Helen McCabe, Executive Director, The Five Project for International Autism and Disability Support

Though education and disability policy have indicated that education should be compulsory for all children in China, children with disabilities still are too often left out of the public school system. Due to the incomplete implementation of these policies, private organizations (“NGOs”) have been established to provide educational intervention to these children, including those with autism. This talk describes the policy and educational context for children with autism in China, and provides an examination of the achievements and challenges of NGOs for children with autism, with a focus on competition and collaboration between organizations.

Helen McCabe is Executive Director, of The Five Project for International Autism and Disability Support; and a Clinical Researcher at Hussman Institute for Autism. She began volunteering with children with autism in China in 1992, in Nanjing. She earned her Ph.D. in Special Education and International Education from Indiana University in 2004. Based on years of volunteering and research in China, in 2006 she co-founded the non-profit, The Five Project for International Autism and Disability Support. As Executive Director, she provides training and support to autism organizations and teachers around China. She is also Clinical Researcher at the Hussman Institute for Autism, where she conducts research about best practices in autism, both in China and the US.