‘Music is their language’: school gives autistic Chinese youth a voice
Without music, without these lessons, he wouldn’t have anything
Almost three years of pandemic restrictions have been hard for 23-year-old Chinese villager Zu Wenbao, but thanks to Beijing-based Chen’s Studio, music has become his saving grace.
Zu is one of about 14 million people in China who have autism spectrum disorder.
Despite laws to ensure the integration of people with autism, many in China know little about the disorder and support remains lacking, experts say.
Having autism meant Zu was unable to fit in at school or among other young people in his home village of Bei’an in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province.
All that changed when he began free music lessons at Chen’s Studio, after the pandemic hit.
Zu, who is non-verbal, has since learnt to play the keyboard, and sings along with the four other members of the Star Kids band, established by their teacher, Chen Shensi.
“Without music, without these lessons, he wouldn’t have anything,” said Zu’s mother, Zhao Guorong, who travels with him every Sunday for two hours on three different buses from their home on the outskirts of Beijing so he can attend class.
“Even though the kids taking music classes are younger than him and half his size, they all take care of him like he’s their brother,” she said.
China has passed several laws to ensure inclusion of people with autism, most recently in September to standardise diagnosis and intervention for young children. While support has improved over the past 20 years, millions of children still lack the behavioural therapy and educational support they need, experts say.
People with autism tend to find it difficult to get jobs, and Chen hopes he can change that by giving his students a way to earn a living: the Star Kids band has already performed several concerts.
“They might be able to make a living by being an artist,” Chen said.
“To some degree, I think music might be their language.”