Greater awareness of ASD offers hope

BEIJING — 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, 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,” says Wen.

ASD is often accompanied by mental and social difficulties, and there is neither an effective solution nor a widely accepted treatment. By 2019, China was home to over 10 million people with ASD, according to the Beijingbased Wucailu autism research institute. Wen, and many other parents who are the guardians of children with ASD, shared their stories of struggle, hope and unrelenting love, as World Autism Awareness Day fell on Friday.

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 challenges, and not prepared to begin work. He had to stay at home in an enclosed environment, which can lead to the degradation of basic life skills that take years to develop. His mother, Wu Guixiang, then established a workshop, named Adullam, providing courses to adults with ASD, such as singing, baking and social etiquette.

Now, it has more than 20 students, and it aims to help adults with ASD live independently.

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.

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 challenges, and that our children can live with dignity in an environment that suits them,” she says.

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

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, Gansu province, to receive professional help at the Hope Star Children’s Mental Development Center in the city, which has offered guidance for over 1,000 children with ASD since its founding 15 years ago.

Tongtong works on many abilities there, such as learning through imitation, which is important for later phases of development.

“It takes a lifetime of intervention,” says Wang Yanzhi, one of 18 teachers at the center, which also offers assistance to parents.

Last year, the family was granted an annual 20,000 yuan ($3,046) government subsidy as part of China’s aid program for children with mental and physical challenges. 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. 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,” says one parent at the center.

SUN FANYUE / XINHUA Zhang Hao reads a picture book with his mother Wu Guixiang.