by Xinhua writer Wang Aihua
BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- In a mainstream school in Beijing, Tian Yu, a 7-year-old boy diagnosed with autism, finds his own rhythm in an art class as he freely expresses himself on a piece of paper while his classmates create artwork of a higher level.
His teacher, surnamed Yan, noted that this approach has proven effective in helping the boy engage in classroom activities without causing disruption. "We've developed a repertoire of tailored teaching techniques to address his unique needs," Yan told Xinhua.
Tian Yu is one of the approximately 570,000 children with special needs in China who currently attend mainstream schools. These children, including those diagnosed with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), account for over 60 percent of all special education students nationwide, according to the Ministry of Education.
The inclusive education approach for children with special needs -- widely practiced in many Western countries -- was first introduced in China in the 1980s. Over the past decade, its implementation has intensified, with the aim of promoting earlier and smoother integration of these children into society.
In a meeting this March, Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng reaffirmed the importance of educational equity, promising to ensure that children with special needs are fully integrated into regular classrooms whenever feasible and enrolled in nearby schools.
INCLUSION, INTEGRATION
Over the years, China has established a multidimensional support system for children with autism, integrating early-stage diagnosis, individualized intervention programs, and community-based rehabilitation, with dedicated training institutions operating nationwide.
Educational specialists emphasize that school inclusion serves as the cornerstone for cultivating adaptive behaviors and functional communication abilities, with longitudinal studies confirming its sustained developmental benefits.
Li Yueyue, a special education expert in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, said that studies have proven the benefits of inclusive education not only for children with special needs, but also for their peers to understand differences and develop tolerance.
In China, mainstream schools typically require parents of children with special needs to either accompany them to school or hire a "shadow teacher," whose role is to assist in managing the children's classroom conduct.
Xu Jing, a mother in Nanjing, has been accompanying her 8-year-old autistic son Wang Xiaoshu to a regular school for two years. In the video clips she had recorded and posted online, Xiaoshu can now sit quietly and listen to the teacher for extended periods without making any fuss.
However, when Xiaoshu first came to the school, sounds from ringing bells, music, and morning reading sessions would all make him restless. "He has made significant progress here, both in terms of academic performance and social interactions," Xu told Xinhua. "Some of his classmates visit us at home on weekends."
It is also a common practice for parents to hire shadow teachers. The cost of such professional helpers ranges from 8,000 yuan (about 1,114 U.S. dollars) to 18,000 yuan a month in major cities like Beijing, Guangzhou and Hangzhou.
The Beijing Haidian Institute for Special Education is an official training center for assistants in special education. Founded in 2016, the institute is among a rising number of training and resource centers for students with special needs in mainstream schools.
However, the institute indicates that families and schools still face challenges, primarily due to the disparity between the limited number of professional helpers and the considerably larger number of children in need.
Pressure also comes from parents of other children in the classes. While endorsing inclusive education in principle, these parents express reservations about implementation in their children's specific classrooms.
Wang Hongxia, a conflict resolution specialist with the Haidian institute, helps mediate disputes raised by parents regarding their children's classmates with special needs. "Our role is to respect both the legal rights of the individual and the collective right to a supportive learning environment," Wang said.
EMPOWERMENT, EMPLOYMENT
In 2020, the government issued a guideline to standardize assessment processes for students with special needs, enhance classroom infrastructure, adapt curricula, promote an inclusive campus culture, ensure sufficient teaching staff, and improve collaboration between home and school.
Some Chinese cities currently offer 15 years of free education for children with special needs, covering levels from kindergarten to senior high school.
Zou Xiaobing, an acclaimed expert on child development and behaviors with the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, called for coordination between hospitals, schools, and families to provide full-chain support for children with special needs.
"If doctors diagnose that an autistic child requires study-companion services, schools should help in providing shadow teachers to alleviate the burden on families," Zou said.
He also urged efforts to intensify training for special education teachers and step up social advocacy to create an inclusive environment.
A government action plan released in 2022 set an ambitious goal of establishing a high-quality special education system by 2025. This initiative aims to further integrate children with disabilities into mainstream classrooms, create specialized textbooks, and promote the use of new technologies in special education.
The plan also stressed the significance of vocational education for students with special needs, aiming to equip them with essential skills to cope with future challenges.
It calls for enhancing the integration of these students into regular vocational schools and establishing vocational training departments within special education institutions.
Liang Yanan, who operates three "sunshine workshops" in Tianjin that help people with disabilities, expressed her commitment to creating employment opportunities for disadvantaged groups. "The challenge is clear, but there is no reason for us to stop." ■
