A YouTube influencer has sparked outrage after giving up her four-year-old adopted son to another home.
Mum Myka Stauffer, 32, and her husband James adopted their son, Huxley, who they said has autism and brain trauma, from China three years ago.
In a video on Myka's YouTube channel, where she has more than 700,000 subscribers, the couple said they had decided to "rehome" the boy.
James, a car detailer, said he and his wife had discovered "there were a lot more special needs that we were not aware of". They cited privacy concerns for not fully explaining why they gave the boy up, but for months Myka had alluded to struggles.
Sign up to get the Mirror's biggest and best stories delivered straight to your inbox at www.mirror.co.uk/email.
Myka, who has four biological children, tearfully said: “Do I feel like a failure as a mum? 500 per cent.”
She has previously told her followers that Huxley has autism and brain trauma while admitting that the couple were struggling to raise him.
The mum has been accused of using her adopted son for her YouTube and Instagram channels, which have been inundated with angry comments.
One follower wrote: "She adopted a child for views and then got rid of him and treated him like a brand deal."
Another wrote: "You adopted him solely for the attention it would give you and now you're giving him away. Unbelievable."
And a third added: “@MykaStauffer adopted an autistic child from china and after years of having him, she gave him up for adoption because he had ‘bad behavior’ after using him for $$$ on her youtube channel."
In the seven-minute YouTube video, filmed in the couple's bedroom, Myka denied the allegations and said the couple made the difficult decision for Huxley's benefit.
She said: "I didn't adopt a little boy to share these things publicly... Ninety-nine, 95 per cent of the struggles we have never publicly aired.
"Numerous medical professionals have felt that he needed a different fit. He needed more."
Myka said an adoption agency helped to place Huxley with his new "forever family".
She added: "He's thriving, he's doing really well, and his new mummy has medical, professional training."
Myka's children feature prominently on her social media pages, and one of her last posts featuring Huxley came on March 28.
Alongside a photo showing her holding Huxley in her arms, she wrote: "Last month was the hardest month I have ever had as a mama.
"And I’m still working through all of it. But instead of leading with my heart, I’m following yours!
"#adoptiontrauma #adoptee #adopteevoice #reactiveattachmentdisorder."
Just weeks earlier, on February 16, she posted a snap of her cradling the boy in her arms, writing: "The last couple days have been hard I don’t want to sugar coat anything.
"We have had a lot of melt downs, and lots of behaviors that have had us on our knees begging god for guidance!
"On social medial and Youtube we rarely show the behaviors or the hard stuff, because we try our best to respect our sons privacy and dignity.
"We have hard days, lots of them.
"I wish autism and adoption trauma had a manual to direct you through it all."
On Halloween last year she dressed Huxley as a Starbucks barista and posted Instagram snaps with the caption: "You hold such a special place in my heart sweet boy!"
When the couple adopted Huxley and welcomed him into their family in October 2017, they shared a photo of James cradling him in a baby carrier in Nanning, China.
Myka wrote: "Today Huxley Wen Quan became our Official son!
"It hasn’t been easy lots of tears but so worth every minute.
"God has blessed us so much and he is such a sweet and brave little baby bear."
In August 2018 a Myka gave a 10-month update in a YouTube video to discuss Huxley's "improvements, struggles and milestones".
It showed an image of Huxley with the words "Forever home".
