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This is NEWS Plus Special English.
Identifying the scale of a problem can be the first step in finding a solution.
However, when it comes to autism in China, specialists warn that the actual number of individuals affected by the developmental disorder, which affects communication and social interaction, is still far higher than the recorded figures.
More than 1.6 million cases of autism have been reported in China, while at least 5 million others are yet to be diagnosed.
For the parents of those diagnosed, the strain can be immense; it destroys marriages and leaves families with huge healthcare bills. Help has been coming, albeit slowly.
The China Disabled Persons' Federation began to channel financial and educational aid from the government to parents with autistic children in the early 2000s. Today, those with autistic children aged between 3 and 6 receive an annual sum of 30,000 yuan, roughly 4,800 U.S. Dollars.
The central authorities also included autism in the Five-Year Plan that ends this year. It's the first time the condition has appeared in the country's all-important guide for national economic and social development.
Since then, autistic rehabilitation institutes have been made exempt from paying revenue tax, while the government has carried out a special plan to help impoverished parents of autistic children aged up to 6.
This is NEWS Plus Special English.
Students in China face a fiercely competitive job market but they are not adjusting their expectations.
A new survey has found that with a record 7-and-a half million students graduating from universities and colleges in July, the job market is expected to be fierce. However, the majority of prospective graduates have not slashed their job expectations.
The survey has been conducted by Renren.com, a Facebook-like social networking website in China. It found that 40 percent of prospective graduates have a salary expectation of between 8,000 yuan and 10,000 yuan per month. That's roughly 1,300 to 1,700 U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, 30 percent of the graduates want 6,000 to 8,000 yuan per month. Only 12 percent expected a monthly salary of 2,000 to 4,000 yuan.
The survey polled 1,500 prospective graduates. With less than 100 days remaining before graduation, finding a decent job is the most pressing need for most Chinese students.
Li Xiaoxiao, a graduate-to-be majoring in law at Fudan University in Shanghai, is still looking for a satisfactory job in the city. She said the minimum salary for her first job should be 6,000 yuan. That's the bottom line, considering the cost of eating, renting an apartment, transport cost and social activities in Shanghai.
