Act for autism: Online training helps special education teachers

By Cui Can
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, January 6, 2018
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Inclusive education

Zhao Qi, director of the Beijing Haidian Xiandai Yishu Kindergarten, works on implementing inclusive preschool education. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

"Based on my experience, it is easier for children with ASD who go through the inclusive preschool education programs to adapt to the school environment and society in the future than those who do not," Xu Xiaoming said.

To aid the push toward inclusive education -- the approach wherein all students with special education needs spend most of their time with non-disabled students -- the Ministry of Education issued plans to provide nine-year compulsory education for over 95 percent of students with disability by the end of 2020. The government also pledged schools 6,000 yuan (US$925) a year for each student with disabilities to cover the costs of accessible facilities and specialist tutors.

Zhao Qi, director of the Beijing Haidian Xiandai Yishu Kindergarten, said those children who are able to attend regular schools should be encouraged to do so. Zhao has implemented inclusive education at her kindergarten since 2006. 

"Every child, no matter with disabilities or not, should have the right to education, and also our respect," she said. "A complete inclusive education can help such children become more confident and gain interpersonal skills by interacting with others, which is extremely important for integrating into society in the future."

By the end of 2017, Zhao's kindergarten has received more than 300 children with disabilities, with encouraging results. Wang Meiqi, now a third-grader, was diagnosed with autism and has a number of language, learning, and behavioral deficits. From 2011 to 2014, she was part of the inclusive education program at the kindergarten, and now she studies at a regular primary school alongside non-disabled students, while occasionally taking some special classes back at the kindergarten.

"Meiqi is now more confident and open to playing with others compared with when she just started," Zhao said. "She is also getting really good grades at school."

Zhao said inclusive education, as a crucial part of rehabilitation for children with ASD, depends on the support from a more inclusive and caring society.  

"For these children with autism, teaching them how to live independently in the society is the goal of our education." Zhao said, "After all, parents and teachers can not accompany them forever."


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