During a visit on the 2nd, the reporter learned that medical institutions in Shanghai are exploring the combination of traditional rehabilitation training models and VR rehabilitation, which has enabled preschool children with autism to embark on a new path of rehabilitation training. Blue ocean waves, gently dancing; Small fish and aquatic plants shuttle under our feet... This is not a "ocean world", but a rehabilitation treatment room at Shanghai Children's Hospital. Doctors hope to improve the social deficits, core symptoms of repetitive stereotyped behavior, and reaction inhibition ability of children with autism through virtual scenes and interactive games. Childhood autism, also known as childhood autism, is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by varying degrees of social and communication barriers, narrow interests, repetitive stereotyped behaviors, and perceptual abnormalities that occur before the age of 3. April 2, 2025 is the 18th World Autism Awareness Day, and this year's promotional slogan is "Implementing the Care Action Plan to Promote the Comprehensive Development of Autism." Jin Xingming, an expert at Shanghai Children's Medical Center, said that this conveys a revolutionary idea: loneliness is not a defect that needs to be repaired, but a natural manifestation of human neural diversity. In the face of this complex challenge, single dimensional intervention is no longer sufficient. Only through the collaborative efforts of medicine, education, rehabilitation, and family can these "star children" be fully protected. It is understood that in traditional rehabilitation for children with severe autism, therapists often do their best, but the child remains unmoved and immersed in their own world. Jin Xingming frankly stated that currently, rehabilitation training for children with autism often falls into the misconception of "correcting abnormalities", and a more positive approach is to cultivate the ability to adapt to life. Taking sports training as an example, the goal should not only be to "normalize posture", but also to enable children to safely climb stairs and avoid vehicles. At the Rehabilitation Department of Shanghai Children's Hospital, it was learned that doctors have developed a cognitive and behavioral training system for preschool children with autism based on VR technology. The system uses interactive games as a foundation to train children's game perception, rule transmission, interactive communication, cognitive training, reaction inhibition, and comprehensive feedback abilities. This effectively improves the core symptoms of social deficits, repetitive stereotyped behaviors, and reaction inhibition abilities in preschool children with autism, and plays a positive role in their rehabilitation training. The reporter saw that this rehabilitation treatment room not only has an "ocean world", but children can also step on balloons and fight ground rats. Combined with VR games, these virtual scenes make children feel more secure and full of fun. The child's relevant abilities gradually improved through mini games. On the basis of traditional rehabilitation courses, this method of treating while playing is more easily accepted by both the child and their parents. It is reported that initially, doctors used VR glasses for children with autism. However, in practice, it was found that wearable devices are not suitable for children with autism because their touch is particularly sensitive. The constraints of the glasses amplify the confusion and anxiety of the children, and their resistance to the devices makes treatment difficult to proceed smoothly. In response to this, the rehabilitation team focused on the characteristics and training priorities of children with autism, and after repeated experiments and modifications, ultimately decided to set aside these "constraints" and let the children freely touch and run in this virtual world. The color, size, and shape of objects change in front of children's eyes, which is an intuitive visual impact and has a certain stimulating effect; stepping, touching, and running can also meet children's exercise volume and body coordination. "Rehabilitation director Wang Yu said that the difficulty level, scoring elements, scene design, etc. of the game are constantly upgraded and optimized after each application and feedback. The instructions of "stepping on small fish, red small fish, red small fish wearing glasses..." continue to advance, and the child understands and executes them gradually according to the complexity of the instructions, with small growth and changes every week. It is recommended to combine VR rehabilitation methods with 12 sessions per course, once a week, and evaluate the effectiveness after 3 months of treatment. Many parents are willing to let their children continue to come here to play and receive treatment. Wang Yu said, "In the future, we will combine VR and real scene training to carry out metaverse intervention training." In the interview, Jin Jinming emphasized that empowering children begins with subtle changes: using visual schedules instead of verbal instructions, predicting changes through social stories, and setting a reasonable structured environment. These adjustments do not require expensive expenses, but parents need to let go of their obsession with "normalization" and learn to communicate with the world in their children's language. (New Society)