How LEVCHYK SPECTRUM HUB supports families raising children on the spectrum

Motherhood is always accompanied by endless love and, likewise, a huge responsibility. Both of these should be multiplied by two when a family is raising a child with ASD. Children on the spectrum need even more care, understanding, and support. Today, we're talking about how to provide them with the best help and sharing the story of Olena, a mother raising her five-year-old Anton with autism.

Olena Antropova is from the Donetsk region. She is a mother of five children. Evacuating away from the war, the family experienced extreme stress. Two-year-old Anton, diagnosed with ASD, suffered the most: the boy stopped responding to his name and communicating. In Lviv, Olena turned to the LEVCHYK SPECTRUM HUB, and joint efforts with the methodologists brought results. Olena admits, “I cried when he said his first word.” We would like to thank everyone who supports the work of the LEVCHYK SPECTRUM HUB, especially our long-standing patron, Vadym Stolar. Together, we are giving children on the spectrum the chance for a better future and successful integration into society.

The diagnosis often causes tremendous stress for parents. In addition to their standard parental responsibilities, they must make additional efforts to understand their child and their needs, provide them with correctional help from specialists, and constantly work with them at home. Olena learned about her son's diagnosis after consulting a psychiatrist when he was three years old. The boy did not speak, but liked to line things up while playing. For his mother, it was a sign that her child needed to be examined by a doctor. Olena shared that she was shocked: “I was hysterical, denying the fact.”

Then the war began, and the whole family was forced to evacuate: “Then Anton was two years old. We were forced to leave home, running from the war. Children and Anton. There were 15 of us on two shelves. Plus the animals. Anton experienced severe stress, those explosions...”.

After moving to the suburbs of Lviv, the family learned to live anew in their new circumstances, while simultaneously seeking opportunities to help Anton. LEVCHYK SPECTRUM HUB, a center providing free correctional help for internally displaced children on the autism spectrum, became a true lifeline for the family.

Specialists who work with children with ASD emphasize that seeking specialized help is extremely important for the timely correction of the child's behavior. At the time of contacting LEVCHYK, Anton had completely stopped communicating. However, this can and should be changed.

At the center, children work with neuropsychologists, speech therapists, and physical therapists and together with home exercises, it brings results. Children learn to communicate, understand and express their needs, and regulate their emotions. Some say their first word, while others stop being afraid of hugs. This is what happened in the lives of Olena and Anton. The mother recalls: “It was so hard, it's such a long journey. I remember we were driving home, and he said, ‘Mom, mom, the house!’ God, I was so happy! People were looking at me, and I was crying. My child had said his first word.”

Now Anton talks, has started communicating with other children, and is already preparing for school. All this was made possible thanks to the timely intervention and the persistent work of both teachers and parents.

The specialists at LEVCHYK SPECTRUM HUB understand the journey that families go through when raising a child on the spectrum. At the end of October, the project expanded its support program to include parents. Methodologists organized a small meeting and invited a psychologist; in turn, parents could ask any questions that they were concerned about, because to help their child, it is important to learn to understand them and have the resources to do so, both psychological and physical.

Despite all the difficulties, parents raising a child on the spectrum should remember that help is available, solutions exist, and successful integration of the child into society is possible. All it takes is a little more effort and seeking specialized help.