Eight autistic teens and young men are being trained as waiters at a coffee shop in Shanghai's Jing'an District. Before it opens to the public, the cafe has been carrying out trial runs. ICS reporter Liu Renzhi tells the story.

All eight of them assembled A-Coffee's tables and chairs inside the Shanghai Youth Center on Hanzhong Road. They will officially start serving customers on Monday between 11am and 3pm. They have a mild form of autism so some of them go to regular schools. They and their family members appreciate the opportunity.

"What do you like to do here?"

"I make and drink coffee. I make Americano."

YAN YUFANG GRANDMOTHER OF AUTISTIC CHILD "Before my grandson was afraid of pouring hot water, but not anymore. He can make coffee and be a waiter. I tasted the coffee he made. He did a great job."

JU SICHENG GRADE SEVEN STUDENT "I like making Americanos, lattes and cappuccinos. I'm happy because my customers love my coffee."

The waiters are between 16 and 27 years old. During this experimental phase, more than 3,000 volunteers will come in groups and act like customers. A-Coffee founder Cao Xiaoxia said it's easy for the youngsters to make coffee and handle the bills, but they struggle when communicating with customers because they often don't understand what people say.

CAO XIAOXIA, FOUNDER ANGEL CONFIDANT SALON & A-COFFEE "The volunteers should push them a little bit. They can ask for a refill and then explain what it means. They should correct them if their logic is wrong. Those young men remember the sentences, but don't understand the meaning or react accordingly. That's why some companies gave up after hiring autistic people. The communication barrier can be difficult to overcome. We must ask them to do their best as they want a real job and to earn money. I believe they can do it."

Cao said it will take about two years before they can work in a real coffee shop.

XU YIYE "I would like to be a volunteer. I think autistic children can work with others if they have a proper education. They can do jobs that involve repetitive tasks."

There are 230,000 autistic people older than 14 in Shanghai. Only two companies in the city are willing to hire people with autism.