How therapy is helping 6-year-old Mihai

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

Mihai is 6 years old and lives with his parents in Chisinau. He is a gentle boy, attentive to details, with a remarkable memory and a special curiosity for colors, shapes, and neatly arranged objects. He loves building, sorting his toys by size, and watching his favorite cartoon over and over again. However, from an early age, his parents noticed that his development was different from that of other children his age. He didn’t respond when his name was called, avoided eye contact, and preferred to play alone in silence.

After several consultations with specialists, the family received the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It was a difficult moment, full of emotions and questions, but the parents did not let themselves be overwhelmed. They began searching for solutions, support programs, and centers that could help Mihai develop and gradually connect with the world around him.

For just two months Mihai has been attending the Rain Kids Center for Children with Rare Diseases and Autism in Chisinau. He is only at the beginning of his therapeutic journey, but small changes can already be seen. He attends daily sessions of behavioral therapy and adapted educational activities. At first, he cried often, refused to enter the room, and did not tolerate being touched, but gradually he started getting used to the therapists and even looking forward to some activities.

Today, Mihai can follow simple instructions, wait for his turn during games, and communicate through gestures or sounds. Although he does not speak yet, he expresses his wishes through looks, and his shy smile brings great joy to everyone who works with him. His greatest achievement so far is that he has started to seek his mother’s gaze and take her hand when he wants something; a small but essential step on the road to communication.

Mihai’s parents are deeply involved and eager to learn how to support him at home as well. His mother says that every new gesture, every look, and every calm moment is a victory. However, both the family and the specialists believe that Mihai needs more intensive and consistent therapy in order to make faster and more stable progress.

Mihai is a child with tremendous potential. He enjoys activities that involve order and repetition — puzzles, building blocks, drawing, and coloring. Loud noises frighten him, and sudden changes upset him, but in the safe environment of the center, surrounded by his therapists, he feels increasingly confident.

Even though his journey has just begun, every step Mihai takes is a sign of courage and hope. With the right support, he can learn to communicate, to express himself, and to discover the world at his own pace. You are helping us provide quality therapy to children like Mihai, by helping us build the skills of our team. 

Thanks to our Ambassador, Serge Malaison

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

We are delighted that Serge Malaison, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Moldova in Quebec, has agreed to be an Ambassador for St Gregory’s Foundation. He has already visited our partners, Rain Kids, who support children with special needs in the capital Chişinău. They have sent this warm letter of thanks for his visit.

Dear Partners,
 
On behalf of the entire team at the Copiii Ploii Center, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the visit of Mr. Serge and Mr. Matthieu, as well as for the time, interest, and openness with which they listened to us. Their presence in our center meant far more than a simple trip — it was a gesture of solidarity, respect, and compassion toward the children and families we support every day.
We felt them as true friends of our community. They looked beyond statistics, spoke with the children, observed the therapists’ work, listened to the parents’ stories, and understood the reality faced by families of children with special educational needs. For us, this is the most valuable gift: an open heart and a genuine desire to do good.
We are deeply grateful for their willingness to support us through fundraising campaigns. The support you intend to offer together is not only financial — it represents real opportunities for our children:
opportunities for consistent therapy,
opportunities for recovery,
opportunities for inclusion,
opportunities for a better life.
We hope that this beginning of cooperation will grow into a stable partnership filled with meaningful and positive results. We remain open to ongoing communication, experience-sharing, joint projects, and everything that can bring more light into the lives of our children.
Once again, we thank you all for your empathy, energy, kindness, and willingness to be part of our story.
 
With gratitude and respect,
The Copiii Ploii Center Team

Find out how staff training is helping Alex

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

The main request of the Rain Kids charity in Chişinău, Moldova, was for staff training. They offer therapy to children with special needs and are acutely aware of how low the level of professional skills are in Moldova. We are funding their chief therapist, Ana Cislaru, to take an eighteen month training course to qualify her as a supervisor in ABA therapy, so that she will be able to offer training to their other staff. Due to a lack of suitable training in Moldova, the course is provided by a Romanian charity and is accessed largely online. Here Ana explains how her training helped her plan the programme of therapy for Alex.  Despite a difficult start, she was able to find the key to his progress. Incidentally, the stigma attached to autism is still so high in Moldova, that many families do not want photographs of their children to be used publicly. We respect their wishes, but sincerely hope that one day autism won’t be a source of shame or embarrasment to families in Moldova.

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Support not sedatives for autistic boy

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

Nina is 29 and she has an infectious smile and loves talking about her family. We’re chatting in one of the offices at The Wish’s Centre in Calarasi, which her son Liviu attends. He’s here too, a bit wary of strangers, though he sneaks a few glances at us.  Since he obviously doesn’t like having his photo taken, it is Nina you can see here. 

Liviu and Nina’s experiences expose just how little understanding there is about how to support autistic people in Moldova.  Thank goodness Nina found The Wish, where Liviu could get the support he needed.

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Vova is thriving with Sunny Corner

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

St Gregory’s is proud to sponsor Sunny Corner, a charity based in rural Moldova. They provide an accepting community that helps people with learning disabilities or autism to socialise and develop their skills. Vova (Vladimir), 43, is pictured with a violin. He lives with his mother, a pensioner. Vova is a talented artist who plays instruments, dances, and draws. He is neat and meticulous. 

Vova attended a regular school, but ‘deviations’ appeared in the 9th grade, and he was later diagnosed with autism. This diagnosis was made at a mental hospital Kodru, in Chisinau, when Vova was 14-15 years old. Due to his progressive condition, Vova left school after the 9th grade and was forced to stay at home, which hindered his further development of communication. Vova had been depressed for a long time, and it was very difficult to help him overcome it. 

Lyudmila Shishkina worked in the “Planet of Care” program before “Sunny Corner.” During that time, Vova was involved in sewing, carpentry, and drew a lot. Gradually, the black color in his drawings was replaced by bright colors, as she describes it.  Nowadays, Vova actively participates in “Sunny Corner’s” activities. 

Kirill can’t stop smiling

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

The first thing you probably noticed about this photo is Kirill’s smile. He loves being with people, but since he left school he had spent most of his time at home with very little company. The reason is that Kirill has autism and learning difficulties and cannot speak. Fortunately, he is able to attend activities at Communication Space, the charity centre in Moscow that we sponsor. Now he starts smiling as soon as he gets on the bus to go to a session at the Centre.

When Kirill was at school, his teachers had tried to introduce him to the PECS symbolic language, but without success. They concluded that he wasn’t able to tell one symbol from another.

At Communication Space he didn’t seem interested in the pictures to start with, but gradually he learned to recognise the symbols for food, games and other activities. If he got upset, his teachers would introduce the symbol for that emotion, and so he increased his vocabulary.

Continue reading Kirill can’t stop smiling

Autism Acceptance Month

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

April is World Autism Acceptance Month. In the UK we have made a shift from the usual awareness month to an acceptance month, and that is important. Of course autistic people around the world want other people to be aware of autism, but they also want to be accepted as part of the community, and as who they are.

However, in many parts of the world a great deal of work still needs to be done on awareness and the most basic rights for autistic people. In Eastern Europe, autism is still a new diagnosis and support within the community can be very patchy. In Moldova autistic children are often not able to attend school. There is little or no understanding of their needs, so if they do attend they find school very tough. We work with two organisations that are filling the gap, providing therapy and education for children who would otherwise be unsupported. They can also advocate for children with local schools so that they can attend, albeit sometimes part-time or with their mother acting as an unpaid classroom assistant.

In Russia we work with Communication Space to raise awareness of alternative communication methods that can work with non-verbal autistic children and young people. Those who attend their own centre are a wonderful advert for this approach. They are learning to express their wishes, to follow instructions, and to communicate out in the world, in shops and cafes. Online training sessions spread the approach to parents and professionals across the Russian-speaking world. Alongside this practical work, Communication Space also runs counselling sessions for parents. For them, acceptance is the first step towards a more positive outlook on life.

We hope that these small steps towards greater awareness, understanding and support will in time lead to greater acceptance in the communities we work in and beyond.

A window on Communication Space’s work with non-verbal, autistic adults

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

When you come across someone who is non-verbal, their life may seem to be shrouded in mystery, their thoughts and feelings inaccessible. Unless you know someone well who is non-verbal, the chances are that you feel rather daunted by interacting with them. Without help to bridge this gap, people who are unable to speak can become incredibly isolated. Fortunately, techniques do exist for enabling people we once thought could not communicate, to express their wishes, make choices and connect with others. Our colleagues at Communication Space are introducing these techniques to the Russian-speaking world. This beautiful video that they have made gives a fantastic insight into their work.

A note for non-Russian-speakers. Open the video in You Tube, open the settings, select subtitles. Turn subtitles on by selecting Russian. You can then go back into subtitles and select auto translate to get auto-generated English subtitles.

Training benefits children straight away

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

We are delighted that, with your help, the lead therapist at our Moldovan partner, Rain Kids, has been able to start her studies to develop her skills in working with autistic children.  A particular focus of Ana’s traininng has been early intervention with young children aged between 12 and 48 months.  We all know how vital these early years are for child development.  Providing early support can make a great difference to an autistic child’s communication skills, their behaviour and relationships in the family.  Rain Kids are finding that more families are coming to them with their concerns at this early stage, so it is very positive that our colleagues now feel better equipped to help them.

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Communication Space helps Ilya

Posted on By Sarah.SGF
Ilya

Iya is 27 years old. Since birth, he has suffered from profound intellectual, visual, and motor impairments. He was also diagnosed with autism. Ilya is one of 20 children and young people who benefit from personalised help at the Communication Space Centre, which assists with their communication and independent living.

Due to his severe impairments, Ilya is unable to use communication books and pictures, relying only on natural gestures and pointing to objects. He fears and avoids unfamiliar public places, which can often lead to epileptic seizures. Ilya lives with his mother, Irina, and needs constant care and support from adults.

Last year the Centre’s specialists helped Ilya to adapt better to new places. He has become particularly good at understanding the difference between a hardware store and a grocery store, and he behaves differently in them. Grocery stores are his favourite! The main positive changes in his communication are related to food—it is during meals that Ilya began to initiate contact more often. At home, he has learned to rely on the daily routine.

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