The pain of parents with autistic children: "Why won't the school accept my child?"

(Dan Tri) - The 111 child protection hotline regularly receives calls from parents of autistic children with the same heartbreaking question: "All children have the right to go to school, why doesn't the school accept my child?".

1 million autistic people in Vietnam, when will there be a school?

This was shared by Mr. Dang Hoa Nam, former Director of the Department of Children, Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs (former), at the talk show "What future for autistic children?" organized by Nhan Dan newspaper on the afternoon of March 28 in Hanoi.

When faced with hurtful questions from parents of autistic children, the call center staff cannot always fully explain so that they can understand and accept.

According to data released by the General Statistics Office in early 2019, Vietnam has about 6.2 million people with disabilities aged 2 and older, of which about 1 million are autistic. It is estimated that for every 100 children born, one has autism spectrum disorder. Autism also accounts for 30% of children with learning disabilities.

Over the past 15 years, the number of autistic children in Vietnam has increased significantly. Between 2000 and 2007 alone, the increase was 50 times.

Van Khanh, 13 years old, an autistic student at Our Story Community Development Center, shows off her handmade products (Photo: Hoang Hong).

However, the current public education system does not have specialized or integrated schools specifically for autistic children.

According to Dr. Dinh Nguyen Trang Thu - Deputy Head of Special Education Department, Hanoi National University of Education - although the awareness of the community in general and parents in particular about autism has been raised, not all parents can accept the fact that their children are not accepted by any school.

Many parents think that if they put their children in an inclusive school, they will be able to integrate. However, whether or not a child can integrate depends on many factors. The level of integration also varies from child to child. Some children improve their social or emotional communication thanks to inclusive school, but some children do not achieve that goal.

"Developed countries in the world maintain three educational models for children with disabilities: inclusive education, semi-inclusive education and specialized education. Each model is suitable for different levels of disability.

If parents with autistic children are guided to have a more correct perception, they will be able to choose the right educational model for their children," said Ms. Trang Thu.

Importantly, the school system for children with disabilities, including children with autism spectrum disorder, must be sufficient in both quantity and quality so that parents of autistic children can confidently choose and entrust their children to it.

Regarding this issue, Dr. Ta Ngoc Tri, Deputy Director of the General Education Department, Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), said that the Prime Minister approved the planning of the system of specialized educational facilities for people with disabilities and the system of centers to support the development of inclusive education for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, last February.

Accordingly, the government advocates developing a system of specialized educational facilities for people with disabilities and a system of centers to support the development of inclusive education in the national education system.

This ensures equal opportunities in accessing and enjoying quality educational services and lifelong learning needs for people with disabilities in all localities.

The goal from now until 2030 is that 100% of provinces and cities will have public centers to support the development of inclusive education.

Autistic students of Hoa Xuyen Chi Center, Bac Giang (Photo: Hoang Hong).

In addition, Mr. Ta Ngoc Tri cited Circular 27 on regulations on the organization and operation of schools for people with disabilities issued in December 2024. This Circular creates an open mechanism allowing specialized schools to build centers to support the development of inclusive education to support regular schools to be able to accept autistic students.

Mr. Tri added that these specialized schools, whether public or private, are professionally managed by the Department of Education and Training.

Many autistic children are victims of school violence.

Another concern for children with autism is mental health, especially during puberty.

MSc. Phan Thi Lan Huong - Director of the Center for Research on Children's Rights, Director of the career guidance project for autistic children - has received many autistic children suffering from stress and severe depression due to being bullied at school.

In an inclusive learning environment, differences make autistic students more likely to become victims of school violence.

"Many autistic students come to us with emotional scars. Some of them suffer from severe depression and are then taken out of high school by their parents to be transferred to specialized centers.

I still remember a child begging his mother: "Mom, let me quit this place. Find a place with many friends like me so I can study," Ms. Lan Huong shared.

From this reality, Ms. Lan Huong emphasized the need to develop psychological support services for autistic students, especially those entering puberty.

Puberty can cause major psychological obstacles for a normal student. For autistic students, the obstacles are many times greater. Because the general trend of parents, teachers and the community often focuses on the dysfunction of autistic people, forgetting that their spirit also needs care.

Experts participating in the discussion expressed hope that in the near future, when the system of specialized schools and centers supporting the development of inclusive education is developed in the national education system, children with disabilities in general and children with autism spectrum disorders in particular will have a suitable and safe learning environment with a standardized educational program.

In particular, the mental health of autistic children is given more due attention.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/noi-dau-cua-cha-me-co-con-tu-ky-tai-sao-nha-truong-khong-nhan-con-toi-20250328221652075.htm