Four-year-old Maksym Kulish lives in the small village of Soniachne in Sumska Oblast. The boy has big, kind eyes, but he does not yet speak, cannot call his mother “mom,” does not play with other children, and sometimes simply disappears into his own world, where his family cannot reach him. Maksym shows signs of having autism, but an official diagnosis has not yet been confirmed due to age restrictions and the complexity of the tests. His mother, Lesia, is doing everything in her power to help her only son. In August this year, our Foundation’s mobile team visited the Chernechchynska community. Maksym’s mother asked for help: she came with her son, talked about her daily difficulties and her own attempts to help the boy. We helped her contact the NGO “Child with a Future”, a specialized organization that helps families and children with autism spectrum disorders. Through them, Lesia managed to find both teaching techniques and a community of other parents who are on the same journey every day.
“She reads success stories, gets inspired by them, learns, tries something new — and Maksym is slowly changing,” says Liudmyla Vysotska, a social worker with the mobile team in Sumska Oblast.
The psychologist and case manager of the mobile brigade have been working with Maksym for over three months. Together with his mother, they have developed a clear daily routine for the boy, selected a diet that has a positive effect on his well-being, and introduced special exercises that help him be more in tune with his body and the world around him.
“We started with playful exercises, applied the sensory integration method, and, gradually, Maksym began to open up. He smiles, reaches for his favorite toys, and gently rubs his grandmother’s hand. These are small but very important steps,” says Dmytro Kondratenko, a psychologist with the mobile team.
“We are not stopping there. We are currently negotiating a full medical examination at a clinic in Kharkiv that specializes in diagnosing children with autism.
This requires additional resources, but the family is determined, and we will not abandon them on this path until little Maksym receives all the help he needs,” assures Liudmyla Vysotska.
The video features Anna Borysova, Director of Humanitarian Programs, Serhiy Baranov, Project Manager, and little Maksym Kulish.
The assistance was provided as part of the Lifesaving: Protection, Shelter, and WASH for War-Affected Regions project, implemented by the CF “Stabilization Support Services” in partnership with the charity organization Malteser International, and with the support of Aktion Deutschland Hilft.