Autism is a life-long non-progressive developmental disability that severely impairs the way sensory input is assimilated, causing problems in social behavior, communication and learning ability and hindering the establishment of normal social and parent-child relationships. Most of the time, those with autism demonstrate some degree of mental retardation.

The condition typically becomes evident during the first three years of life. No known factor in the field of psychology has been identified as the cause; nor has a biomedical reason been found. Yet it is confirmed that autism is not caused by improper parental handling or adverse living environment but is a series of medical disorders, which can be identified as symptoms of autism. Current medical research suggests that autism is a disorder of early brain development, probably before 30 weeks of pregnancy.

When a child demonstrates signs and symptoms as illustrated below, the parent may need to consult a specialist:

• Resisting normal teaching methods
• Giggle and laugh for no explanatory reasons or at inappropriate moments
• Echolaly (repeating what is heard like parrot)
• Behave as if being a deaf
• Have no fear of real danger
• Insensitivity to pain
• Crying tantrums or extreme distress for no discernible reason
• Spin objects repeatedly
• Refuse to be cuddled
• Sustain odd plays
• Difficulty mixing with other children
• Resist changes in routine
• Avoid eye contact
• Stand-offish manner
• Uneven gross and fine motion skills
• Attachment to objects
• Indicate needs by gesture
• Demonstrate physical over-activity or extreme passivity

Autism greatly affects the way an individual relates to others and to the world. Its symptoms can be classified in the following general areas:

1. Qualitative impairment in social interaction skills
2. Limited, repetitive and stereotyped pattern of behavior, interests and activities
3. Delays or malfunction in social interaction, language or symbolic/imaginative play before the age of three.

Since the cause of autism is currently unknown, there are no medical tests that can definitively confirm or rule out a diagnosis. It is diagnosed by comparing individual behaviors to identifiable autistic symptoms (DSM IV and ICD-10) to determine whether or not a child is autistic.

Autism has been found throughout the world in families of all racial and social backgrounds. It occurs in approximately 2-4 out of every 10,000 births, and is four times more common in boys than girls. When wider criteria of autism are used, the number of children affected by autism can be as high as 15-20 in every 10,000. It is estimated there are 500,000 autistic suffers in China.

Due to its cause being unknown, there is not an effective cure for autism. However, early diagnosis and intervention have proved to be vital to the future development of an autistic child, and special educational program using behavioral training methods could significantly improve the quality of his or her life.

Autism is rarely recognized in China, and clinical diagnosis is hardly available. Consequently few autistic children are diagnosed before they reach three years old, meaning that they miss the best time of intervention. Even with the few who are diagnosed as autistic, they are not given any treatment or training directed toward their needs, thus missing the chance of making a positive turn later on.

Most children with autism are rejected by kindergartens or schools. Even with the few specialized schools for children with mental disorders in big cities, they are unable to offer appropriate help to autistic children because they lack the knowledge and skills to do so. Staying home thus becomes the only option for a large majority of autistic children. This puts tremendous pressure on their parents. By leaving them on their own, these children lose all the chances of developing their potential talents that they originally might have.

Each diagnosis means a broken dream for the parents. They are often in despair and uncertainty, not knowing how to cope with their life and where to get help. In China they are not able to get any financial support from the government, which does not provide any form of insurance program for the disabled. The thought of what will happen to their child when they die makes their life very stressful. In the meantime, they have to work very hard to support their child and prepare for his or her future because raising an autistic child requires a plenty of time and money.

• Wing, Lorna (latest edition 1996) The Autistic Spectrum Constable & Robinson
  
  
• Baron-Cohen, Simon & Bolton, Patrick (1993) Autism: The Facts Oxford Paperbacks
  
  
• Attwood, Tony, (1997) Asperger's Syndrome: a guide for parents and professionals Jessica Kingsley Publishers