Call for more support for autistic children

Sunday was the 16th World Autism Awareness Day. Thanks to the past 15 years of efforts, awareness of autism has increased. Those suffering from it are no longer considered to "have an inward character" and proper medical support is now available to them. The public too shows greater understanding of the condition, which is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts how a person engages in social interaction and communication. Other characteristics are atypical patterns of activities and behaviors, such as difficulty with transition from one activity to another, a focus on details and unusual reactions to sensations.

The formal diagnostic name is autism spectrum disorder. The word spectrum indicates that it manifests in different forms with varying levels of severity. Children and adults who have autism spectrum disorder may not speak at all or have delayed or limited verbal communication. Some people have heavily impaired cognitive thinking while others are extremely gifted.

This year the focus of the United Nations' autism awareness day was on "transforming the narrative: contributions at home, at work, in the arts and in policymaking", a call for accepting, supporting, and including autistic people, and advocating for their rights.

There are no known causes of autism, but there are contributing factors, including genes, brain development and environmental factors. And although there is no "cure" for autism, it can be managed with interventions. Autism can be reliably diagnosed by age 2 or earlier, and early identification can help autistic children get the care they need.

That care requires huge efforts from both doctors and families. In my past interviews, the organizers of professional training agencies have shown the timetable of their training courses, which is even more intense than that of ordinary schools. Some parents also explained that one of them has to quit their job in order to stay with their autistic child all day.

It is a sad but undeniable fact that caring for one autistic child might be a burden for a whole family and require a professional carer. How to help these families is a question that the whole society needs to take into consideration. For example, many local governments, such as that of Haikou, Hainan province, have been investing in special education so as to cover all children, which could save money and energy for the suffering families.

The latest data indicate that the number of people with autism is over 10 million in China, of which 2 million are children. They need more care from society and that care should not be limited to April 2 only.