A glimpse into the world of autistic children

Autistic children are sometimes referred to as "children from the stars," but they do not possess the supernatural abilities of an alien from an extraterrestrial star. Instead, most of them have low IQs, and show anxiety or other traits. Most autistic children are unable to attend a regular school in China. They therefore face immense difficulties in receiving education and getting jobs. Autism is a disorder in neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and verbal and non-verbal communication, and by restricted, repetitive or stereotypical behavior. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and are organized, but how this occurs is not well understood. There is no cure for the condition. Though 70 percent of autistic children are mentally impaired, they may show special capabilities in some ways. Of the remaining 30 percent, one third have extraordinary intelligence. Also, most autistic children have a good memory, especially procedural memory. This April 2 marked the 7th World Autism Awareness Day. Prior to the annual occasion, students in a private special education center in Inner Mongolia beamed at the camera, as their lives were about to be revealed to the outside world. The Ugly Duckling Special Education School was founded in 2005 by Ms. Zhou Guanghong, a worker who, after her company closed down, sought to help autistic children and their families. At the beginning, Ugly Duckling only had two staff members and only four children in its rehabilitation programs. But now it is home to more than 140 children, of whom 60 percent suffer from autism, in the care of 23 teachers and caretakers. The instability of staff has been a problem for headmistress Zhou Guanghong. She had her daughter Chen Wanli study special education in college. Upon her graduation in 2010, Chen returned to work for her mother. Zhou said she hoped people could understand more about autism.