Boy dies after being forced to walk 19 km to treat autism

Chinese public opinion is shaken by the death of a 3-year-old boy at a private autism treatment center in Guangzhou after walking 19 km.

Truong Nguy (left), Gia Gia's mother. Photo: Shanghaiist

According to Shanghaiist, baby boy Gia Gia has been receiving therapy for the past two months at the Thien Dao Chinh Khi autistic children's medical center, a private facility in Guangzhou.

The baby’s mother, Zhang Wei, was informed on April 27 that her son had a fever and had to be hospitalized. She rushed from Liaoning to Guangzhou and learned that her son had passed away. When she received her son’s body, Zhang Wei almost did not recognize him because his body was so weak and had many scratches.

Thien Dia Chinh Khi was founded by Ha Duc Quan. He proposed a military training method for treating children, believing that the main cause of autism in children was spoiled and lazy.

Ha claims that this type of exercise has a calming effect on children. The diet here mainly consists of vegetables, fruits and rice.

Truong Nguy took a photo of her child's treatment schedule on April 26, which stated that Gia Gia had to carry heavy loads and walk 10 km after breakfast, then have lunch and sleep, and then walk another 9 km in the afternoon.

Jia Jia lives with her parents in Dandong, Liaoning Province, northeast China. She can only say a few simple sentences, and sometimes when she cannot communicate, she bangs her head or bites her tongue.

After Jia Jia was diagnosed with mild autism by doctors at a hospital in Beijing, Zhang Wei began looking for a medical facility for his son and learned about He Dejun after reading one of his books online. He claimed to have successfully treated several autistic children using the method.

Jia Jia's therapy facility in Guangzhou. Photo: Shanghaiist

Zhang Wei purchased a three-month treatment course at He Dejun’s facility for her son, for $4,800. He Dejun updated the child’s condition via WeChat to the parents, without allowing them to communicate directly with their child during the treatment period.

After Jia Jia died, Xia texted all the parents to come pick up their children. After Zhang Wei announced that he would sue the center, the local government launched an investigation and discovered that the facility was not registered with the Guangzhou Civil Affairs Bureau and had no one to supervise it.

This is the biggest medical scandal involving online advertising in China. In late April, a 21-year-old male student with a rare cancer died after trusting an advertisement on Baidu and signing up for treatment at a hospital in Beijing that had not undergone clinical trials.

According to VNE