This November, LEVCHYK SPECTRUM HUB in Mykolaiv marks its first anniversary. Over the past year, 87 families raising children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have received specialist support. Behind this figure are regular, free developmental therapy sessions for children, support for parents, and the first steps towards building a sustainable support system for these families in the Mykolaiv community.
The full-scale war in Ukraine has made specialist care harder to access in this frontline region. At the same time, internally displaced families raising children on the autism spectrum have moved to the city and need access to developmental support. The opening of LEVCHYK has given these families a place to receive regular help: children attend free sessions with specialists, while their parents find a supportive community.
The hub opened through the joint efforts of the Future for Ukraine charitable foundation and Mykolaiv City Council, with support from Ecolab, the Pfizer Foundation, Nova Ukraine, and long-standing patron Vadym Stolar.
What sessions at LEVCHYK SPECTRUM HUB is like
At the hub, children aged three to seven work with psychologists, applied behaviour analysis (ABA) practitioners, a speech and language therapist, a sensory integration specialist, and an art therapist. The team helps children develop everyday skills: understanding spoken language, communicating, interacting with others, and gradually becoming more independent.
Children visit the hub twice a week, attending three 45-minute sessions during each visit. Sessions are individual and take place in specially equipped rooms, with learning centred on play and interaction with specialists.
Olha Yavorska, Head of Children’s Support Programmes“Comprehensive support for children on the autism spectrum follows an individual plan and lasts from six months to a year, depending on the goals set”
Art therapy sessions give children opportunities to draw and paint with different materials, model with modelling clay, and make collages. Through creative activities, they express their feelings, release emotional tension, and learn to find creative solutions. A therapeutic garden, created at LEVCHYK with support from long-standing patron Vadym Stolar, offers another space for development, where children explore the world through interaction with nature.
First-Year Results: 45 Children Have Completed the Developmental Support Programme
Since the hub opened, 45 children have completed its developmental support programme. Parents whose children attend regularly describe the changes they see in everyday life.
Five-year-old Dmytro has been attending the centre for almost a year. His mother, Kristina, says that during this time he has become calmer, learned to wait, and developed a better understanding of spoken language.
“Dmytro can wait now, and he knows there are breaks here. He knows every room and every teacher. His speech has come a long way. He now has around 20 words that he can use spontaneously. His understanding of spoken language has improved a great deal,” Kristina says.
Oleksandr and Olha, the parents of six-year-old David, have also noticed positive changes in their son’s development.
“David has been coming to the centre for almost a year. He enjoys it, and we can see really good results: he understands what people say to him much better. He has gradually started speaking on his own. His ability to interact with other children and manage everyday self-care tasks has improved too.”
From Supporting Families to Developing Community Social Services
Alongside their daily work with children, the hub’s team is working to ensure that families can access specialist support on an ongoing basis. LEVCHYK is developing and piloting a social service model for children with ASD, with the aim of integrating it into Mykolaiv’s community social services system.
The project is supported by the NGO “Southern Development Strategy” in partnership with Save the Children in Ukraine, with financial support from Danida Embassy of Denmark in Ukraine. The pilot will help assess how the model works in practice and refine it to meet the needs of children and their families.
The first LEVCHYK SPECTRUM HUB was established in Lviv in 2023 by Future for Ukraine, with support from patron Vadym Stolar, to help internally displaced families raising children diagnosed with ASD. Over three years, the centre has provided more than 18,000 developmental therapy sessions.
