The Current Situation and Outlook of Autism in Mainland China

Background: In China, there are more than ten million (10,000,000) people on the autism spectrum as estimated by the prevalence of 1% in the whole population of one point three billion people. It is an extremely large population but little is known about their living conditions.

Objectives: The present study provides a systematic review of 8 perspectives of the current situations related to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in mainland China, including prevalence, diagnosis, intervention, education, employment, family issues, research, and law.

Methods: Literature review

Results: Results from a review of 26 epidemiological studies from 2000 to 2016 showed that the average prevalence rate was 0.30% (SD = 0.32). Diagnosis were mainly made by pediatricians using translated tools, such as DSM-5. However, there were very few of them certified to use ADOS, ADI-R or other established diagnosing and assessment instruments. With regard to intervention, there were around 2000 service providers in mainland. Among the 47 interviewed organizations, only 37% of intervention approaches they used were established and evidence-based. According to a survey of 1202 organizations, 92% of them provided rehabilitation and education service while only 8% of them provided employment service and adult care service. School-aged children with ASD had five options of education placements, including autism schools, special schools for children with mental retardation, and other three types of placements in mainstream schools. Our review also analyzed the financial burden of families with a child having ASD. Besides, number of publications in the field of autism were analyzed by year from 2000 to 2015. We found a consistent growing tendency which implied that autism is also becoming a more and more popular research topic in China. Lastly, we have reviewed the development of laws related to individuals with ASD and its limitations.

Conclusions: Based on the systematic review of the current state of ASD in China, suggestions of the future development in diagnosis, vocational education and support, and training professionals were proposed.