Ekaterina Ostrovskaya, like many other parents of special children, did not know about autism until it came in her life. This disorder was discovered for her son while she and her husband were looking for answers of what was happening to their child.
Today, Ekaterina Ostrovskaya is no longer a frightened mother who is trying different ways to “cure” her son. She is the chairman of the «Kolping in Ukraine» NGO and the head of the department of special education and social work of Ivan Franko LNU. By education this woman is mathematician and programmer. However, life circumstances contributed to the fact that she decided to change her profile and become a psychologist. And for better understanding not only son, but also other children who think differently.
As part of «The beginnings» project, we talked with Ekaterina about her experience, the long way to achieve the goal and the situation with autism in Ukraine. The woman shared with us her thoughts and achievements.
“I am most proud of my son today, and that’s for sure. I’m proud of how he went all this way. I also really love the work I do. As paradoxical as it may sound, autism has helped me realize myself. I am very glad to know many like-minded people. Thanks to our joint efforts – Ukraine has stopped being afraid of autism,” – says Ekaterina.
See the full version of the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdOc0-mC6Vk&list=PLQDGjpYj_MwP3X04F7mQSQUDdrf1ii-6d&index=6.
