Therapy at home, children with autism have now a centre for disability services in their town

When her son called Fabiola for the first time ‘mom’, he was 10 years old. Yet it was her happiest day since Alesio was born. She had waited for more than 8 years for this moment. As an infant, he was cute and quiet but after 20 months, she was desperate to hear his voice and to have an eye contact with him. Alesio was diagnosed with autism when he was more than two years old. His mother had never heard for autism earlier. 

“At first, I didn’t know what autism was.  Then it was hard to accept it. It is difficult for every parent to accept and to have an answer to the question: why doesn’t my son look at me? But then you understand that the only way to succeed as much as you can, is to accept your child and to take care for him in every way and every day”, says Fabiola Komici.  Living in Prrenjas, a municipality in East Albania, made everything even more difficult for both, her and her son.

“No one had ever heard for autism so there was no centre for children with autism and no special care. For 4 years, I used to travel to Tirana almost every month and stay in there for two weeks, so Alesio could attend therapies. He would have 4 hours therapy per day for two weeks and then we would come back to Prrenjas to travel again next month. I had to work with him at home, teaching behaviors, repeating them and being patient for every bad moment we would have. It wasn’t easy, it isn’t still, but this was the only way”, recalls Fabiola.

Back at that time, traveling from Prrenjas to Tirana needed more than 3 hours’ drive, too much time for children with special needs. After Tirana, for some time they attended therapies in Elbasan, then in Librazhd, going to the nearest cities that were opening centres for autism nearby Prrenjas, and only last year, the Community Centre for disability services was opened in their city providing speech and physiotherapies.

Funded by European Union and implemented by World Vision Albania, the Community Centerhas psychologists, speech therapists, social workers and physiotherapists helping children and youth with special needs, autism, Down Syndrome, etc.  The premises are located near the city’s hospital, but the centre has also a mobile unit, which visits children with special needs at their homes in the villages of Prrenjas.  

“67 children from 2 to 18 years old receive therapy in the Community Centre in Prrenjas, including three administrative units like Strava, Rrajca and Quksi. Once a week children come at the Centre and the other week we travel to their houses. Some of them are in remote areas so we try to create a balance for them. We work with developmental therapy, physiotherapy and speech therapy”, explains Adelina Kokonozi, a social worker at the Community Centre for disability services in Prrenjas.

There are not standard treatments for autism spectrum disorder but therapies show possibilities to maximize the abilities of people with autism. Early diagnosis and interventions are more likely to show positive changes for people with this lifelong condition. “Children less than three years old show improvements after 3-6 months of therapy, but in the cases over than 16 years old, it’s more difficult to have results so we try to teach the very basics”, notes Kokonozi.   

Since the Community Centre for disability services is opened last year, a lot has changed for the small city, first helping to raise awareness for people with special needs and making them visible. Children with special needs and their parents meet each other at the Community Center, talking and discussing about their challenges. 

EU Delegation to Albania

“The most difficult time for me and my son, is over.  I was alone and I felt alone at that time. I would just take him and go where we had to. I am happy that we have the Community Centre here now. It will help parents who like me years ago, feel alone, because they live in remote area, because they are poor, don’t have information or even don’t know where to ask. The centre helps even in raising awareness and I can feel the difference from last year to now, when we walk in the city”, affirms Fabiola, Alesio’s mother. 

After 12 years, traveling with her son in the nearest cities that provided therapy, her advice to every parent dealing with children with autism is therapy, therapy, therapy and education.

“My son is now 14 years old. He likes listening to music and playing the guitar. He still can’t talk as I do, but a lot has changed since the first time Alesio was in therapy. Back then, he didn’t know himself or me. He knew we were related but couldn’t understand the notion of a mother. Now Alesio knows who is mom, and looks at me. He knows what father and brother means, he calls me or his dad, and sometimes this is a lot”, says Fabiola admitting the need to have strength and patience.

Autism doesn’t choose but we can choose the way we can help changing perspectives on people who are struggling to make their voice louder.  

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Community Centre for disability services is a project funded by European Union and implemented by World Vision Albania in collaboration with Prrenjas municipality, in the municipality of Prrenjas. The goal is to provide to children with special needs opportunities to realize their full potential. They now have the chance to receive integrated specialized services at home, through a mobile unit of specialists, integrated specialized service in a community Centre and integrated specialized services and inclusive education practices at schools through trained mobile and community Centre units of specialists, support teachers and psycho social staff in schools. Children/youth with disabilities are supported in their special needs, including special didactic means, food and hygienic items or special devices.