Books about autism launched

Hanoi (VNA) - A series of books about autism has been launched in Hanoi by the Women’s Publishing House in response to the World Autism Awareness Day April 2.

The books, compiled by professor Nguyen Thanh Liem and his colleagues from the Nhip cau yeu thuong (Bridge of Love) charity team, supply basic knowledge for parents to detect autism early.

The series includes five books. Three of them are translations of books written by foreign authors who have international certificates on treating autistic children. The remaining two were written by Vietnamese authors, who are doctors and psychological experts researching the treatment of autistic children.

At present, there are few documents with guidance on treating autistic children in Vietnam.

Thus professor Liem, Director of the Vinmec Research Institute of Stem Cell and Gene Technology and former director of the National Paediatrics Hospital, decided to publish the books.

The authors and translators’ royalties will be used to buy books for centres taking care of autistic children and poor families with autistic children across the country.

By the end of 2018, Vietnam was home to over 200,000 children diagnosed with autism. Experts noted that the number of autistic children in Vietnam has increased rapidly, with the figure in 2007 already 50 times higher than that in 2000.

Meanwhile, Vietnam still lacks highly professional and large-scale programmes targeting the group, while the awareness of parents, schools, and the local communities of autistic children has remained incomplete and widely inaccurate due to a shortage of standardised guiding documents, they added. — VNA