Tackling the issue

Zeng Fanlin, an associate professor of special education at East China Normal University, said that in recent years the authorities have taken steps to address such issues. For example, inclusive education has been listed in the nation's 13th (2016-20) and 14th (2021-25) Five-Year Plans.

Schools nationwide have also recruited staff members with special education training to help such children. For instance, since 2012, the authorities in Shanghai have ruled that schools with more than 500 students must hire at least one qualified psychologist.

Long before this, many schools in the city launched efforts to look after the psychological health of their students, including those with specific learning disorders, Wang said. Shanghai No 1 Zhabei Primary School, where Wang works, is one example of such efforts.

Since the 1990s, the school, which was among the first to be named as an example to follow in terms of caring for students' mental health, has had a counselor on campus. Wang, a Chinese-language teacher at the school since 1991, took over the position in 2009, when she qualified as a psychologist. As the on-campus counselor, she is responsible for helping screen students for possible learning disorders.