Chapter 6: China: NGOs and Education for Children with Autism

There were very few opportunities for education for children with disabilities in the People’s Republic of China until the period of gaige kaifang (reform and opening) began under Deng Xiaoping in 1978. The social, political and economic reforms of this period have included an emphasis on the importance of educational reform. Comprehensive reforms of the educational system have included efforts to provide education for children with disabilities. However, there are large numbers of children needing to be educated, and not enough government-sponsored schools and organizations to provide this education. As the government has found itself unable to meet all of the education and other welfare needs of its population during the reform period, a non-governmental sector has also begun to provide these services (Wang, 1994; Rubin, 2000).