Jiangsu gives priority to care of autistic children

2022-03-03 17:30:00

Jiangsu Provincial Disabled Persons' Federation held a meeting on March 2 to outline the main initiatives and measures to support people with disabilities this year.

Among the provincial government’s 50 major livelihood programs in 12 fields, two are related to the wellbeing of the disabled – expanding the care services to 13,000 people aged 16-59 and also providing the basic rehabilitation training to all children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the province.

This marked the first time for Jiangsu to make the support to autistic children a government priority.

The number of children with ASD in Jiangsu increased by 10-20% each year, about 1,000 new patients last year, said Ji Bengui, director of the federation’s Rehabilitation Department.

Jiangsu provides rehabilitation assistance to 36,638 children with disabilities, including 12,469 autistic children or about 34%. An early diagnosis and intervention is now recognized as the best treatment for ASD.

Ji called parents to take their children with suspected ASD symptoms to the hospital for diagnosis in a timely manner. He also said the federation is ready to provide rehabilitation services to those needed.