A little boy from Bulgaria who has Down’s Syndrome has bonded with his new American family by helping to take care of his three disabled brothers- despite not being able to speak English yet.
Simon Clark is just four-years-old, yet helps his PE teacher father Jeremy, 33, and nurse mother Nicole, 31, from Utah, feed and dress adopted brothers Alex, six, who also has Down’s Syndrome, as well as David, five, and Jon, six, who both have Cerebral Palsy.
In adorable footage, the exuberant youngster tirelessly darts around from one duty to another, at home in Salt Lake City, before delivering sweet goodnight kisses to all of his siblings.
Since moving from Bulgaria last month, Simon- originally known as Zadock, helps his siblings eat using spoons and feeding syringes before putting them to bed, and even spends most of his time playing with them in the living room and garden.
Simon Clark is just four-years-old, yet helps his PE teacher father Jeremy, 33, and nurse mother Nicole, 31, from Utah, feed and dress his adopted brothers. He is seen dressing Jon, six, who has Cerebral Palsy
Since moving from Bulgaria last month, Simon helps his siblings eat using spoons and feeding syringes- seen feeding brother Alex, six, who also has Down’s Syndrome
Speaking about the youngster’s incredible spirit, Jeremy, who has extensive experience training children with special needs, said: ‘Last month, Simon joined our family from Bulgaria.
‘He is the fourth Bulgarian child I and my wife have adopted.
‘He’s enjoyed the company of his brothers quite a bit, he jumped right in and started playing and taking care of his brothers.
‘Since Simon has joined us, the days have become longer, they start a bit earlier and end a bit later and there’s more time to be a good parent.’
In adorable footage, the exuberant youngster tirelessly darts around from one duty to another, at home in Salt Lake City. Pictured: Simon helping dad wash up
Pictured: Simon gives Jon a cuddle. He helps his parents with the daily duties of washing and cleaning then helps put his siblings to bed
Jeremy and Nicole have always had a passion for adoption and they decided early on in their marriage that it would be one way that they would grow their family.
According to Jeremy, Simon can run and play football and he knows his way around mobile phones and tablets.
Jeremy said: ‘Simon loves to be with people. While he can speak Bulgarian, he still can’t speak English, but out of our four children, he is the most verbal, so he’ll say ‘mum’ and ‘dad’.
‘He’s still learning but we’re confident that he’ll become verbal, while his brothers not so much.’
Pictured: Simon and Dad helping his brother Alex use the bathroom
Pictured: Simon and Alex are seen playing on the swings in the garden. The boys help keep each other entertained
‘Raising four kids with special needs requires a lot of work and there are many things you have to do.
‘The key is finding joy throughout each of those activities.
‘Recently, I timed how long it would take to wash their teeth and get them ready to bed, and it took 30 minutes, so even if I work really hard it always takes a long time.
‘Fortunately, my wife Nicole, who had been a nurse for 10 years, quit her job to become a stay-at-home mum and takes care of the children full-time.’
Despite the difficulties, Jeremy says there is great joy in interacting with special needs children on a daily basis because of how enthusiastic they are.
He said: ‘Taking care of these children can be a great experience.
‘They are always excited and full of joy. They get really happy over simple things that other kids could sometimes take for granted.’
Since moving from Bulgaria last month, Simon helps his siblings eat using spoons and feeding syringes before putting them to bed, and even spends a lot of time playing with them in the living room and garden