Promote recognition of autism as a type of disability

That is the wish of Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thanh Liem - Director of Vinmec Times City International Hospital - Honorary President of Hanoi Autism Club at the Workshop "Difficult problems of children with autism and their Intervention measures "on the occasion of the first "Autism Awareness Day in Vietnam" took place in mid-March 2016 in Hanoi. Prof. Liem said:
“Before the workshop, there were musical performances by autistic children. For children with this disease, even correct pronunciation is a big challenge. The children have tried very hard but there are still many difficulties.
The rate of children with autism is on the rise. 20 years ago, statistics in the US showed that the rate of children with autism was 1 in 1,000 - that is, 1 in 1,000 children in the US had autism. In 2014, this ratio increased to 15/1,000. The updated report at the March 2016 conference of American doctors showed that the rate has increased to 1 in 65. The rate of children with autism in Korea is 1/56.


Wishing to find an effective cure for autism, Professor Nguyen Thanh Liem and colleagues at Vinmec
are researching stem cell transplantation to treat this disease.


India and China have performed a stem cell transplant for autism and announced the results. China claims 70% of cases are successful. In the US, it has also been done but has not yet announced the official results. Since 2014, Vinmec Times City International General Hospital has researched the application of stem cell transplantation to treat autism. According to Professor Nguyen Thanh Liem, the cause of autism is currently not conclusive. But it is also theorized that in autistic children there are brain regions where the function of autistic children is not linked. So using stem cells will help link the functions of the brain, which are impaired in children with autism.
In 2 days, April 14-15, at Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital, Prof. Nguyen Thanh Liem will have a program to examine and perform surgery on patients. GS will advise patients who have received a stem cell transplant or wish to receive a stem cell transplant to treat cerebral palsy, autism, cirrhosis, congenital biliary atresia, osteoarthritis, spinal cord injury, and obstructive pulmonary disease. Chronic and multiple myeloma...At this medical examination program, cases of children with complicated urinary, digestive, thoracic and genital birth defects... will also be examined by Prof. Liem .
Customers wishing to be examined and consulted with Prof. Liem, please book an appointment at Tel 08 3622 1166.
Address: Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital
208 Nguyen Huu Canh, Ward 22 , Binh Thanh District, City. Ho Chi Minh.
Tel: (+84) 8 3622 1166 Fax: (+84) 8 3622 1177
Website: http://vinmec.com
At Vinmec Times City International Hospital, Prof. examine and treat many children with autism. What is the reality of children with autism in Vietnam, sir?
If in Vietnam, taking the average rate of children with autism to be 1%, there are about 500,000 children with autism in the whole country. That means, there are also half a million families who are daily facing difficulties and challenges in raising autistic children. That is not a small number. Not only the children are greatly disadvantaged, but the families also face many mental difficulties and financial burdens. However, families still receive very little attention and help from society. Currently, Vietnam does not have a national program on caring for children with autism. For children with autism, there should be a close coordination between health care and education. However, there are still too few provinces/cities that have educational intervention centers for children with autism. The number of psychologists/special education staff who are well trained in this field is too small. What is more sad is that up to now, children with autism have not been recognized as disabled children, so they are not entitled to policies/regimes for children with disabilities, even though this is a very serious disability in development. neuropsychological development. Especially in rural areas, awareness in the community about this disability is still limited. Therefore, many autistic children and their mothers are discriminated against, even mistreated.
Dear Professor, why should autism be classified as a disability?
In my opinion, autism can be classified into one of the following 3 groups of defects:
Neurological and mental disabilities are disorders of perception, memory, emotions, behavioral control, thinking and having manifest with unusual words and actions. For example, when parents call, the child's cognitive area responds, the child is happy. But in order to respond, the child must be able to speak, while the unconnected vocal tract is perceived, so the child cannot speak. When children are about to do something, they cannot do it, and their frustrations accumulate more and more and cannot be released. That leads to children overstimulating, torturing themselves, even cutting people with knives and banging their heads against the wall. Intellectual disability is a state of reduced or lost ability to perceive and think, manifested by slowness or inability to think and analyze things, phenomena, and solve problems. Another disability is a decrease or loss of bodily functions that makes working, living and studying activities difficult. Therefore, I hope that the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs will soon study and issue a document recognizing autism in one of the three groups of anomalies above. Those will be the first steps to help reduce difficulties for children and their families; initiate a process of inclusion.
Thank you Sir!