A child with autism and his teacher in a treatment center of Jinan, Shandong Province (GUO XULEI)

Autism facilities

In Beijing, at least a dozen such centers have sprung up, none more famous than the one Yu Huanhuan is enrolled in, Beijing Stars and Rain. It was founded in 1993 by Tian Huiping, the mother of an autistic son who could not find treatment centers in her home city of Chongqing. In 1992, she trekked some 1,500 km to Beijing, only to find the situation just as desperate. She rallied investors and founded her own center, aimed at improving the lives of children with autism by training their caretakers and parents in Western, science-based treatment methods and offering their three to six-year-old children one-on-one instruction with experienced teachers.

"We were founded to tell Chinese society and parents the truth about what autism is and how to accept a child with special needs," Sun Zhongkai, Stars and Rain's Communication Director, said.

Eleven-week sessions at Stars and Rain must be booked at least five months in advance and cost nearly 7,000 yuan ($1,111.11). Families from all corners of China and from all walks of life make it to Stars and Rain.

Another institution, Wucailu, is one of China's largest autism-specific treatment centers, with three Beijing campuses and up to 250 kids in its peak season. Founded in 2003, Wucailu charges 4,800 yuan ($462) for a month of small group, one-on-one and art and music therapy classes for its students, who are between three and six. Its campuses are well-maintained and well-lit, with chandeliers in the hallways and bright oil paintings hung on the walls.

"We opened because the market needs it," Fu Xueyin, Vice Principal of Wucailu, said. "For the newly diagnosed, there's no time to wait."

Steady progress

Tad Pu, Founder of Rainbow Consulting, another Beijing autism rehabilitation center that opened in 2009, said that the last 10 years have spurred tremendous progress in autism education in China.

"From an early childhood standpoint, the progress has been tremendous," Pu said. "In 2000, Stars and Rain was the best model around, but now, we're starting to see more and more practical treatment options."

One month into his three-month session at Stars and Rain, Yu Huanhuan, who has a high-functioning form of autism, is already making progress, his father said.

"He plays more with his classmates, and doesn't throw fits as much at home," he said, unable to conceal his smile.

Just down the road from Yu Huanhuan's training center is Stars and Rain Group Home, which caters to older kids, aged 14 to 18 and tasks itself with empowering them to live as independently as possible when their government-mandated education ends at their 18th birthday.

Li Shuai, a baby-faced, 24-year-old instructor there, knows all too well the difficulties in preparing autistic individuals to enter the world.

In early December, Zhu Yao, the tall, handsome son of a mid-level government official, turned 18. He had lived at the group home for six years, and in the four years that Li had been working there, his routines had become iron-clad. Group circle in the morning, preparing and baking cookies until lunch, after lunch an afternoon stroll or exercise, then music therapy and a walk to his overnight home.

On the day of his 18th birthday, the staff at the home threw Zhu a birthday party, but as they watched him eat cake in a pointy birthday hat, the celebration was bittersweet.

"He will have to leave next week; at 18 he gets no more funding," Li said, adding that Zhu's future would be spent living in a non-profit for those with mental disabilities, maybe doing some "simple task like cutting paper or making necklaces." It's a shame, Li said, because Zhu had developed impressive skills as a baker, independently able to mix, roll and bake cookies that the center sells to raise funds.

"I wish some bakery would hire him," Li said. "But no one is willing to do that - he needs too much supervision."

Standing outside Stars and Rain, on a playground blasted by a decade of Beijing weather, Yu Gang scans the premises and nods his head confidently. He is sure that society will change, and that by the time Yu Huanhuan grows up, the situation will be different, and opportunities will exist.