Have you ever interacted with a child or teenager who is autistic? You may feel frustrated because they seem not to be paying any attention to you. Samuel had this kind of experience many years ago when he and his wife raised their son Isaac. They can feel the frustration and pain the parents with autistic children in China have.
So in 2008, Samuel and his family decided to go to Western China and meet these parents through Rainbow Missions. They spoke to the parents in a center for autistic children. That was the beginning of our works with autism in China. The parents were full of tears in their eyes when they saw hope for their children during these talks. Since then, our involvement with autism has been extended to Southern China and Northeast China.
Samuel and his family went back to China later and spoke to parents in different cities. Social workers and professionals in autism have been giving talks and training parents and teachers.
Rainbow Missions also sponsored 5 teachers reaching autistic children from various cities in China to study at Hong Kong Open University for a one year advancement certificate in 2010.
We assisted parents with autistic children in Northeast China to form a parent support group in 2012. Last year the group evolved into a treatment center for the autistic children. By now, some parents in this treatment center have started empowering other parents with the empowerment Rainbow Missions have given them.