Feeling special! Autistic children experience Shenhua and football
Edited by Dong Jun. Subtitles by Cai Wenjun.
Two 10-year-old autistic children in Shanghai had a very special experience on the night of World Autism Day on Wednesday!
The special duo was invited to Shanghai Stadium to watch a Chinese Super League football match between Shanghai Shenhua and Yunnan Yukun.
One of them, Sui Yanzhen, even got to walk onto the field with the players and match officials.
Sui and Zhou Dejun watched the match and cheered with other football fans at the stadium. They had a good social experience, their parents said with great joy.
The 10-year-old Sui Yanzhen (second from right) got the chance to walk onto the field with the players before the Chinese Super League match between Shanghai Shenhua and Yunnan Yukun kicked off on Wednesday, World Autism Day.
Both of Sui Yanzhen and Zhou Dejun watched the whole match with their parents.
It is a new and very positive trial to encourage autistic children to participate in social events and help them better integrate with society, said officials from Shanghai Shenhua and Jiahui Health, an integrated healthcare provider.
According to the World Health Organization, the incidence of autism is 1 percent. Both the medical field and the whole of society are called upon to offer care and support to autistic children and their families.
The local government has included an autism service network for children between 0 and 6 years old into its 3-year work plan, which aims to achieve a whole-chain project covering screening, detection, intervention, education, healthcare, rehabilitation, welfare and social promotion into all relevant aspects of society and governmental bodies.
The Shanghai Health Commission said it will further perfect the medical capacity of community health centers to serve autistic children, to allow them to enjoy effective intervention and rehabilitation near their home.
Dr Teng Guoliang from Jiahui Health said it is important to set up a social environment more friendly to autistic children, who can feel more relaxed to integrate with others at their own pace.
"It needs efforts from family, medical facilities, schools and society," said Teng, whose Jiahui International Hospital invited autistic children to visit the hospital and learn the medical process of health checkups and dental exams.
The hospital also teamed up with Shanghai Shenhua to hold a small sports match, where a dozen autistic children got to interact with Shenhua players and experience teamwork and football.
Autistic children undergo health checkup and dental exam at Jiahui International Hospital to help them better integrate with society.
Sui's father said it was the first time that his son, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2, was able to stand in such a big venue and he was very proud of him.
"No matter how many times we train and practice at home and school, walking into a real environment is very different. It is such a big improvement that my son can walk into Shanghai Stadium with Shenhua players. He behaved very well," the father said. "I am so grateful that he was given such an opportunity."
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