Chinese families strive to improve lives of children with autism

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Wen Rong (pseudonym) and her husband, both in their 50s, worry most about who will take care of their 23-year-old son, who has an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), after they pass away.

"I only have one hope, just like many other parents of children with ASD. That is to outlive my child, even if just for one year," said Wen.

ASD is often accompanied by mental and social disability, and there is neither an effective cure nor a widely accepted treatment. By 2019, China was home to over 10 million people with ASD, according to the Beijing-based Wucailu autism research institute.

As World Autism Awareness Day falls on Friday, we spoke to the guardians of children with ASD, who shared their stories of struggle, hope and unrelenting love.

"LIVE WITH DIGNITY"

Aged 20 in 2016, Zhang Hao, who has ASD, was faced with a dilemma: He was too old for educational facilities for children with intellectual disabilities, and not prepared to begin work.

Without access to specialized facilities, Zhang had to stay at home in an enclosed environment. That can lead to the degradation of basic life skills that take years to develop and sometimes even severe bipolar disorder.

"We had nowhere to go," said Wu Guixiang, Zhang's mother. She subsequently established a workshop, providing courses to adults with ASD, such as singing, baking and social etiquette.

The workshop, named Adullam, initially enrolled eight adults with ASD. Today, the workshop has more than 20 students.

It aims to help adults with ASD live independently. "Few people would consider recruiting someone with ASD, even if they were qualified," said Wu.

According to a 2016 report on Chinese families with autism, adults with ASD had an employment rate of less than 10 percent in the country.

After touring a well-known Japanese agency for autistic people, Wu was inspired to teach baking to the students in the hope that they could support themselves with the skill and even benefit from social insurance one day.

However, when they applied for a food hygiene license for the business, they were asked if the students were sufficiently qualified to make cakes.

Despite the frustration, Wu remains upbeat about the workshop as public awareness of autism has been improving.

"I hope that Adullam can one day become an agency that can help with the employment and care of people with mental disabilities, and that our children can live with dignity in an environment that suits them," she said.

"SEE YOUR WORLD"

Song Minghai, 61, became the guardian of his 5-year-old autistic granddaughter Tongtong (pseudonym) after her parents split.

Autism in China has an incidence of 0.7 percent, with over 2 million autistic children under the age of 12. The figure is increasing by about 200,000 each year.

To help Tongtong better deal with her ASD, Song brought her to Lanzhou, capital of the northwestern province of Gansu. She received professional help at Hope Star Children's Mental Development Center in the city.

The center has offered guidance for over 1,000 children with ASD since it was established 15 years ago.

Tongtong works on many abilities there, such as the ability to imitate and learn, which is important for later phases of development.

"It takes a lifetime of intervention," said Wang Yanzhi, one of 18 teachers at the center. "We can offer assistance to parents in the first few years, but it will only get harder."

Song exercises regularly to maintain his health, as he cannot afford to leave Tongtong alone due to his own health issues.

Last year, the family was granted an annual 20,000-yuan government subsidy as part of China's aid program for children with disabilities. It has eased the financial strain on the family.

Students train for 25 to 40 hours per week at the center. When Tongtong is in class, Song often sits outside the classroom on a small stool and watches her every move.

Like other parents or grandparents there, Song does not want to miss the new things his child is learning and is worried she might have an unanticipated emotional breakdown.

But most of all, he wants to understand his child and be understood.

"I want to see my child's world so much, and I want him to see my world even more," said one parent at the center.