Toddler banned from attending nursery because deformed skull ‘would scare other children’

A little girl was banned from a nursery school because her deformed skull could frighten other children.

Sofya Zakharova, 2, was born with a deformed skull and her parents were told she should get surgery before applying for a place in a nursery. 

Operations for Sofya have been delayed and experts have warned that unless she mixes with other children her development will be affected.

The child’s parents Svetlana and Rasul, who live in the village of Alatany in Bashkortostan, a federal region of Russia, have revealed how their daughter was discriminated against because of her peculiar features. 

Asides her deformed skull, Sofya’s fingers and toes are also fused together. It is not currently known what condition the little girl has.

Narrating how Sofya was discriminated against by schools, the mother said she was told: “First, you need to arrange an operation so she can go to nursery school like an ordinary child.”

Sofya’s grandfather Sergei Mikhailov said: “They have such a catastrophe here. They said they would do the operation, but then were silent about this.”

The family said that they do not get any disability benefits for Sofya.

Educational psychologist Ekaterina Belan said: “The sooner she gets the experience of interactions, the easier it will be for her to cope with the conditions in which she lives and grows. The more interactions she gets, the easier it will be for her to accept herself for who she is.”

Prosecutors have now become involved and are looking into why doctors have not yet operated on Sofya and the nursery for refusing to accept her.