China News Service, Beijing, April 2 (Liang Xiaoyan, intern of Wei Xianghui) April 2 this year is the seventeenth "World Autism Awareness Day". A report shows that the number of autistic patients nationwide exceeds 10 million, including about 3-5 million children aged 0-14 years old, and the number is still increasing every year.
Autism is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), also known as "autism" and "children of the stars". It is a type of neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs in early childhood. Its core symptoms include abnormal social skills, narrow and stereotyped behaviors or interests, and repetitive behavioral characteristics.
"The cause of autism is still unclear, but it is not a purely psychological problem." Chen Xu, deputy director of pediatrics at Beijing Anding Hospital, told Sino-Singapore Health that autism is the most heritable disease among psychiatric diseases, and currently there is no drug that can Have an effect on its core symptoms.
Chen Xu introduced that behavioral training is currently the main method of intervention and treatment at home and abroad. For children with autism, the earlier intervention is carried out and the more systematic and intensive the intervention is, the better it will be for the child's future development.
The "Report on the Development of China's Autism Education and Rehabilitation Industry (IV)" points out that autism can be identified in the early stage through the "Five Don's" behaviors: not (less) looking; not (less) responding: including insensitivity to name-calling and joint attention deficit ; Not (less) refers to; Not (less) speech, the possibility of ASD must be considered for children with delayed language development; Improper: refers to inappropriate use of items and related sensory abnormalities.
Autism is one of the leading causes of mental disability in children. In recent years, the education of autistic children has received widespread attention. At the same time, autistic groups also face difficulties such as social discrimination, employment, and elderly care.
A study based on autistic families in Shanghai pointed out that the proportion of autistic patients and their caregivers who have often or sometimes been discriminated against in public is as high as 96.37%. At the same time, 93.2% of caregivers are worried about the patient's whereabouts and living conditions after their death.
“What will happen to my children when I leave?” is a common concern among parents of autistic patients.
Xiao Yang, former deputy director of the Women's Research Institute of the All-China Women's Federation, said in an interview with the media that the future custody supervision, property trust and foster care of autistic people are the main problems faced by autistic parents. Solving the problem cannot be solved without the government and the state. Support from laws and policies must be coordinated.
"At present, patients with mild symptoms can slowly adapt to society and live independently with help, which requires acceptance and understanding from all walks of life. Patients with severe symptoms need more social support, through the civil affairs department, Disabled Persons' Federation, medical, and special education schools , communities and other departmental organizations to provide more and more convenient services and support for autism groups." Chen Xu said.
In recent years, many places in my country have conducted policy explorations on attention and support for autism groups. For example, Shenzhen will officially launch the "Shenzhen Autism Full Support Service Implementation Plan" in 2023, which will provide all-round support for autistic people such as institutions, rehabilitation, education, employment, family support, and social integration. Beijing, Anhui and many other places are also actively exploring living placement models for older autistic patients. The autistic community is being recognized and needs more acceptance and kindness from society. (over)