Beijing -- Japan donated
$80,840 to help treat
Shanghai's autistic
children, those who have
difficulties communicating,
interacting and often cannot
respond to affection - a
serious problem in a highly
verbal society such as
China.
Shanghai has at least 10,000
known autistic children,
mostly living in their own
worlds, out of touch with
reality and given to
repetitive behaviors.
The Shanghai Charity
Foundation received the
donation from Consulate
General of Japan yesterday.
It is the first local
institution for treating
children with autism.
Funds will purchase more
sports facilities and fix
utilities for the school,
according to Jiang Limin,
director of the Shanghai
Sincerity Children
Convalescent's Kindergarten
Among the 1.8 million
children known to be
suffering from autism in
China, over 10,000 of them
are in Shanghai, based on
the Sincerity Kindergarten.
However, the Sincerity
facility was only founded in
2003.Currently 20
professional therapists are
helping about 35 children
there under age of seven.
"There is always a line-up
on our enrollment list,"
said He Xiaoyun,
the facility supervisor.
"Expanded facilities will
hopefully let us have
more professionals and look
after more autistic children
in our institution.
"The kindergarten so far has
treated 160 children with
autism, and 30
percent of them have been
able to enter elementary
schools.
Ye Lan, a teacher, said that
autism is a lifelong but
non-progressive
disability, and a cure has
not been found. Jiang, the
director of the school, also
a mother of an 11-year-old
autistic boy, says early
treatment makes a
difference.
(Source: Shanghai
Daily News)