By Xinhua writers Chu Yi and Yang Siqi
HARBIN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of times a day, Wang Min repeats the same sentences to a computer screen, patiently and tenderly, as the special teacher moves her face-to-face training classes for autistic children to the virtual world amid the virus outbreak.
On the other side of the screen sat Haorui and his mother. Holding a card showing an apple, the mother was repeating the word over and over again, trying to draw her child's attention and teach him to identify the item.
Her son however quickly grew impatient, ignoring her attempts and even tearing the card in two. After several further attempts, the anxious parent lost her own patience and contemplated giving up.
"Despite some obstacles in communication, Haorui has his interests and emotions. We should respect that and help him improve on the basis of respect. Timing is also important in our training," Wang calmed the mother down before guiding her to the next step.
The 34-year-old teacher has been working voluntarily in four autism rehabilitation institutions in the northeastern Chinese city of Suihua in the past decade, bringing hope to more than 200 families suffering from autism, a developmental disorder causing impediments in social, emotional and communication skills.
"Kids with autism are often called 'children of the stars' in China, who, like stars, twinkle alone in a distant and dark sky," Wang said. "Learning such seemingly simple concepts as fruits may take them a year even in professional rehabilitation centers."
The virus outbreak that has shut down schools and confined kids in their homes causes Wang to worry that her students might "regress without proper, timely training."
Fortunately, the Internet has brought great hope as it links "the children of the stars" with their beloved teacher in the cloud.
More than 20 students have participated in Wang's online classes, but their situations vary, and so do the teaching abilities of different parents. Wang then started to provide one-on-one online training, which she believes is more effective, on Jan. 30.
For more than a month, mobile phones and laptops have been Wang's teaching tools all day long, handling more than a thousand messages every day, solving problems of parents on issues such as giving orders and controlling eye contact.
Through nonstop correction, guidance and explanation, she devotes almost all of her time to the remote classes and often takes her seven-year-old daughter to give demonstrations on how to carry out proper training.
"Every child is an angel. As a parent myself, it's pleasing and meaningful to help autistic children with professional knowledge," Wang said.
