Learning fast: Autism in China

Dr. Patricia Wright in Anshan, China with the Five Project

The last blog post I wrote was published the day I left for China. I said then that I had a lot to learn from my counterparts in Anshan, and boy was I right!

I was In Anshan with the Five Project, a non-profit that has been promoting autism awareness and professional skill development in China since 1992. We spent two weeks providing professional development to an autism program providing service to children.

This trip gave me more opportunities to learn about autism intervention in China. The children typically enroll in a program for a relatively short period of time, often just three to six months. They go to sessions every day, and one of their parents or a care provider attends with them full-time. This means you are working with both the children and their attending parent.

Staff members at the Anshan program were eager to learn and were especially keen to know more about best practices and what they could do to ensure the best outcomes for the children. Together we made lots of changes to the learning environment and instructional practices.

We are only on site for a short period of time, so the consultation model is fast. When everyone works together the results are so rewarding. Changes are implemented within hours and the positive outcomes for the students are seen immediately.

The Anshan program had about 60 children enrolled while we were on site. The instructional team was amazing, working well into the night to develop materials we’d deemed necessary earlier that day.

Working internationally is always a privilege. Hard work and long days, but as you can see from this picture, we do have fun together, too!


 

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  1. Dennis Says:

    This sounds so cool, and your enthusiasm shows, both in what you wrote here, and in the photo. Keep up the good work.


  2. Bob Says:

    Sounds like an exciting trip Patricia. Look forward to hearing more about your adventures.