Parents of autistic children in Hong Kong face long waits for government-funded rehabilitation therapy. The waiting time for preschool services is usually one year, but it can be as long as three in extreme cases. Parents find themselves in line after line as they try to arrange training for their children. Mainstream therapy for autism includes applied behavioral analysis, speech and occupational therapy, and social skills classes, according the website of the Hong Kong Education Bureau. While private institutions offer treatment for children with autism, the fees are too high for many families. It is generally believed that the best time for training autistic children is before they start school at age 6, but the delays in government programs force most parents to skip the waiting list and look to private therapy. A brief online search by China Daily found that applied behavioral analysis, or ABA, and language-therapy classes at private facilities cost more than several hundred Hong Kong dollars an hour. A monthlong course of ABA therapy could cost as much as HK$53,000 ($6,750), according to the website of one private institution. That is beyond the range of most residents of Hong Kong, where the median monthly income was HK$28,000 in the fourth quarter of last year. The problem is becoming more urgent as the number of autistic children in the city is rising rapidly. In the 2016/17 school year, ordinary public schools in Hong Kong recorded 7,820 students with autism, but in 2012/13, the number was 4,150, according to the education bureau, an 88 percent rise in just four years. However, there are no statistics about the number of autistic children studying in the private sector or being home-schooled. The Hong Kong government responded to the treatment shortage by introducing a pilot program called On-site Pre-school Rehabilitation Services. The program, inaugurated in 2015, directs teams of professionals to schools to provide basic therapy to preschoolers with special needs. The service helped to cut the waiting list for therapy and, as a result, became a regular program in the current school year. The government plans to provide an additional 2,000 places for on-site rehabilitation services in the 2019/20 school year. In its 2019-20 budget, the city plans to gradually establish two additional Support Centers for Persons with Autism, and raise the number of social workers and therapists. Parents in Hong Kong who suspect their children may have autism can apply for assessment and diagnostic services at the Child Assessment Service Center at the Department of Health of the Hong Kong SAR government. If Autism Spectrum Disorder is confirmed, the child is referred to different government-funded preschool rehabilitation centers, depending on the severity of the condition. Those ages 2 to 5 with ASD can receive rehabilitation services at the Early Education and Training Centre, and at an integrated program at the Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centre. Those who require more-intensive support are eligible for placements at the Special Child Care Centre. School-age children with ASD can receive special training at mainstream schools or special schools, depending on their condition. printed wristbandssilicone wristband usb flash drivewhite rubber bracelet meaningxl silicone wristbandsrelationship bracelets
STOCKHOLM -- China's cancer researcher Zhu Chen won The Sjoberg Prize 2018, together with French researchers Anne Dejean and Hugues de The, for the unique treatment that cures a once fatal cancer, announced The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Monday night.According to a statement from the The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the prize was awarded to them for the clarification of molecular mechanisms and the development of a revolutionary treatment for acute promyelocytic leukaemia.This year's Sjoberg Laureates have developed a new and targeted treatment for a specific form of blood cancer called acute promyelocytic leukaemia. It was once one of the deadliest forms of cancer, but it is now possible to cure nine out of ten patients who receive the new treatment, the release reads.The treatment is unique because it is the first standard treatment for acute leukaemia that does not include chemotherapy. Instead, a combination treatment is used, which consists of a form of vitamin A, all-trans retinoic acid, also called ATRA, along with arsenic trioxide.The idea of using arsenic comes from traditional medicine, but this method has been scientifically tested and proven in this form. The Laureates have made this revolutionary development possible by methodically mapping the molecular mechanisms responsible for the disease.By identifying a specific genetic mutation and aiding the destruction of a faulty protein in specific cells, it was possible to stop the process that resulted in death for three out of four patients. This treatment means the cancer cells disappear because they lose the ability to renew themselves.These discoveries have been made in stages since the 1980s, and the treatment's effects have been confirmed in numerous scientific studies. In many countries, this treatment combination is now the first choice of treatment for acute promyelocytic leukaemia.The three Laureates remain very active in the field of cancer research. Anne Dejean now primarily dedicates her research to continuing her studies of liver cancer, and to investigating the significance of protein modification in how cancer develops.Hugues de The is interested in the potential for producing treatment methods for cancer that combine stimulating the cancer cells' maturation and blocking their ability to renew themselves, while Zhu Chen is investigating genetic and molecular changes in other forms of leukaemia.Zhu Chen was quoted by the release as saying that he was honored to share the prize, which recognizes important contributions to cancer research, with Dr. de The and Dr. Dejean.This prize means not only the glory, but even more importantly a responsibility, a responsibility for me, my team and our collaborators to continue efforts in the understanding of disease mechanisms of other types of haematological malignancies and to develop innovative, effective therapeutic strategies against those diseases through collaboration with other partners, Chen added.Zhu Chen, born in 1953 in China, is now Professor at prestigious Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Anne Dejean, born in 1957 in France, is Professor at Institut Pasteur, France. Hugues de The, born in 1959 in France, is Professor at College de France, France.The prize is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and is funded by the Sjoberg Foundation. The foundation, with a donation of two billion Swedish krona ($2.5 billion), was founded in 2016, and serves to promote scientific research that focuses on cancer, health and the environment.The Prize is an annual international prize in cancer research awarded to individual researchers or research groups. The prize amounts to $1 million, of which $100,000 is the prize sum and $900,000 is funding for future research.Laureates are expected to conduct the official Sjoberg Prize Lecture at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm on April 12.
