An autistic boy reacts to a touch during a massage. Photo: Natasha Kharlamova / Flickr. All rights reserved.Six years ago, Petrozavodsk resident Natalya Nikulina found herself in the following situation: her son Stepan was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. When he was four, Natalya opened a playroom for children, like him, on the autistic spectrum. I asked her how she did it – and how Karelia’s only studio for children with special needs works today.
“The doctors suggested I read the condition up on the internet”
– I’m Styopa.
– Hi. I’m Anya. How are things?
– Anya, I’m Styopa.
This conversation wasn’t the first I had with Styopa Nikulin. We have the same one several times a year, after which he slips back into his own world. This nine-year-old with his big grey eyes surprises me every time with his new discoveries: he might be learning to count in English, draw amazing pictures or show me a cartoon film based on them.
