They had to to fight the bias of society and the unpreparedness of the then healthcare and educational system to ensure that children adapt to normal of life.

During this time in Ukraine in this area there have been radical changes to to the best. And it all started with parents, children, professionals and like-minded people who have gone their own way in these ten years. They have something to evaluate and have something to compare. They know about mistakes and successes on this path. They know where to go next.

INGO “Child with a future” presents «The beginnings» project,its goal is about to share with society the stories and thoughts of those from whom it all started.

As part of the project, we publish conversations with parents of children with special needs, scientists, specialists, public figures, among which:

– Inna Sergiyenko, founder of the INGO «Child with a future» Foundation, Consul of the leading International Association  «Autism Europe» , winner of the NAPA-2014 international award in the

Community Mentor nomination, moderator of the Autism Friendly Ukraine.

• Yurii Miroshnichenko, politician, public figure, scientist, human rights activist.
• Maryna Poroshenko, cardiologist, candidate of medical sciences, chairman of the board of the Poroshenko Charitable Foundation, wife of the fifth President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.

– Natalia Struchek, director of the kindergarten for children with special needs

«Child with future».

– Ekaterina Ostrovskaya, mother of a boy with autism, head of educational of the consulting center of the NGO «Kolping in Ukraine», professor, doctor of  Psychological Sciences, Head of the Department of Special Education and social work of the faculty of pedagogical education of LNU

Ivana Franko.

• Evgeniya Panichevskaya, director of the parental organization Charitable Foundation «Association of Parents of Children with Autism», public figure, lecturer, radio and TV speaker, an active participant in creating a state system of assistance to autistic children and youth with disabilities, mental and behavioral dosorders, and many others.

Ten years is a period when it is worth summarizing the first results, evaluating achievements and inspiring ourselves and all of us to new achievements. Follow the updates on our Facebook pages https://www.facebook.com/Childwithfuture and on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvyYeGHxqH8m2iGsGcqtAtA.

Community Mentor nomination, moderator of the Autism Friendly Ukraine.

All time Inna is looking for ways to solve the problem of autism in Ukraine, including the legislative level. And she succeeds.

Exactly 10 years ago, she founded INGO «Child with a future» Foundation. Since then, autism has been talked about out loud in Ukraine.

Therefore, in the framework of the «The beginnings» project we present an interview with Inna Sergiyenko. She talked about how she first learned about autism and how she helped create opportunities for the future of special children.

“I used to ask for cases and technologies in other countries, and invited them to come and train us. However, now I see the opposite situation. They come to us for rehabilitation, call and ask for advice,” – the Consul says about the successes. See the full version of the interview here: https://youtu.be/8cUI0YHBs3A.

As part of the «The beginnings» project  we present an interview with Marina Poroshenko. She said what inspired her to promote the education of children with special needs, how many ideas she managed to implement and how Ukraine has changed during this time.

“Every child is unique. He has his own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, different preferences and abilities. And it is from this point of view that a teacher should approach the education of children. Today, the number of special children is growing, and we have no right to ignore this fact. Ukraine needs every child, and he should feel that he is loved, respected and all conditions are created for his development,”says Maryna Poroshenko.

See the full version of the interview here: https://youtu.be/3bXPMPHJG0M.

Therefore, as part of «The beginnings» project  we present an interview with Yuri Miroshnichenko. He spoke about his path of struggle, about the terrible cases of isolation of autistic people from society and about the national platform «Ukraine autism friendly».

The former parliamentarian urges parents not to hide their special children, but to unite with each other and share experiences. “It’s a challenge. A challenge for you as individuals and a challenge for other people, because we are simply obliged to create all the conditions for each such person to feel a member of Ukrainian society,” – Yuriy Miroshnichenko emphasizes.

See the full version of the interview here: https://youtu.be/1J-5fV6i5Ag.

Therefore, in the framework of «The beginnings» project  we present an interview with Evgeniya Panichevskaya. She told how she first heard about autism, how she reacted and how the whole family adapted to the new conditions.

We also talked with the chairman of the Association of Parents of Children with Autism about how its paths intersected with the “Child with a Future” Foundation and the kindergarten of the same name for children with special needs.

Evgeniya Panichevskaya emphasizes: she is proud of her achievements and the achievements of the whole community of parents of children with autism. However, the work does not stop there. There are still many nuances that need to be solved. After all, children grow up and demand other services. “My priority is my child. But now there are a lot of other children around Timur, other parents. And we support each other, share experiences. This is not limited to Kiev. This applies not only to the whole of Ukraine, but also to other countries. However, the main problem is the  lack of professionals,” – says Evgeniya.

See the full version of the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsOFfb50e9c&list=PLQDGjpYj_MwP3X04F7mQSQUDdrf1ii-6d&index=5.

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.

As part of «The beginnings» project, she explained why she decided to pursue this topic, because, unlike many of the characters in our interviews, she does not have a child with autism.

Dina Shulzhenko is sure that Ukraine has every chance to become the best among those countries that have successful cases in creating services for special people – both adults and children. But this requires continued joint efforts.

Dina also pointed out the problematic places of correction of autism in Ukraine. According to her, this is mainly about education, because many teachers are not ready to change their thinking and work with an autistic child differently than with others.

“Ukrainian society often either lacks flexibility or does not want to move away from stereotypes. I talk about this very often in my courses. About this and about emotional control,” – says Dina Shulzhenko. See the full version of the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF6BMmxPFdY&list=PLQDGjpYj_MwP3X04F7mQSQUDdrf1ii-6d&index=7.

As part of «The beginnings» project, she told how together with «Autism-Europe” Consul and the founder of INGO “Child with a Future” Inna Sergiyenko they worked on creating a unique kindergarten. She says:  there was nothing like our kindergarten in that times in Ukraine, so the institution was made according to the American and Israeli models, adapting them to our realities.

At first, says Natalya, children aged 4 and older were brought to the kindergarten, but then the specialists decided to engage in early intervention.

After all, in working with special children the best result guaranteed by is the joint work of parents, professionals and doctors. “It is necessary to understand that the pedagogical team only solves the issues of teaching a child certain skills. Educators cannot change the child’s physiology, they cannot speed up any processes. And the kindergarten creates just such an atmosphere that allows you to control the learning process. But if parents are not aware, if they do not know  which specialist to call, then sometimes we understand and observe in practice that the child is standing still, “- says Natalya.

As part of «The beginnings» project, Mariya Shchibrik told how she learned about the diagnosis of her daughter, how she looked for methods to cure her and how she decided to help other special people.

Lyuba and her husband were told about autism only in London, where they went in search of answers. Soviet specialists could not help and spoke only of an “extraordinary case.”

It was in the capital of Great Britain that the girl began to go to a special school, which later inspired Maria to create a similar one in Ukraine.

The charity organization «Life – School» is engaged in the rehabilitation of special children and prepares them for education in other educational institutions. Various professionals work with autistic people both in groups and individually. Gluten-free and casein-free diets are also introduced here.

“When a child is ready to go to a regular school or kindergarten, we no longer hold him – we do not have such a goal. On the contrary, we are happy to give him a ticket to life,”says Mariya Shchibrik.

Watch the full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvSO-VBE32A&list=PLQDGjpYj_MwP3X04F7mQSQUDdrf1ii-6d&index=9.

Nataliya Andreeva has become from a mother who does not know how to help her child, to a real specialist in autism. Today she is the founder and director of the charity organization «Steps – School»  for children with ASD, author of many scientific articles, co-author of a textbook for parents and teachers “Corrective development of an autistic child.”

In addition, Nataliya is a co-organizer of all-Ukrainian conferences “Autism in Ukraine” with international participation. As part of «The beginnings» project, Natalia Andreeva told about her son and how another mother created an experimental class on the basis of a boarding school for children with severe speech disorders and why government agencies did not allow them to work further. In an interview, Nataliya described the methods of working with special children in the institution and clarified which specialists work there.

“The parents who approached us, received support, knowledge and a push that gave them the opportunity to develop further with their child.” – says  woman. She helped 750+ families.

Watch the full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWB_TMcE1fk&list=PLQDGjpYj_MwP3X04F7mQSQUDdrf1ii-6d&index=10.