Children of the Stars
The Stars and Rain Education Institute for Autism, located in a small village on the outskirts of Beijing, runs an 11-week course to teach children aged three to 12 years old and their parents how to live with autism.
Mainstream schools also do not accept autistic children, who typically have shorter attention spans. Left on the sidelines of welfare funds that usually cater for the physically disabled, many families bear the burden of caring for their autistic children alone.
The name Stars and Rain is derived from the phrase “children of the stars” that’s used to describe the special nature of autistic children who seem to be in a world of their own. Its humble birth is a reminder of the hardships its founder, Tian Huiping, has faced over the last 15 years. In 1993, her husband divorced her after she gave birth to a son who was later diagnosed as autistic and mentally retarded. Undeterred, she gave up her job as a university lecturer teaching in Chongqing to set up the school with 10,000 yuan of savings.
The course costs 3,800 RMB and benefits around 320 families every year. The school currently caters to children between the ages of three and 12. It is planning to expand its service for teenagers.
