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Musician plans to open school for autistic children in Shanghai
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SHANGHAI Cao Peng Music Center, an organization which has been running a popular weekly music education salon involving autistic children for seven years, plans to open a school for autistic children in the city.
The center has set up an education fund under Cao Xiaoxia, who is the executive director of the Shanghai City Symphony Orchestra, and the daughter of Cao Peng, a well-known symphony conductor in China.
Autistic children either go to schools with normal children or to schools with mentally challenged children. Parents and educators have said for years that autistic children do not get enough attention in schools and are more prone to being left jobless.
“Our experience tells us that they can become just as accomplished as other children, and we want to show they can achieve any level of success,” said Cao Xiaoxia.
For seven years, about 100 autistic children have been attending the weekend Angel Confidant Salon at No.1 Early Education Center in Huangpu District. About 40 of them have been attending the salon for at least three years.
“Four of them have performed in a symphony, playing the violin and the tuba, along with normal children. They can read music scores, tune the pitch, understand the conductor, which is a great achievement for them,” Cao said.
“Autistic children are not born with talents, but they are not, as some believe, lost causes either.”
Music will be an integral part of the program at the new school because children “seem to love it a lot.” They will also be taught to communicate with others, read and trained in different professions, Cao said.
Parents have welcomed the idea of a school after complaining for years about the lack of opportunities for autistic children. The kids struggle to socialize with other people while parents rarely take them out to public places for fears that they may cause harm.
Chen Ping, the mother of a 12-year-old boy who has been singing and learning to play the marimba at the salon since 2010, said being able to socialize with children had delivered results.
Her son, who attends a school with mentally challenged children because normal schools wouldn’t accept him, hardly listened or talked to people before he started at the salon, but he performs in a children’s musical in front of a large audience now.
“He is a changed person, much more sociable and confident,” Chen said, adding that sharing a classroom with mentally challenged pupils was not a good idea. Her son’s IQ scores showed that he was not disabled.
Liu Yan, the mother of a 13-year-old autistic boy who has been learning to play the horn since 2012 at the salon, said she is also looking forward to the school. Her son attends a normal school but most of the children avoid his company.
“Obviously my son is much happier around children like him,” Liu said.
Cao said some organizations had pledged to put in funds for the new school, but a detailed financial plan was yet to be worked out.
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