China is in dire need of more professionals to diagnose and train the growing number of autistic children, with research and treatment still far from sustainable, experts have warned.

"Autistic children who receive early treatment tend to relate better to others and assimilate well with society," said Lan Xiaosong, vice-president of Qingdao Shengzhi'ai Autistic Rehabilitation Center. "But due to a lack of professionals many children miss the best time for treatment," which is before 3 years old.

Wen Hong, secretary-general of the China Association of Persons With Psychiatric Disability and Their Relatives' autism committee, said the number of trained professionals available to help people with autism is significantly limited - nationally there are only 100 medics qualified to give an official diagnosis.

And only a handful of universities and colleges in China are training teachers in the field.

"For graduates with normal college diplomas, places such as the Beijing Stars and Rain Institute for Autism are seen as a bad choice, as they offer no promising future prospects," said Sun Zhongkai, the institute's executive director.

"Training autistic patients and families is not listed as special education by the government, so there is no official standard nor any State-issued certificate for the profession. Teaching experience here does not help ordinary college graduates get better jobs."

So far, most autistic research institutes in China have been private and relied mainly on donations to cover costs.

Sun credits the 2010 movie Ocean Heaven with finally shining a light on the condition and raising awareness among the Chinese public. The story is about a dying father trying to teach his autistic son to survive after he is gone.

It is a start, but Sun said he hopes the State will treat the matter more seriously by introducing occupational standards or certificates for teachers working with autistic people and their parents, to attract more high-level talent to the profession.

"Only when the industry is sustainable will autistic patients in China see hope."