Home
Letters to Editor
Domestic
World
Business & Trade
Culture & Science
Travel
Society
Government
Opinions
Policy Making in Depth
People
Investment
Life
Books/Reviews
News of This Week
Learning Chinese
Autistic Children Get Succor

The Xingxingyu (Star Rain) Education Institute for Autistic Children, or Xing-xingyu for short, is playing an increasingly important role in helping families with autistic children.

Nearly 500 families with autistic children across China have benefited from Xingxingyu since Tian Huiping, whose 15-year-old son was diagnosed as autistic 11 years ago, founded it in 1993.

So far 10 children, who have gone through the school's short-term training programs, have been accepted by normal schools and special schools, including Tian's son, who stayed at Xingxingyu for two years.

More than 600,000 Chinese have been diagnosed with autism, 500,000 of them children.

But other than Xingxingyu, there is no hospital on China's mainland or any other facility specializing in taking care of autistic children.

Tian said that her center does not attempt to cure children with autism.

"The most we can hope for is to draw these special-needs pre-school children out of their own world into a normal reality," said Tian.

The facility enrolls special-needs children, aged between three and six, who work with their parents on 10-week training programs that cost 3,000 yuan (US$365).

It does not provide boarding for students, so parents and children have to live outside the school.

As a non-governmental organization, Xingxingyu is largely dependent on international donations, said Tian.

According to Tian, the waiting list is so long that some parents will have to wait until 2003 to get help for their children.

"Some of them want to come back for a second training program," said Tian.

Other parents have invited teachers from Xingxingyu to their homes to give lectures on the special therapy advocated by the school.

(eastday.com 09/10/2001)

Bring Children to Nature
China ‘Says Yes’ for Children
Sound and Light Fill in Holiday
May I Have Your Attention Please
Time to Look After Children's Interests
Heed to Children’s Psychological Health
Mental Health Care Widens
Psychological Health Stressed
The Situation of Chinese Children
Copyright © China Internet Information Center. All Rights Reserved
E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-68996214/15/16