Fallen from the stars
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Often misunderstood
China first learned of autism in 1982 when Tao Guotai, a Nanjing child psychiatrist, published the country's first paper on the disorder. Over the years, awareness of it and the social problems it causes has been increasing.
Autism is usually diagnosed by the age of three and occurs about four times more often in boys. A traditional preference for boys combined with the one-child policy has resulted in putting thousands of families with autistic children in desperate situations.
Still, many parents have their fingers crossed that their children could be "cured" by brain surgery, anti-psychotic drugs or training.
Weng Yahong, dean of Beijing Daxing Mental Diseases Hospital that provides training for autistic children, told the Global Times that some parents misunderstand the disorder.
"Some parents asked for brain surgery for their children. I always say, No. Brain surgery is too risky, I have seen some children who had surgery, they showed no sign of recovery and their conditions were aggravated,'" she said.
The central government has allocated 725 million yuan (US$ 107 million) for the rehabilitation of about 60,000 handicapped preschoolers, including 1,200 autistic children, from poor families, the Xinhua News Agency reported in April.
"But still, it is far from enough," said Wang, "There are no public schools specifically for these children, their educations, treatments and futures are major burdens for their families."
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