Andreas: Help for Autistic Families in Slovakia

For parents without parents is a project, that gives parents of children with autism an opportunity to gain new strengths. In Autistic center Andreas we organize short time stays for children with autism. During that time their parents can devote their time and energy to their own hobbies and activities.

Since July to September 2015 we had organized 1 week stay for children up to 10 year old and 5 two-day stays for children and young people with autism.

Thanks

In the beginning I would like to thank very much for taking Danko to the day camp. As the state nursery is closed during the summer holidays, it is very difficult to figure up a program and care for our children (we have two boys with autism) for the whole two months. That is why I am very glad that the day camp at the centre for persons with autism Andreas helped me fill the blank days and Danko could experience an adventure and play every day. Danko does not talk but he is most grateful if you take him to the countryside or if he can spend some time with children. Walks in nature organized by the experts from the centre Andreas not only physically exhausted him (every day he fell asleep in the car on the way home), but also made him very happy. I believe that he was also enriched by other activities that he and the children were doing during the day. A proof of this was the fact that Danko was looking forward to going to the centre every morning.

A few words about Danko

Danko is 5.5 years old. He is a very sensitive, perceptive and clever boy. He prefers being in nature. He loves watching the wind blowing, making the trees and bushes dance. It makes him calm down. His biggest hobby is swimming - he can stay in the water for hours. We managed to teach him to swim. Daddy likes to give him a ride on the bike, which is their common hobby. I hope we will manage to improve his gross motor skills so that he can ride a bike alone. He is already able to ride a bike without pedals for a short time, yet he dares only to stable types. Although he has understood how to move his legs, he still cannot keep balance. Throughout the whole summer he dribbled a basketball, which makes me think that he likes basketball. When he is watching the sports news and a player suddenly scores, he is very happy. Who knows, if he understands it. Besides sports he loves objects that are spinning, falling, shining. He is fascinated by them. He falls asleep with a turtle that projects stars and the moon on the wall. He also likes to play with his younger brother.

At home we fight with his character. He is impatient, vain, stubborn, but when he gets the right motivation and is in good mood, he can learn a lot.

Of course, Danko does not speak and yet we have failed to find a suitable form of communication, which is why he started to develop behaviour problems. Danko does not know how to tell us about his feelings and thoughts and that makes him very unhappy. He sometimes even hurts himself (by hitting his fists on his head, hitting his head against the wall or on the floor) or he turns his aggression against us, the parents. We have learned to block him not to hurt himself or the others. Although he is only 5 years old, he is very strong. We must look after him all the time.

We still have a long way to go. We need to improve his concentration, fine motor skills, teach him to communicate, go to the toilet. There is still much to do. But I believe that we will slowly manage everything without stress and Danko will grow into a pleasant companion. For us it is important that he is satisfied and happy.

Appeal

Finally, I would like to ask all donors for their support to make it possible to organize the weekly summer camp again in the future. It has helped us a lot. Maybe next time we can take both our children to the centre Andreas at once. Thank you!