Five-year-old Ustym, who was born with Down’s syndrome, is undergoing his first course of comprehensive rehabilitation at the municipal Dzherelo Centre. The family of Father Vitaliy and Maryana Horiny have known the centre since the time when the boy was just two months old: back then they used the early intervention service.
His mother, Maryana, says that from the outset she had no doubts about turning to Dzherelo in order to ensure the most natural and comfortable development for her son and to learn to accept her own ‘special’ parenthood. According to her, the early intervention experience helped her to understand her child’s needs better and to support his development at home.
The early intervention service at Dzherelo is available to children up to the age of 4. After that, support is continued by the team of specialists providing the comprehensive rehabilitation service, which works with children with disabilities aged from 4 to 18. It is precisely this programme that Ustym is currently enrolled on, and his course is now in its second week.
One of the family’s main requests was to teach the boy to pedal and ride a bicycle independently. Another priority is developing his speech. Ustym already pronounces individual words, but he still indicates many things with gestures, so his parents want to expand his opportunities for communication, particularly with his peers at nursery, with friends and with adults.
The boy has been attending an inclusive nursery group for three years now, where an assistant educator works with the children. The first year was difficult because of frequent illnesses and hospital stays, but his health is now more stable, and the family is trying to combine nursery attendance with rehabilitation sessions so that he does not become isolated from the group.
Within the comprehensive rehabilitation service, specialists at Dzherelo help children with disabilities to develop the skills they need in everyday life — at home, in nursery or at school, as well as in communication with others. An individual programme is drawn up for each child and their family, taking into account the child’s functional abilities, needs and the family’s rhythm of life.
The centre’s team is now working with Ustym and his parents on the goals they have identified as the most important: developing motor skills, including cycling, and communication. The aim is for the child to be able to use his new skills not only during sessions, but also in his daily life.
For Maryana Horina, it is important that her son enjoys coming to the centre. She believes that a child’s positive attitude towards the sessions is a significant part of successful rehabilitation.
At Dzherelo, the comprehensive rehabilitation programme is tailored individually. During the course, a child may have sessions with a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a speech and language therapist, a psychologist, a social worker and a doctor. The course can be taken once every six months — either intensively, over 10 consecutive days, or according to a flexible schedule agreed with the family.