The child is often tied to this pillar.
■ Reporter Dan Shan, Intern Can Wang / Reporting and Photography
Jilin City News - Xiao Ji, a 10-year-old child, is an unfortunate one. Born with autism, he does not communicate with others and often throws tantrums. At the age of three, due to his mischievous behavior, he overturned a 21-inch TV and got scalded by a thermos, making it impossible for him to be left alone. His mother would tie him up when she went to the toilet or cooked meals. Since the age of three, Xiao Ji's family has used cloth ropes, iron chains, and ropes to bind him. From initially crying, resisting, and rolling on the ground, now at the mere sight of a rope, he bursts into tears uncontrollably. To treat his illness, his father was sentenced to prison for theft, and his mother also left him several months ago. Poor Xiao Ji became even more lonely. On April 15th, the reporter accompanied the staff of Jilin City Autism School "Ming Zhi Zhi Jia" to Xiao Ji's home in Dehui City to take him to a professional school for free rehabilitation treatment.
An iron chain with a lock has been used to bind him for seven years.
Yesterday morning, the reporter followed the principal of the autism school, Mr. Wang, driving to Xiao Ji's home in Yongqing Village, Dehui City. Xiao Ji's home is in a greenhouse. Entering the first room, there was a swing made from a car tire, which was Xiao Ji's toy. Inside another room, after gently lifting the plastic-made door, there was a wooden pillar at the entrance used to support the greenhouse. There were iron chains, ropes, and large locks on the pillar. Beside it was an old desk. In the small room, there was only a dirty and dark kang (a traditional bed-stove). The ground was all dug-up soil, and walking around made the house full of dust. This vegetable-growing greenhouse became Xiao Ji's living residence, and that chain and lock became the eternal pain in Xiao Ji's heart.
At the scene, the reporter found that Xiao Ji was very friendly when he saw the teachers. If given something tasty, he wouldn't make a fuss and ran and jumped around the house, but he would never approach the place where he was bound. As soon as he was pulled near, he cried uncontrollably. After seeing this, Principal Wang said that the child had developed extreme fear psychologically and had become annoyed with this environment and his family.
Xiao Ji's grandmother, Li Huilan, cried while telling the reporter that when the child was three years old, except for occasionally uttering words, he did not have any communication with anyone. They took the child to the local hospital for a check-up, but no serious illness was detected; they only said his intelligence was a bit slow, nothing serious. When the child grew older, he became especially mischievous and strong. At the age of three, due to anger, he overturned a 21-inch TV. Additionally, Xiao Ji was severely scalded. Later, the father went out to work, leaving the mother to look after him alone. She would use a cloth rope to tie the child's little arms to the window handle when cooking or going to the toilet. At that time, the child cried loudly, so she gave him a big pancake. After eating, the child cried until he was exhausted and fell asleep. From then on, the child was tied up, until two months ago when they stopped tying him up.
Father in prison, mother leaves, grandparents feel helpless.
Xiao Ji's grandfather, Huang Fusheng, said that when the child was six years old, they went to the Children's Hospital in Changchun for a check-up, and it was discovered that he had autism. However, because professional school treatment was too expensive, they did not take him for treatment. Their family of five only had a little over one acre of land, barely enough to survive. The child's father, in order to treat his son, stole in 2008 and was sentenced to prison. By the end of the year, the daughter-in-law moved into the greenhouse with the child, and they, the elderly couple, helped take care of the child. While working every day, they would tie up the child, loosening him for about two hours to play with him, and then tying him up again until the evening.
Huang Fusheng said that they knew they shouldn't tie up the child, but once the child got lost, they were scared, so helplessly, they tied him up. After that, the child was tied up more frequently. As the child grew older and heavier, each time they tied him up, it was very strenuous. The child progressed from crying and resisting to later rolling on the ground. Afraid the child would escape, they used an iron chain and locked it. Later, due to the child's severe resistance, fearing that his body would be harmed, they changed to using a rope and tied it with a knot.
Villager: Take the child away, otherwise, he will be tied stupid.
During the interview, a female villager said, "Take the child away, find a place to treat him well, otherwise, this child will be tied stupid. The child's grandparents are old and can't take care of him anymore. The child is too pitiful."
After seeing the situation, Principal Wang verified the child's household registration, the grandfather's ID card, and related documents. Upon checking the child's condition, they found that the child lacked various trace elements, was severely malnourished, lacked care, and was extremely dissatisfied with the surrounding environment. Subsequently, the teacher gave Xiao Ji new clothes and took him to Jilin City by car.
Current status: The child loves the current environment very much.
In the car, Xiao Ji seemed very happy, constantly looking forward. Principal Wang said that they would first take the child back to the school, then send him to the hospital for further medical checks, regularly contact the child's grandparents, and also contact the child's father and mother to understand the overall family environment, which is very important.
During the journey of over two hours, Xiao Ji was particularly friendly to strangers, singing and laughing from time to time, without crying or making a fuss, which surprised the teachers greatly. It seems that the child's mood improved significantly after being freed from the locked environment. Upon arriving at the school and seeing many children, he was not afraid of strangers and immediately played with the other children, continuously drumming with a small drum. During mealtime, he ate a bowl of rice in just six bites. Principal Wang said that Xiao Ji was very poor at self-reliance in life and couldn't eat properly, which was largely due to the lack of proper upbringing in his family.