Myka Stauffer

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BBC News Navigation selected Close breaking news Image copyright StaufferLife Image caption Myka and James Stauffer produced films about their family life on YouTube and Instagram A couple who documented on a popular YouTube channel their life with an autistic toddler adopted from China are facing a backlash after they revealed he had been placed with another family.

Myka Stauffer and her husband James, based in Ohio, produced videos about Huxley's adoption and his challenges.

Since 2017 the couple received sponsorship deals and video revenue.

While some understood the decision, critics accused the pair of exploiting Huxley to build their YouTube career.

The news that was revealed on Tuesday after followers noticed he had not been seen in a video for some time.

The couple said unspecified behavioural issues from Huxley had made life too difficult for the family, which includes four other children.

Content on the couple's YouTube account The Stauffer Life has now been deleted.

"Extremely depressed reading about the influencer who raised funds to adopt a son, made this her 'brand,' discovered he has special needs, secretly rehomed him," wrote journalist Sophie Ross on Twitter.

Adopted children "aren't a dog you adopted from the pound that you get to return in 14 days if they aren't a good fit... gross", commented another Twitter user, one of thousands to post negative reaction.

Popular videos The couple began sharing videos about their family life in 2014 and Mrs Stauffer's own YouTube channel Myka Stauffer grew to more than 700,000 subscribers this year.

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A post shared by (@mykastauffer) on Apr 21, 2020 at 2:58pm PDT

End of Instagram post by mykastauffer

Instagram post by mykastauffer: These last 7 years together have thrown us so many curve balls, and unexpected turns, and I’m so glad your by my side! 💕🤍✨ Not everyday is perfect, but no one is more perfect for me than you! ⭐️ [https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/socialembed/https://www.instagram.com/p/B_QkQCVgRUw/~/news/world-us-canada-52839792] Image Copyright mykastauffer mykastauffer Report [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/contact-us/editorial] [https://www.instagram.com/p/B_QkQCVgRUw/] In July 2016 they announced plans to adopt a toddler from China, and that they were considering adopting a second from "Uganda or Ethiopia".

The , Mrs Stauffer wrote in a magazine article. After hesitating, the couple decided to proceed when "God softened our hearts", she wrote.

They said revenue from sponsored videos would pay for the adoption. They also asked followers to donate $5 towards supporting their son's needs, promising to write donors' names in a baby book.

One video of the family going to China to meet two-year-old Huxley was extremely popular and clocked up more than 5.5 million views on YouTube.

Tapping into the popular trend of family life videos, the couple produced hours of content documenting their son and his life following adoption.

Detailed updates on Huxley's developmental progress were included, as well as clips of him.

Other videos on the couple's YouTube and Instagram accounts included advice about pregnancy (the couple had two more children after adopting Huxley), home-schooling, decoration and household chores.

Mrs Stauffer was also interviewed in magazines about caring for children with disabilities.

Companies including Glossier and Good American offered sponsorship deals, and the birth of their fifth child was in 2019.

Huxley out of sight In September 2019, Mrs Stauffer posted an update in which she said that Huxley had received treatment following a diagnosis of autism.

But followers noticed that in late 2019 and early 2020, Huxley stopped appearing in the videos.

On Tuesday, the couple posted an update in which they explained Huxley had been given permanently to another family for the sake of his "emotional well-being".

The adoption agency had not given them the full picture about Huxley's health, they said, and doctors in the US said he now needed "a different fit in his medical needs".

"I can't explain the amount of effort Myka has put into helping Huxley," Mr Stauffer added.

Some who have followed the story for a while commented with messages of support. "I respect you so much for having the courage to make such a heartbreaking and hard decision," one wrote.

But others accused the couple of "getting rid" of Huxley after making money from his experiences.

Others expressed sympathy for him. "Although I am sure this is hard for all involved, it does not even compare to the loss this child has endured," one wrote.

The incident has again raised the issue of international adoptions whereby parents give up care of the children after a period of time, several people commented.

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Most Read BBC News Navigation BBC News Services Explore the BBC [//ssc.api.bbc.com/?c1=2&c2=19293874&ns_site=bbc&name=] YouTuber Myka Stauffer under fire for relinquishing custody of son ...

YouTuber Myka Stauffer under fire for relinquishing custody of son ...

USA TODAYPlayPauseSound OnSound Off0:000:56ADSKIPOpen ShareEnter Full ScreenExit Full ScreenYouTube personality Myka Stauffer is facing backlash after announcing her family's decision to "rehome" their adopted 4-year-old autistic son from China following unspecified behavioral issues.

Stauffer, a mother of four other children with over 75 million views and 717,000 subscribers on , revealed in a video that her son Huxley has a new "forever family" that's better equipped to handle his special needs more than two years after she and her husband adopted him.

"With international adoption, sometimes there are unknowns and things that are not transparent on files," her husband James Stauffer, 34, said in Tuesday's . "Once Huxley came home, there was a lot more special needs that we weren't aware of, and that we were not told."

The Stauffers adopted Huxley from China in October 2017, documenting their entire international adoption journey on their YouTube channel. An emotional of the Stauffers bringing Huxley home from China received over 5.5 million views in 2017.

After his adoption, Stauffer learned that Huxley "was profoundly developmentally delayed," she recalled in a blog post for in 2019. She claimed the adoption agency only said he was "diagnosed with a brain cyst," but when they first met him "we knew something was terribly off."

Stauffer said she later learned that Huxley "had a stroke in utero" and test results determined he had "autism spectrum disorder level 3." The couple said they placed Huxley in intense therapies to meet his needs but his condition didn't improve.

"There's not an ounce of our body that doesn't love Huxley with all of our being," Stauffer said in her latest update video while fighting tears. "There wasn't a minute that I didn't try our hardest and I think what (James) is trying to say is that after multiple assessments, after multiple evaluations, numerous medical professionals have felt that he needed a different fit (for) his medical needs. He needed more."

The mommy vlogger said giving up Huxley "the last couple months have been the hardest thing I could have ever imagined…choosing to do." She added, "Do I feel like a failure as a mom? Like, 500 percent."

However, Stauffer said Huxley is with a "healthier match" to meet his "severe needs."

"He is thriving, he is very happy, he is doing really well," she said, "and his new mommy has medical professional training, and it is a very good fit."

The Stauffers didn't go into detail about Huxley's behavioral issues that led them to place him with another family, citing the child's privacy and ongoing legal issues.

"Please have grace with us," she concluded their video announcement. "We are still struggling. We are going to be heartbroken for a very long time."

Stauffer has four other children – daughters Kova, 8, Jaka, 6, sons Radley, 4, and Onyx, 11 months.

Huxley turns 5 next week.

The Stauffers revelation instantly sparked backlash on social media, with many followers accusing the couple of exploiting Huxley to boost their YouTube career.

"Myka Stauffer and her husband James adopted a boy from China and exploited him for Youtube clout," @eugenegu. "But when he got older they found him a new 'forever home' like a puppy that outgrew its welcome and not an actual human being."

"@MykaStauffer imagine writing out these captions and not meaning a single word," @ParticleSoop tweeted, referring to screenshots of Stauffer's posts. "You adopted him solely for the attention it would give you and now you’re giving him away. Unbelievable."

User @afloralmind : "I just watched #MykaStauffer YT video on how they gave up their adopted autistic child. As someone who reads behavior for a living, all I have to say is that if you were truly expressing your love for the loss of your child, you would not have 'subscribe' on your video."

Despite the overwhelming backlash, the Stauffers also received some support.

"I respect you so much for having the courage to make such a heartbreaking and hard decision. You are such great parents," Rachel Lee commented on YouTube.

Stephanie Valencia commented: "I am so sorry. I wish Huxley the best in life. He is a cool little dude."

USA TODAY reached out to the Stauffers for comment.

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