friends and work through his frustration and difficulties with learning certain types of information. His teachers state that Shawn is helpful in class and that he truly wants to do well with his work. Shawn is a young teen that is easy to like even when he is struggling with difficult behaviors. Shawn has difficulty accepting feedback from adults and he will sometimes shut down and then he won’t be willing to complete his work. Shawn also receives speech and language therapy through the school. Shawn has been in his current foster home for over three years and he is very connected to this family. Shawn appreciates what this family has done for him and he has expressed that he had learned many things from them. It's very unusual for a teen to be able to express their gratitude to the adults in their lives, but this is something that Shawn is able to do. He would like to continue contact with this family. Shawn values family relationships and he will also need to maintain contact with his siblings. Shawn is currently placed with his younger brother, but it is not in the best interest of the boys to be placed together in their adoptive home. Another family has adopted Shawn’s birth sister, but they maintain contact with each other. Shawn wants to be adopted and he wants to be a part of a family. Shawn will require a family that can support him in working through his grief and loss issues. Shawn has made great progress in his ability to accept authority and to have difficult discussions with the adults in his life. Shawn is a true pleasure to spend time with and he will add a great deal to any family that is fortunate enough to have him join them. Shawn is very invested in working through his issues and understanding why he becomes discouraged when he is attempting tasks that present a challenge to him. Shawn would like a mother and father, but he could do well with a father that is very involved. Shawn would do well with older siblings or as an only child. This is based on Shawn's preference and not due to concerns about the risk of his harming younger children. He would do well with a family's relatives that visit. He thrives on one-on-one attention. He does well with consistency and nurturing. Shawn is a boy who can form attachments. Shawn entered foster care in February of 2001 due to his mother’s inability to care for him because of her mental health issues. He has been in a number of placements, but has been in his current foster home for over three years. His foster parents value him and enjoy having him in their family.