AUSTIN, Texas — A daredevil in the making, 12-year-old David is not afraid to go after what he wants.
An adventurous, intelligent and loving boy, David loves his bike so he did not hold back when he got the opportunity to learn from BMX pro Aaron Ross.
"It is amazing. I love it. I might have fallen a few times, but it is fun," David said about his morning spent with Ross.
One pedal after another, David learned new tricks and pushed himself to the limits, even falling a few times and picking himself back up.
"The thing that is the hardest to learn is not being scared. He is on the verge of not being scared and being skilled, so he is doing great," Ross said during the lesson.
It is tough to get David to come indoors because he loves anything and everything outside, like playing sports, fishing and mountain biking.
"I was just born to be outdoors. I am a wild kid," David said.
David embraces this go-getter attitude in many aspects of his life, like getting good grades and pursuing a future in the military. However, he is still many years off from being an adult. So, for now, he is enjoying the normal things kids do like playing video games or building with Legos.
He also likes lending a helping hand with chores around the house. David is a helpful, fun and encouraging boy who hopes to make others smile, especially his future family.
"He has a very tender heart towards people in need, always wanting to help others or give generously in any way he can. When anyone gets hurt or is upset, David is the one who will stop to make sure they are OK," his foster family said.
David hopes his family is loving and supportive.
"A willing family that will take care of me and my special needs," he said.
He will do well in a stable, patient, structured environment. He has demonstrated the ability to significantly improve his coping skills and emotional regulation. He is motivated to continue this work through therapy and practice with goals of increasing his patience, regulating when upset and identifying his feelings prior to dysregulation.
David does receive support services at school to help him stay on level with his peers behaviorally and academically. With these support services, David typically makes As and Bs. He continues to work hard to learn despite his barriers.
PHOTOS | Forever Families: Meet David
David would do best in an active, trauma-informed family. This family would be able to keep him busy, ensure his participation in extracurricular activities, help advocate for his needs in school, ensure he continues to receive therapeutic services to help him process his loss and trauma and provide him consistency, stability, patience and structure.
He would love a home with siblings with whom he can play and stay busy. However, he would thrive in most family structures that are committed to seeing him continue to grow and reach his full potential.
To learn more about David or to put in an inquiry to adopt him, visit his page on the Heart Gallery of Central Texas.
KVUE launched the Forever Families segment with Partnerships for Children (PFC) in June 2020 to highlight children in the Heart Gallery of Central Texas who need secure and permanent families. Every day, there are nearly 1,000 children waiting to get adopted in Central Texas, according to PFC.
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