Around us, there is a group of "children from the stars" who are not deaf but deaf to sounds; who are not blind but blind to the people and things around them; who are not dumb, but do not know how to speak.
Today (2 April) is World Autism Day, and in places where we haven't noticed, there are many people and their families who are battling the disease.
They come from the stars
Lonely trapped in their own world
Autism, also known as autism, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs most often before the age of 3. According to relevant statistics, the number of autism patients in the mainland may exceed 10 million, of which the number of children aged 0 to 14 may exceed 2 million. Autism has become a global public health problem that seriously affects children's health, and the World Health Organization ranks it as the first mental illness in children.
Because patients often exhibit communication disorders, social communication disorders, narrow interests, and stereotyped repetitive behaviors, they are like stars in the sky, lonely immersed in the inner world, so they are called "children from the stars". Despite the nickname of gentle romance, it is actually difficult for them to integrate into society and live independently, study, and find employment like ordinary healthy people.
People with social disabilities are often thought to be secretly skilled and reclusive geniuses. For example, in the movie "Rain Man", the male protagonist suffering from autism has a superb memory, never forgets, and has a mental arithmetic ability comparable to a computer. However, in reality, most people with autism have different degrees of intellectual disability, and less than 10% have different talents.
In 2019, the "representative channel" of the two sessions of the National People's Congress, Wang Xinhui, who has been deeply involved in the rehabilitation education of autistic children for 15 years, introduced that these children play in their own world, dare not look at others' eyes, do not communicate with others, refuse to hug, refuse to kiss, and even when they are hungry and sick, they cannot say "Mom, I am hungry" like normal children. For families, parents face not only the cost of rehabilitation day after day, but also the mental suffering of day after day.
Increase the intensity of rehabilitation assistance
15% of mild patients can return to society and 70% achieve sheltered employment
The pathogenesis of autism has not yet been clarified, and there is no drug to treat, but early detection, early behavioral intervention and education can significantly improve poor prognosis. In order to provide hope for the future for patients and their families, the warmth of national policies, aid agencies and society is flowing.
At the national policy level, the China Disabled Persons' Federation, the China Rehabilitation Association for the Disabled and other institutions have successively introduced rehabilitation and assistance measures. As early as 2017, the State Council issued the "Regulations on Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation of The Disabled", proposing that the state establish a rehabilitation assistance system for disabled children and gradually realize that children with autism aged 0-6 can receive free services such as surgery, assistive device configuration and rehabilitation training.
In terms of supporting personnel and rehabilitation facilities, Sun Menglin, vice chairman of the Autism Rehabilitation Professional Committee of the China Association for the Disabled, introduced that as of 2019, the number of education and rehabilitation institutions nationwide has increased from more than 1,600 to 1,811, an increase of 12%; the service capacity has increased from less than 200,000 to more than 300,000, an increase of 30%; the number of employees has increased from less than 30,000 to more than 50,000, an increase of 40%; the distribution of institutions has gradually developed from concentrated in developed areas in large cities to various places.
In January 2022, the Ministry of Education and other departments launched the "14th Five-Year Plan" Special Education Development and Upgrading Action Plan, which plans to reach 97% of the compulsory education enrollment rate of school-age disabled children in the country by 2025, promote the integration of general education and special education, and let disabled children and ordinary children grow together. For the possible difficulties of "classmate exclusion" and "parents disagree", Gu Dingqian, director of the Teaching Guidance Committee for the Training of Special Education Teachers in Colleges and Universities of the Ministry of Education, said that this requires professional workers such as touring guidance teachers in special education schools to help autistic children as much as possible, reduce the impact on themselves and others in learning, and gradually eliminate the doubts of parents of ordinary children.
Sun Menglin said that under scientific intervention, 15% of children with mild autism can return to society, and 70% can achieve sheltered employment. Therefore, parents, educational institutions, and the whole society should not "talk about the disease", everyone should scientifically understand autism, and accept the "children of the stars" with love and understanding.
On the ice and snow, forming an orchestra, learning to wash cars...
The warm current of society lights up the "stars"
In 2020, a café in Shanghai recruited disabled employees, who wore furry bear paws and handed out coffee and roses from holes in the wall, touching the whole network with the spirit of self-reliance and self-improvement. For the "children of the stars", there are also many caring people who light up the light for them to integrate into society.
In recent years, the Beijing Winter Olympics ignited the enthusiasm for ice and snow in the north and south of the river, in order to let children with disabilities can also touch the sunshine of ice and snow sports, Henan Luanchuan Special Education School organized hundreds of deaf-mute, autistic, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome children, under the guidance of professional coaches to start ski training, the same action, children and coaches have to pay double efforts.
In December 2019, 22 children represented the school at the National Special Olympics. Among them, Lou Jiayuan, who suffered from autism, insisted on participating with illness with a high fever and finally won the silver medal in the men's cross-country skiing event.
Cao Peng, 97, is a retired cadre of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, a famous conductor in the mainland, and a national moral model. Since 2008, Cao Peng has organized more than 5,000 young volunteers to persist for more than 13 years, personally conducting and personally adapting musical scores for autistic children, leading them to learn to sing, play xylophone, play brass music, and perform in the nursing home every year, participate in the Edinburgh Arts Festival, the Japan Disabled Arts Festival and other activities, help children integrate into society and enhance self-confidence.
Parents said they never expected their children to be able to play music, follow a band, and learn such a complex instrument.
In 2019, Nanjing Xiyi'er Car Wash Center was opened, and the employees were all patients with mental disorders such as autism, and the founder Zhu Junlin was also disabled. Before the opening, she spent a year preparing, tirelessly training employees in car wash skills, service etiquette and basic cultural knowledge, and was assisted by the government's venture capital fund, peer guidance and volunteers.
By 2020, there are 16 people with mental disabilities in the store, the youngest being 18 and the oldest being 52. While generating stable income, they washed more than 5,000 cars for 328 members and customers.
Regarding the social development of autistic patients, Huang Qi, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, suggested that support policies should be introduced to encourage patients to find employment, and for patients who are mild and moderate and can master certain skills through training, vocational training with special policy support can be given to them, so that they can have the employment skills within their capabilities, so as to obtain jobs and support themselves.
On World Autism Day, may every "child from the stars" be cared for by society, walk out of the lonely world, and go to the society under the sun.
Source: Lychee News