Viral Photo of Refugee Family Shows How War Has Affected a Boy With Autism

A recent Humans of New York post has been receiving a lot of attention online.

It features a photo of a refugee family from Turkey with a quote from the mother explaining how the war made it so that she could no longer get autism therapy for her son.

The text reads:

He cried a lot as a baby. By the age of two he wasn’t speaking or eating. Our local doctor didn’t know what was wrong, but we found a good doctor in Damascus, and he told us that our son had autism. The doctor recommended a therapist. On the first day of therapy, he was too scared to even enter the office. But after a few months of treatment, he was able to concentrate and even write the alphabet. He went to therapy every week for the next few years. It was really helping him. He was learning so many things. But when the war came, the roads were closed. We couldn’t go to therapy anymore. The bombs affected him very badly. He gets scared easily. He’s even afraid of the dark. But the bombs scared him very much. He hasn’t been to therapy for years. We have no money or insurance here in Turkey. We are very isolated. It seems that all the progress has been undone. He used to want to learn. He used to get his books out of the bag and bring them to us. But now he just throws them away. He can’t sit still. I’m afraid that we’ve lost too much time now. But my husband is optimistic. He thinks that we will find the right doctor in America.

Many people expressed concern and showed their support for the family in the comments, including several speech and behavior therapist who even offered to help the family.

“I’m autistic and I can read, write, and do all the things ‘normal’ people can do,” wrote Amanda Harris. “There will be hope in America for your son. I did have years of therapy and someone was always holding my hand until the age of 19 but I turned out just fine.”

“I am an autism specialist with 37 years of experience,” wrote Ruth Weir Prystash. “If you and your family come to Southern California, I will help you find services for your son. And if you are close enough, I will work with him myself. I will make sure he gets the therapy he needs for free.”

“I am a speech therapist and work with children with Autism,” wrote Elizabeth Sherman. “I can help from afar. Get in touch with me if you can.”