Autism in China
The Wall Street Journal has published a very informative article about Autism in China. As in many Asian societies, attitudes to disability are mixed. Having a disabled child is seen by some as a sign that a couple have not led a virtuous life. This is reflected in official government policies which give low priority to resourcing services and provision for all disabilities. Hidden disabilities like autism are especially disadvantaged.
The response from parents has been to do it themselves. The article features a Ms. Ma who has given up a comfortable middle class existence, selling her apartment and using all of the family’s savings in an effort to provide a school for her autistic daughter. She is now embarking on a project to establish an adult community so there is somewhere for her daughter to go when she is dead.
This story is both illuminating and inspiring. It serves to illustrate the fact the autism is perceived differently and treated differently depending on the societal framework in which it is placed. These cultural differences form part of the subject of Richard Roy Grinker’s excellent book, Unstrange Minds, which was probably the best autism book I read in 2007.
