SOCIAL STIGMA
Roughly 1.14 percent of children in the United States is autistic. The number in China is harder to quantify. Autism has an incidence of between one and two percent worldwide. In China, more than 13 million people suffering from autism, including an estimated 1.8 million children.
The environment for autistic children in China is particularly harsh, and the condition remains largely misunderstood. To help the public understand autism, Du organizes charity activities, concerts and other public events.
"Autistic children have lost the game at square one," Du said.
"I am short-tempered, but God asked me to walk with a snail. I have to slow my pace," Du said in her book last year.
The Soong Ching Ling Foundation launched a fund for autistic children on Wednesday, with 3 million yuan (about 488,600 U.S. dollars) as the initial capital. Jing Dunquan, vice-chair of the foundation, said he aimed to educate the public, treat autistic children, help their families, and train medical staff to help the kids integrate into society. At Wednesday's performance, a member of the audience donated 200,000 yuan to the fund.
Even when diagnosed nothing much changes for many children. Facilities and teachers are ill-equipped to help. China only has about 300 autism rehabilitation centers, which is far from enough. Only children under six years old usually attend such centers. Mild and moderately autistic children are trained for six to 18 months before they are deemed capable of going to mainstream kindergartens.
In the United States, autistic children are integrated into society, with the help of special courses, trained teachers and medical professionals. The situation in China could hardly be more different. Many schools refuse to even admit autistic children. Other parents have threatened to have teachers dismissed if autistic children share their children's classes. Du estimates that less than 20 percent autistic Chinese children go to ordinary schools.
Du said she did not want Wednesday's show to be a bleeding-heart charity event, but instead, she wanted to send a message of equality, courage and confidence.
Thanks to Du's efforts, Xuan Xuan studies at one of Beijing's best primary schools where she is a student leaders. There are indeed extraordinary talents and abilities present in certain autistic children, but the number is very small. Another two performers at Wednesday's show also go to school like any other teenagers, where their guitar and piano skills receive high praise.
Qiuge and Qiuyu are in an autism class in a Beijing school.
