In the Czech Republic, parents of children with autism spectrum disorder often find themselves in a hopeless situation. They cannot find a school for their child. Even special schools refuse such children, explaining that the complicated behavior of the pupils disrupts their teaching. The situation in this regard is becoming particularly critical in Prague.

„Our son started school for children with mild disabilities,“ recalls Pavla, Šimon’s mother. „After a while, they told us that they couldn’t handle our child. Šimon came home in a very bad mental state. The teacher told us that children like Šimon didn’t belong in her class. I cried as I called other schools, and everywhere I was told that they didn’t accept students with autism. It seemed that we really didn’t belong anywhere.“

How important it is to have a partner

Mrs. Pavla finally experienced a feeling of relief. She called a special school run by Diakonie on V Zápolí Street in Michle, Prague. It belongs to a nationwide family of special schools run by Diakonie of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren. Diakonie schools pride themselves on not rejecting students. „The biggest surprise came when Diakonie told us that problematic behavior associated with autism is not an obstacle,“ recalls Pavla. „Even though life with autism brings new challenges all the time, we have found a ‚partner‘. We are not alone in this.“

It is no wonder that the school in Zápolí has long faced excess demand, which continues to grow. In recent years, large cohorts of children have been entering schools. There has also been an increase in the number of children from Ukraine, which continues to be ravaged by Russian military aggression. Many young families from Czechia and other countries are also moving to Prague and its surroundings in search of work. Diakonie therefore decided in advance to accommodate families with disabled children and double its capacity.

Pottery kiln and peace

In 2017, when preparatory work on the renovation began, the school had a capacity of 48 children. Now it can accept twice as many – 108. The school environment has also changed fundamentally. Eight years ago, both the exterior and interior of the school bore the original features of a prefabricated building from the communist era. Today, not only does it have a more colorful and cheerful appearance, but its interior design also meets the needs of students, their assistants, and teachers.

For example, they are adding relaxation rooms where students can take a break from stimuli that upset them. The difficult behavior that many families deal with in their children with disabilities is often the result of highly sensitive perception. What we perceive as normal noise, for example, is extremely irritating and upsetting to some children with disabilities. They are constantly on the verge of unmanageable stress. The opportunity to rest and recharge their batteries in a quiet, undisturbed environment is an important source of support for them.

A ceramic workshop with a kiln is also being equipped. Quiet work with pottery clay not only brings joy from creation. It also promotes calmness and has relaxing effects.

A determined team and generous donors

In 2017, however, few could have imagined this outcome. „When we thought everything through and did the math, we realized that the school renovation project would be difficult to pull off,“ says Milan Černý, director of Diakonie’s special schools in Prague. „But we had to renovate. The school building was outdated. It was also possible that someone would come along and simply close the school due to unsuitable conditions.“

The renovation was necessary, and the expansion of capacity was also needed. But nothing was going our way. As a wealthy region, Prague does not have access to European funds. In recent years, the state has focused on the inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream schools. Special schools are not a priority. Moreover, as a non-state founder of special schools, Diakonie is at the bottom of the list of interests of state institutions.

Diakonie therefore had to devote a great deal of effort to explaining the purpose of the special school in Zápolí. The parents of the pupils also got involved, as they have no doubts about the school’s purpose. In the end, it was possible to find a sufficient number of donors, ranging from the Prague City Council to companies and individuals. A significant donation came, for example, from Mr. Ladislav Hanus from Raná u Hlinska, who bequeathed part of his estate to Diakonie in his will, thereby supporting the reconstruction of the school in Zápolí. „We were delighted by the support of the donors,“ says school director Milan Černý. „We were able to get them excited about our school. They were very generous.“

According to Milan Černý, the second pillar of the school’s successful renovation was the support of the team of teachers and their assistants. In addition to their demanding teaching work, they had to tackle a number of difficult tasks: temporary relocation, teaching in makeshift conditions. On top of that, they had to contend with restrictions and uncertainty due to the Covid pandemic for three years. „They demonstrated incredible organizational skills. Thanks to them, everything we planned worked out,“ says principal Milan Černý, praising his team.

Love at first sight

Thanks to generous donors and a hard-working team, everyone can finally say that the impossible has been achieved. The school has undergone the final phase of reconstruction. On Friday, September 26, 2025, it ceremoniously opened its brand-new Building B, and that’s it. After eight long years of temporary arrangements, the school team can now focus all its energy on what matters most: educating children with special needs and supporting their families. This is crucial for families.

„We are thrilled with how the teachers at the Diakonie special school care for our Ele,“ says her mother Veronika. „The teachers and assistants are not afraid to take the children on a walk through Prague by subway. They bake cookies or cakes with them. During the Olympics, they calmly put the children on snowboards or skates in the classroom, or organize a biathlon race in the gym. Actually, I’m not surprised that Ela sometimes gets bored with us at home—we definitely don’t have as many ideas and we’re not as entertaining. We can say we’re very lucky that Ela is where she is.“

„It was love at first sight,“ recalls Daniela, remembering the moment she saw a class from the Diakonie special school at the playground. She had been searching for four years for a school that would meet the needs of her son Martin. She had experienced several rejections. But when she saw the Diakonie school class at the playground, she knew she had found the right one. „We were pleasantly surprised by how wonderfully the teachers treated the children, how much attention they gave them, and how nothing escaped their notice. When Martin started school, he adapted fantastically. Thanks to the wonderful approach and dynamics of the class, we have a happy child who looks forward to school. He enjoys learning, his friends, and group activities immensely—and so do we.“