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Children with autism have been likened to stars in the sky. They twinkle， lonely in their own world， so in China many call them “children who come from the stars.” But cruel reality lies behind the romantic designation： Autistic children suffer speaking disabilities and endure interpersonal barriers， narrow interest sets and rigid behavior.
Wang Xinhui is the head of the Star Road Autistic Children’s Rehabilitation Center in Chifeng City， northern China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. During her 15 years of practice in the field of autism rehabilitation， she has experienced considerable frustration as well as joy. She has overcome countless roadblocks to seize fruitful gains.
Encountering Autism
Wang majored in education in her college years. After graduation， she set up a children’s potential development center， integrating the functions of a kindergarten and early childhood education.
In 2004， things changed when a child named Yangyang enrolled in the school.
It didn’t take long for Wang to discover that Yangyang was different from other children： He stayed away from others and yet never missed his mother. He always played alone in the corner， and if someone managed to pull him back to his seat， he would leave again a moment later. And he never interacted or even maintained eye contact with anyone.
“At that time， I was totally ignorant of autism，” Wang admits.“After discussing Yangyang’s behavior with his parents at their home， we all decided to head to Beijing to take Yangyang to a doctor， who officially diagnosed him with incurable autism. Seeing the desperate parents and innocent child， I made up my mind to help them no matter what.”
But how？ At first， Wang had no idea. She tried to use her own methods to teach Yangyang but saw no significant improvement after a whole month. She realized that she had to learn the right way to effectively help the child. Later， she joined several colleagues to survey autism rehabilitation efforts in Beijing， Shanghai， Guangzhou， and Shenzhen among other places to learn from others’ work. A year later， the teachers mastered basic skills for teaching autistic children， and Yangyang started making remarkable progress under her guidance.
One summer day as Wang was conducting individual training lessons for Yangyang， she turned to pick up a card when she heard him exclaim， “Mom！”
“What did you say？” Wang couldn’t believe her ears.
Yangyang did not look at her， yet he repeated， “Mom！” “I took him in my arms and cried，” Wang recalls. “It was the first time the 7-year-old even spoke or called out to his mother.”Remembering the scene years later， Wang still couldn’t hold back tears.
Years of hard work and tireless effort paid off， but new problems emerged. Restricted by the size of the venue and the number of faculty， she has to make a choice between continuing to run a kindergarten for ordinary children or becoming a public welfare organization devoted to special education.
Persistent Love
The motivation for Wang to decide to stick to autism-related work was her love for autistic children.
“We were the only school in the region to offer autism rehabilitation，” she notes. “If I quit， the children would have had nowhere to go. More importantly， I was reluctant to part with them. For me， they were not just autistic children， but people who live in different world from us. They have emotions and love. I just couldn’t give them up.”
In 2008， China promulgated a relief policy for autistic children， which boosted Wang’s confidence.“Each autistic child requires three or more teachers，” she reveals. “As a non-governmental public welfare organization， it is difficult to survive without government subsidies.”
To encourage Wang and other teachers， parents also “bribe” them with self-raised rice， chicken and vegetables.
“I know the pressure that families with autistic children feel， both spiritually and financially，” Wang explains. “Although I hesitated for a moment， the children and parents kept me from backing down. Even a small step made by a child could help heal the parents’trauma or even save a family.”
In 2009， Wang’s potential development center was formally renamed the Star Road Autistic Children’s Rehabilitation Center， which continues to use Applied Behavior Analysis （ABA） and combine Relationship Development Intervention （RDI） therapy and sensory training to carry out rehabilitation treatment for autistic children under different conditions.
Today， the center has a faculty of 36 teachers and more than 300 long-term volunteers who provide rehabilitation training for more than 700 autistic children. Every year， about 15 percent of their children are integrated into ordinary primary schools.
Improving Social Environment
Many continue to hold one of the two extreme perceptions of autism. Some consider it a mental illness while others believe that autistic people are gifted， which is true for only a very small number. In fact， early intervention can effectively alleviate the condition and help children engage in normal education and ordinary life.
Now in her 15th year working with autistic children， Wang knows she chose a hard road. She doesn’t mind saliva on her face when an autistic child kisses her， and she can accept their often stiff and even aggressive behavior. What she continues to fear most is misunderstanding and discrimination from the outside world.
“Many people questioned my intentions when I chose to stay focused on ‘abnormal children，’” she sighed. “I also used to ‘beg for alms’everywhere I went to find sponsors for the school.”
Passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007， World Autism Awareness Day became internationally recognized on April 2 every year. In 2010， Ocean Heaven， a Chinese film depicting an autistic patient， greatly popularized awareness of autism and aroused attention for people with the illness. The Chinese government has introduced several targeted rehabilitation programs for such groups. In some economically developed provinces of China， assistance is provided to cover all families with autistic children from birth to age six.
“Slowly and steadily， the entire social environment is changing， and now many generous people and charitable institutions find us on their own to make targeted donations，” Wang grins. “Although we still encounter many difficulties and challenges， the increase in public awareness and policy support is creating space for these special children to live normal， productive lives.”
Wang Xinhui is the head of the Star Road Autistic Children’s Rehabilitation Center in Chifeng City， northern China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. During her 15 years of practice in the field of autism rehabilitation， she has experienced considerable frustration as well as joy. She has overcome countless roadblocks to seize fruitful gains.
Encountering Autism
Wang majored in education in her college years. After graduation， she set up a children’s potential development center， integrating the functions of a kindergarten and early childhood education.
In 2004， things changed when a child named Yangyang enrolled in the school.
It didn’t take long for Wang to discover that Yangyang was different from other children： He stayed away from others and yet never missed his mother. He always played alone in the corner， and if someone managed to pull him back to his seat， he would leave again a moment later. And he never interacted or even maintained eye contact with anyone.
“At that time， I was totally ignorant of autism，” Wang admits.“After discussing Yangyang’s behavior with his parents at their home， we all decided to head to Beijing to take Yangyang to a doctor， who officially diagnosed him with incurable autism. Seeing the desperate parents and innocent child， I made up my mind to help them no matter what.”
But how？ At first， Wang had no idea. She tried to use her own methods to teach Yangyang but saw no significant improvement after a whole month. She realized that she had to learn the right way to effectively help the child. Later， she joined several colleagues to survey autism rehabilitation efforts in Beijing， Shanghai， Guangzhou， and Shenzhen among other places to learn from others’ work. A year later， the teachers mastered basic skills for teaching autistic children， and Yangyang started making remarkable progress under her guidance.
One summer day as Wang was conducting individual training lessons for Yangyang， she turned to pick up a card when she heard him exclaim， “Mom！”
“What did you say？” Wang couldn’t believe her ears.
Yangyang did not look at her， yet he repeated， “Mom！” “I took him in my arms and cried，” Wang recalls. “It was the first time the 7-year-old even spoke or called out to his mother.”Remembering the scene years later， Wang still couldn’t hold back tears.
Years of hard work and tireless effort paid off， but new problems emerged. Restricted by the size of the venue and the number of faculty， she has to make a choice between continuing to run a kindergarten for ordinary children or becoming a public welfare organization devoted to special education.
Persistent Love
The motivation for Wang to decide to stick to autism-related work was her love for autistic children.
“We were the only school in the region to offer autism rehabilitation，” she notes. “If I quit， the children would have had nowhere to go. More importantly， I was reluctant to part with them. For me， they were not just autistic children， but people who live in different world from us. They have emotions and love. I just couldn’t give them up.”
In 2008， China promulgated a relief policy for autistic children， which boosted Wang’s confidence.“Each autistic child requires three or more teachers，” she reveals. “As a non-governmental public welfare organization， it is difficult to survive without government subsidies.”
To encourage Wang and other teachers， parents also “bribe” them with self-raised rice， chicken and vegetables.
“I know the pressure that families with autistic children feel， both spiritually and financially，” Wang explains. “Although I hesitated for a moment， the children and parents kept me from backing down. Even a small step made by a child could help heal the parents’trauma or even save a family.”
In 2009， Wang’s potential development center was formally renamed the Star Road Autistic Children’s Rehabilitation Center， which continues to use Applied Behavior Analysis （ABA） and combine Relationship Development Intervention （RDI） therapy and sensory training to carry out rehabilitation treatment for autistic children under different conditions.
Today， the center has a faculty of 36 teachers and more than 300 long-term volunteers who provide rehabilitation training for more than 700 autistic children. Every year， about 15 percent of their children are integrated into ordinary primary schools.
Improving Social Environment
Many continue to hold one of the two extreme perceptions of autism. Some consider it a mental illness while others believe that autistic people are gifted， which is true for only a very small number. In fact， early intervention can effectively alleviate the condition and help children engage in normal education and ordinary life.
Now in her 15th year working with autistic children， Wang knows she chose a hard road. She doesn’t mind saliva on her face when an autistic child kisses her， and she can accept their often stiff and even aggressive behavior. What she continues to fear most is misunderstanding and discrimination from the outside world.
“Many people questioned my intentions when I chose to stay focused on ‘abnormal children，’” she sighed. “I also used to ‘beg for alms’everywhere I went to find sponsors for the school.”
Passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007， World Autism Awareness Day became internationally recognized on April 2 every year. In 2010， Ocean Heaven， a Chinese film depicting an autistic patient， greatly popularized awareness of autism and aroused attention for people with the illness. The Chinese government has introduced several targeted rehabilitation programs for such groups. In some economically developed provinces of China， assistance is provided to cover all families with autistic children from birth to age six.
“Slowly and steadily， the entire social environment is changing， and now many generous people and charitable institutions find us on their own to make targeted donations，” Wang grins. “Although we still encounter many difficulties and challenges， the increase in public awareness and policy support is creating space for these special children to live normal， productive lives.”