“In the rhythm of the horse’s heart and the melody of the keys, where every movement and sound is a victory over the circumstances. The war taught us to be stronger together, to find support in each other, and not to give up on difficulties”
For the International Autism Awareness Day, we are presenting the “Not Invisible and Unbreakable. Stories about the lives and challenges of Ukrainian autistic children during the war” project. With the information support of INVAK.INFO, we are telling the stories of 12 families who have learned to live on after the tragic day of February 24, 2022. The families share their experiences and feelings, secrets of overcoming difficulties in Ukraine and abroad, and each family is united with an irrefutable belief in the soonest and most long-awaited Victory.
Mykola Krok, a 20-year-old non-verbal young man with autism from Chortkiv, Ternopil region, who loves horseback riding and music. Despite the city’s geographical remoteness from the Russian invaders’ shelling, Mykola’s family has survived it, experienced all the difficulties of life changes, but continues to fight for their child and Ukraine’s victory every day.
February 24, 2022
The morning of February 24th, 2022, greeted the Krok family with terrible news that no one knew how to react to – what to do next, where to go, who to call… Mother Halyna recalls that in the early days of the war there were offers to come abroad, but the family decided to stay at home because they felt relatively safe in Western Ukraine. Mykola’s hometown is a familiar place to him. He can only rest and relax properly at home. However, even the walls of his home did not help him get rid of tension and anxiety during the air raids, and the inability to go anywhere made him even more desperate and stressed.
Before the war, Mykola was a very active boy, despite his neurotypical differences from others, and thanks to the sometimes superhuman efforts of the Krok family. He studied hard at school, and getting there was a real miracle, since no one had even heard of autism and inclusion at the time – everyone was sent to a special institution. Later, the boy’s program for the mentally retarded was replaced by a program for children with developmental delays. It was too late to transfer the child to inclusive education by then, because too much time had been lost, and Mykola simply would not have been able to adapt to the new environment.
“I was very pleased with the way they organized the learning process for Mykola. Teachers needed to adapt the material to my son’s abilities and his manner of communication, because he cannot answer questions verbally. He understands the language, but he can’t answer. He had very professional and, I would say, humane teachers. In particular, a Ukrainian language teacher with a degree in speech therapy, and his math teacher. And you know, the younger generation is ready to invest time and effort in teaching a special child, while the teachers of the Soviet era are unfortunately not. Therefore, the introduction of inclusion at a decent level will probably only happen when Soviet teachers are replaced by a new generation. Motivated, with a twinkle in their eyes and a desire to do their job as best they can. But in reality, everything can be gradually managed and all difficulties can be overcome, if not for this damn war, which turned our lives upside down, took our children and continues to cripple our lives,” recalls Galyna.
It was only in June 2022 that kindergartens and schools, out-of-school activities, and centers began to reopen in the city. Mykola couldn’t be happier that his riding club, Horse Drive, was open again. He continued to ride his favorite horse Boutique, who had become a friend over the years, relaxing, enjoying himself, and not thinking about anything. But one day, an airplane flew near the center, and the building where the animals were kept was destroyed by an explosive wave. Thank God no one was hurt and the horses survived! The entire Krok family, as well as all the parents whose children attended the Center, trainers, and other concerned citizens, helped to rebuild and fix up the stables.
In 2023, Mykola Krok completed his studies and entered Chortkiv Vocational School to become an information processing and computer software operator. He also attends the Vasyl Marmus Chortkiv School of Arts for the piano class.
2025
Before the full-scale invasion, Mykola Krok willingly visited the Road to Life comprehensive rehabilitation center, a unique place in Chortkiv for daytime care for people with disabilities over the age of 18. This was extremely important both for the teenagers with special needs and their parents, as in most cases, it is very difficult to find a friendly and safe space for their children. The center offered classes with a speech therapist, psychologist, and crafts teachers. The youth were also provided meals. Of course, a municipally owned center will always suffer from a lack of funds for its maintenance, but thanks to the efforts of parents, the center stayed open.
Today the center where families became one big united family over the years, no longer exists. Halyna Krok says:
“Back in 2022, the city council allowed the center to reopen part-time at the earliest opportunity. Of course, everyone was happy about it, and our children rushed to the center. But the happiness was short-lived: our center was soon closed, and the community was left with nothing. By the decision of a city council session, the name of the institution was changed – the phrase “for people with disabilities” was removed, which regulated our right to stay in the center. We spent a year knocking on the doors of human rights activists, writing complaints to all possible authorities, and appealing to all possible instances and government representatives, and managed to get the group re-established with a separate room for our needs. But that room required a lot of money to repair and restore, so it was not suitable at all. And for more than a year, nothing happened – the youths were confined to their homes (14 people), and the authorities turned a blind eye to the problem. In the end, the families got a small room in the Schoolboy’s Palace, where youths with special needs could only meet twice a week.”
According to Mykola’s mother, such decisions make her feel discouraged, because everything that had been nurtured and established over the years has not only disappeared, but left the youths with nowhere to go. The young man adapted very well in the circle of his peers, performing at various events and plays, with roles that did not require verbal communication. Unfortunately, this opportunity no longer exists.
The young man’s mother notes:
“In these turbulent, dark times, Mykola’s condition, in my opinion, has not changed much. Fortunately, we were able to stay at home, because our town is relatively calm. This helped us to maintain our usual way of life, our son’s schedule and his hobbies. But is it really true? To be honest, I don’t know, because Mykola doesn’t talk about his feelings. Perhaps, somewhere deep inside, he is experiencing tremendous pain for Ukraine and its people, but he cannot tell us.”
