Jana Čelůstková & Bohumila Linzerová
Early intervention center EDUCO Zlín z. s.
Jana studied Social Pedagogy at the Faculty of Humanities at the Tomáš Bata University in Zlín. She has been working as an early intervention counselor at EDUCO since 2006. Since 2018, she has also been working as the center’s methodologist. She is a consultant and trainer for the Portage Program, which she has used in her work for more than 27 years. She works with children with combined disabilities, birth defects or rare diseases, children with Down syndrome, up to children with autism spectrum disorders. Children with autism are a great challenge for her due to their uniqueness and lead her to further expand her expertise. When working with clients, they see it as important for both parties to create a quality relationship based on trust, security and optimism.
BOHUMILA LINZEROVA
mother of two children with special needs Bohumila Linzerová and her husband Petr are raising three children, two of whom have specific needs – Vojta (13 years old) and Štěpán (10 years old). Before the birth of her sons, she worked as a nurse in the ICU of both surgical and internal departments, as well as in a laser treatment center and also a general practitioner’s office. After discovering her son’s differences and establishing a diagnosis, she tried to educate herself as much as possible and orient herself in the field of ASD. She completed her studies at UPOL – special education – intervention – early childhood. As part of the internship, she became familiar with the activities of the RP and the content of the work of RP advisers. Together with several mothers of children with specific needs, she founded a self-help parent group, which is significantly supported and sponsored by EDUCO early intervention. They try to support and help families with children with ASD within the parent support group and outside it. At the same time, her main idea, which she tries to convey to families, is that their world does not end with the assignment of a diagnosis, on the contrary. Their lives will certainly be different, but that doesn’t mean worse. You will realize the beauty and value of small joys and miracles. Among her hobbies and joys outside the family are trips, travel, movies.