About Alina

Alina is a beautiful nine-year-old girl with autism who absolutely loves life. She is a free spirit and an independent thinker with a wonderful sense of humor. Alina loves to laugh, tease and be silly. Most of all, she is extremely affectionate and loving.

Alina is an adventurer at heart and in the summer you will find her on a roller coaster (she calls it the “up and down”) at the amusement park or doing cannonballs (she calls them “candyballs”) into the pool. She loves the water so much we think she is part mermaid. Or you might find her at a minor league baseball game cheering for the home team (and even booing the umpire!).

In the winter you’ll find her speeding down the sledding hill, ice skating or shopping at the mall for cute pink clothes. Alina loves clothes and dress up—the flashier and pinker the better!

Alina has never ingested a piece of meat. She is a vegetarian who likes to bake cakes and cookies but doesn’t eat them. She prefers fruit and yogurt instead. After school, you can find her at the library, outside on her scooter or bike, playing at the playground or on the computer. She loves baby dolls and pretending to be their “mommy.”

Alina loves music and is quite the dancer! She also loves to sing. Her idea of a perfect party would definitely include karaoke and the chicken dance. She loves High School Musical and wants to sing (and dress) like Sharpay.

Unfortunately, Alina struggles every day because of her autism. The bus is too loud, the room is too crowded, and the wait is too long. She has trouble communicating how she feels. Her language is limited. She’s tired from severe sleep difficulties. She needs help with fine motor skills like handwriting, and seeks sensory input constantly in the form of swinging, spinning, rocking or being “squished.” These all help her system get organized.

She tends to obsess over things... watch the same 30 seconds of a video over and over... use the same phrase repeatedly... speak in movie quotes.

However, despite her struggles, Alina brings sunshine into everyone’s lives. When people talk about Alina, they can’t help but smile. She is warm, happy and extraordinary child!