Centers for autistic children struggling to survive
Print Edition
after a successful ten years, an autism center in east China’s Anhui Province is now facing an uncertain future.
The Zhiaiyangguang center in the provincial capital of Hefei was founded by eight families with autistic children in 2005, with each family investing 5,000 yuan (US$800).
It has helped over 350 autistic children and, currently, there are more than 50 students there, aged from 2 to 22.
But the center has been forced to move six times, as a result of rising rent and objections by some people to having the center in their neighborhood.
“The center made a loss of 160,000 yuan in 2014 due to relocation. We have been losing about 10,000 yuan per month this year,” manager Ai Xin said. The founding families had to come up with 50,000 yuan each last year to keep the organization afloat.
The center also has problems in recruiting qualified teachers.
“It is very hard to find new teachers,” said education director Wang Ying. “It requires both professional skills and exceptional patience to take care of autistic children.”
Wang has been working in Zhiaiyangguang since 2006. She is the best paid teacher at the center but still makes only 3,000 yuan a month, 1,000 yuan below the city average.
Since 2012, Anhui Province has been running a program whereby autistic children under the age of 10 can receive a 12,000 yuan education grant each year. More than 1,000 children have benefited so far, and about half of the children in Zhiaiyangguang are eligible.
“Some impoverished children have to give up when they reach the age limit. Last month, one of our children went back to his hometown,” Ai said.
According to the China Education Association, there would be about 2 million autistic children under the age of 14.
Only a small fraction of these children receive professional help and only 11,000 autistic children are registered in rehabilitation organizations nationwide.
Xu Xiaoming, head of an autism association in Wuhu, believes many private autism organizations are struggling to survive.
Although it has been receiving support from the local government, it is hindered by small premises and a lack of money, she said.
Inclusive education for autistic children is almost nonexistent in China, while many autistic children still cannot share a mainstream classroom with their peers, even after special training.
Xu blames a lack of special education teachers and prejudice against autistic children.
“In these circumstances, NGOs must shoulder great responsibilities,” she said.
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