2008 Volume 45 Issue 6 Pages 501-511
The present paper elucidates characteristics of early detection of Chinese children with autism compared to comparable Japanese children. Data were obtained from questionnaires completed by the children's parents. In addition, the status of early diagnosis and identification of autism in China is reviewed. Differences between the two countries in relation to the early detection of children with autism provided data useful for developing a system for early diagnosis and detection that was adapted to China. The results of the review revealed significant differences between the situation in Japan and China, especially in terms of 14 of the items: delayed speech and other speech problems, clumsiness, delayed overall motor development, delayed control of neck, not good at forming interpersonal relationships, inability to fit in communal life, unusual habits or patterns; abnormal food preferences, pica and/or refusal to eat; bedwetting, enuresis, or encopresis; self-injurious behavior; violence and aggression; and night crying and night terrors. All of these items were significantly higher in China. Even if autism has a biological basis, its course and expression are affected by the care and educational systems relating to the children who have autism, as well as by the national welfare level. As a consequence, it appears that symptoms of Chinese children with autism are more varied and intense than those of Japanese children with autism. Chinese children have, in particular, more social behavior problems and adjustment disabilities.
