Have you ever heard of “children of the stars”? It might sound mysterious, but the expression refers to children with autism (自闭症). World Autism Awareness Day falls on April 2. It was initiated by the United Nations to raise awareness and promote acceptance of people with autism.

According to the US-based Autism Research Institute, autism is a disorder with symptoms (症状) that appear within the first three years of life. The condition is believed to involve deficits (缺陷) in social communication and interaction as well as restricted, repetitive behaviors, interests, or activities.

Meng Lingdi, whose daughter was diagnosed (诊断) with autism at 2 years old, shared that her daughter wouldn’t pay attention to her when Meng asked her to do something. “She made less eye contact with people compared to other kids,” Meng added.

Children with autism also suffer from physical pain. “Many children with autism experience epilepsy (癫痫) due to differences in brain activity,” said Sun Zhongkai at Beijing Stars and Rain Education Institute for Autism. Epilepsy among people with autism becomes even more prevalent (普遍的) starting from adolescence (青春期), he added.

At present, the precise cause of autism remains unknown, but research indicates that it is likely a result of a mix of developmental, genetic (遗传的), and environmental factors.

“According to our statistics, older parents are more likely to have autistic children than younger parents,” said Sun. “If the first child in a family has autism, the chances of subsequent children also having autism are about 10 times higher than in families where the first child is not autistic. The likelihood of identical twins both having autism is also significant.”

Although autism is a lifelong condition, there are various treatments available. According to Liu Wei, a teacher at the institute with 20 years of experience in teaching people with autism, it is crucial not to view people with autism with a sense of strangeness. Affirmations (肯定) from others will make them feel proud, enabling them to interact with others more effectively. For those close to autism sufferers, such as friends or family, it’s useful to establish certain principles for the individual, such as what is permissible and what is not. They should also have a deep understanding of autism and how to deal with it, which, for children with autism, may “benefit them for a lifetime,” said Sun.

The following writers who were born in the late l8th or 19th century will make you fall in love with Romantic literature.

1. Jane Austen (1775—1817)

Romantic idealists can blame Jane Austen for their unrealistically high expectations of everlasting romance. Austen is one of the most prolific authors of the long 18th century, her novels such as Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion inspiring dreams of Darcy and lamentations of lost love throughout generations of readers.

2. Anne Brontë (1820—1849)

The lesser known Brontië sister, but nevertheless a true 19th century Yorkshire heroine — and in my opinion far more deserving of the title than her sisters Emily and Charlotte.

Born in Thornton, West Yorkshire, Anne moved to Haworth with her family when she was still a baby. The parsonage where the Bronte family lived is now open to the public as a biographical museum of their lives.

3. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822) and Mary Shelley (1797—1851)

Although this is technically two authors in one, it’s almost impossible to think of one Shelley without the other. Although you might not know the name, you might know one of PB Shelley’s most famous lines from the Labour party’s political slogan For The Many Not The Few, taken from The Masque of Anarchy. Mary Shelley is the author of Frankenstein, a gothic story.

4. Robert Browning (1812—1889) and Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806—1861)

Robert and Elizabeth (who often published under the pseudonym EBB) eloped just one year after they first met. Both were renowned Romantic poets during the 19th century, Robert for his dramatic monologue and physical portraiture, and Elizabeth for her passionate sonnets. Aurora Leigh was one of her representative works.

Wildflower meadows are beautiful; so beautiful in fact that a village in Britain has found they act as natural speed traps from motorists slowing down to look at them.

The village of Long Newnton in Gloucestershire has a problem with fast-moving traffic between nearby towns. Almost all drivers moving through areas they frequent will break posted speed limits, and neither a 30 mile per hour limit, nor warning signs made any difference.

Officials first planted flowers along the roadside during the pandemic to help improve biodiversity. But they noticed that as well as attracting more wildlife, motorists also slowed down when they passed the flowers. The village, between Tetbury and Malmesbury, has traffic regularly travelling between them, and the small parish council(教区行政机构) receives limited funds from the government for traffic control measures.

Putting two and two together, the village is now relying on its flowers to do the work that the road signs could not, paying for the blooms with crowdfunding(众筹) in the village.

Why exactly people slow down isn’t entirely clear. “Evidence has shown that if you introduce things like wildflowers, drivers will slow down because they feel like they’re coming into somewhere that’s looked after,” said Jenny Forde, cabinet member for health and wellbeing at Cotswold District Council. A crowdfunding campaign has raised almost £8,000 for traffic-calming measures, which will be used to fund a three-year care program for the wildflowers.

A sign that flashes and records data when people are breaking the 30 mph(48 kmph) speed limit was also fixed by the council. According to the data, 90% of motorists drive below the speed limit. It goes to show that something the homeschooling revolution in America is getting right applies elsewhere too, and that rewards for good behavior will always outperform(胜过) punishment for bad behavior.