10m autistic in China

More than 10 million people are estimated to be autistic in China, and the condition is becoming increasingly common, according to a report released by the Autism Research Center under the Chinese Society of Education on Friday.

The number of autistic children aged from 0 to 14 years may exceed 2 million, the report said.

But there are less than 100 doctors in China who can diagnose autism, meaning that a great many children miss the best time for intervention, said Han Jibin, an official from the China Disabled Persons' Federation.

The central government invested 432 million yuan ($70.55 million) from 2011 to 2014 into treatment for autistic people.