Autism in need of more attention

More needs to be done to help people suffering from autism and to identify the disorder earlier, an expert said on Monday.

There are currently more than 1 million autistic people in the country, 100,000 of whom are under the age of 6.

Sun Dunke, deputy director of the Beijing Rehabilitation Association for Autistic Children (BRAAC), said yesterday - the first World Autism Day - that of all the Chinese children suffering from mental disorders, 78 percent are autistic.