Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company launched a programme called "Colourful pinwheel spreading of love" to raise awareness of children with autism on Tuesday, World Autism Awareness Day.

The programme will feature communication activities to enhance public awareness, call on the community to spread love for autistic children and have a correct understanding of and reduce discrimination against children with autism and encourage the community to join hands to support them.

It was part of the five year project on “Enhancing awareness of children with autism in Viet Nam” initiated last year by PNJ in collaboration with the National Fund for Vietnamese Children.

PNJ has earmarked VND10 billion (US$430,928) to enable more than 10,000 families and over 4,000 children with autism to benefit from activities under the project.

Speaking at the launch, Cao Thi Ngoc Dung, PNJ’ chairwoman, said it is not known if autism is a disease or psychological disorder, and so parents and the community are finding it difficult to identify it, leading to late intervention.

The five-year programme seeks to help parents discover autism in their children early to intervene, she said.

According to the National Fund for Vietnamese Children, the first national document on autism rehabilitation will be announced soon to provide teachers, technicians, support staff and parents with comprehensive knowledge of autism, signs for identifying and intervention methods to help autistic children improve.

According to experts, autism is becoming increasingly prevalent.

In Viet Nam, no official studies have been done to determine the number of autistic children, but is estimated at 200,000. — VNS