April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in a resolution in 2007 with the aim of raising public awareness about the disorder. This year, the day is themed "Transformation: Toward a Neuro-Inclusive World for All."

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. It often begins in infancy, mainly manifested as social barriers, language barriers, lack of interest and rigid movements.

"Despite important progress, persons with autism continue to face social and environmental barriers to the full exercise of their rights and fundamental freedoms, in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a message. 

He called for better help for autism patients and full recognition of their active and diverse contributions to society. 

About one in 100 children has autism worldwide, according to the thesis "Global prevalence of autism: A systematic review update" published in 2022. 

In China, there are about 13 million patients with ASD and the number is increasing by about 200,000 annually, China Media Group (CMG) reported on Sunday. 

Early detection and treatment helpful

Based on available scientific evidence, there are many factors that make a child more likely to have autism, including environmental and genetic factors, according to the World Health Organization. 

If a child can't call dad and mom proactively at the age of two to three years old or doesn't make eye contact with or respond to others, the child may enter ASD risk, Du Jiamei, deputy director of the Rehabilitation Medicine Working Committee of China Association of Social Workers, told CMG.

Autism patients are dubbed by some as the "children of the stars," because they are always immersed in their own "world" possessing a different mindset from other people.

Du said there is no medicine to treat autism yet, but intense and dense professional training can help patients relieve their symptoms and enable them to continuously integrate into society.

With early intervention, about 70 percent of patients can live normal lives. 

More therapists needed 

The treatment of autism is slow and involves multiple methods, such as rehabilitation training and psychological assistance therapy, as well as interventions in movement and language.

There are less than 200,000 professionals engaged in autism rehabilitation services in China – a huge gap considering the patient population base. 

Such professionals are now in short supply and most of them work in hospitals, Cao Yuejin, executive director and secretary-general of the China Association of Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons, told CMG. However, communities also need more of these professionals, he added. 

Experts called for efforts to boost the numbers of rehabilitation therapists in China by improving evaluation standards and unblocking the career promotion system for the job. 

In recent years, the Chinese government has rolled out different policies to support children's rehabilitation and improve remuneration for specialist teachers for autistic patients, and continued to promote public awareness, acceptance and tolerance for autistic groups.