People with autism get chance to learn life skills

GUIYANG－Huang Zhuan, a special-education teacher, finds nothing more pleasing than seeing positive behavioral changes in her students.

Huang, 28, graduated with a major in special education from Anshun University in Guizhou province, and has worked for over five years at the non-profit Caring Home Special Education Training Center in Guiyang.

Huang still remembers the autistic twins who were among the first group of students she taught. Even accompanied by their mother, and through no fault of their own, the brothers struggled with their behavior in class, she recalled.

After two years of training, the younger brother is in standard education in kindergarten, while the elder is receiving practical life skills training.

The two children still keep in touch with Huang via telephone. "I'm proud and pleased to see that what I have taught has helped people in need," she said.

Autism in China has an incidence rate of 0.7 percent, and more than 2 million children under the age of 12 are on the autistic spectrum.

The figure is rising by about 200,000 each year, according to a report released in 2019.

"As a result of intellectual disabilities, it's difficult for severely autistic children to find an appropriate school to attend. To avail them of schooling, we decided to recruit professional teachers and administrative staff," said Zhao Xinling, 62, who worked in Guiyang's finance bureau before establishing the training center in 2003.

"It's just like planting a tree. Even if we are absent, it will protect the children from the wind and rain," said Zhao, who is the mother of an autistic child.

According to the Guizhou Disabled Persons' Federation, the number of special-needs agencies for autistic people increased to 70 in 2021, compared to just 28 in 2014. The number of autistic children undergoing specialist treatment has risen to 2,400 from just 280 over the same period.

Huang Xi is another mother of an autistic child. By the time her daughter was 4 years old it had become clear that her daughter was not developing as other children her age, and so Huang Xi took her to hospital where she was diagnosed with autism.

Children with autism often struggle with speech and in the development of social skills.

In 2016, Huang Xi and Zhao decided to set up an autism therapy center. Named Guiyang Huiling, it provides specialist and round-the-clock care for people with autism aged between 16 and 59.

The center is equipped with an employment assistance station, a day-care center and an exercise room. There are a total of 56 people with autism there, with the eldest aged 45.

All autistic people at the center receive specialist evaluation of their condition before practical skills classes begin. They are taught how to buy ingredients and cook meals, make handicrafts, play instruments, and so on.

To take care of this special group, Huang Xi and other teaching staff often gather and discuss emotional and behavioral changes after class.

"If marks appear on their body, we need to find out whether they are allergic to something or had a fight with another person," said Huang Xi, adding that, since autistic people often cannot express themselves clearly, any changes deserve attention.

Huang Xi said that about 25 percent of autistic people at the center go on to live unassisted in society. Her autistic daughter has mastered the skills required to cook and do the laundry.

Since 2020, volunteers from a handicraft workshop in Guiyang have been visiting the center and teaching manual skills such as batik and flower-arranging.

"After the workshop they can sell their handmade products online and offline, and in the process, increase societal awareness," said Huang Xi.

"These days, the center mainly accommodates adult autistic people. We hope to provide lifelong company for these people," said Huang Xi.

Xinhua