They are a special group of children who are usually tagged with such labels as "emotionally withdrawn", "severely lacking in language and social skills" and "behaviorally abnormal". However, for all we know, they might be Raymond Babbitt, the superhuman math whizz made famous by the film Rainman, or Dafu, who finally learned the basic skills he required to live his life in Ocean Heaven. There's no question that these different, gifted children often amaze us with their extraordinary ability in art, math and other areas.

Sunday's Tao Doll painting contest, held at the Yuan Art Museum in Beijing, was a delightful showcase of such ability, as 35 autistic children, aided by volunteers, amazed visitors and their parents alike with their artistic talent as they painted and colored the 9-cm-tall PVC dolls. The contest was organized by the Beijing Association for Rehabilitation of Autistic Children (BARAC), China's first association for autistic children, founded in 1993.

The 9-cm-high PVC dolls, painted by both the volunteers and the children participants will be featured in a special section on Taobao. [By Zhang Junmian/China.org.cn]

The volunteers base their decorations on the colorful paintings produced by autistic children. [By Zhang Junmian/China.org.cn]

The contest, which is part of the 2012 Tao Doll Design Game launched by Taobao, China's largest e-commerce website, aims to provide an opportunity for autistic children to interact and integrate socially, as well as showcasing their unique artistic abilities.

It's also hoped that the contest will generate greater public concern about the so-called "children of the stars", so described because they are as lovely as the twinkling stars in the night sky, but always alone and isolated from others.

The dolls painted and colored by the autistic children display bright color, vivid imagination and a unique glimpse into an otherwise hidden world. [By Zhang Junmian/China.org.cn]

In the contest, the dolls were painted by both the children themselves and volunteer helpers. The volunteers were required to base their designs for the dolls on original paintings produced by the children, whereas the children were free to decorate the dolls as they wished. The finished dolls will be featured in a special section on Taobao.

Various art forms, including painting, music, dance and sculpture, have proven to be effective therapies for autistic children, who are usually incapable of everyday communication through language. In most cases, painting can serve as a much more direct way for them to express themselves, help them focus on what they are doing, and improve their thinking and organization.

"Such contests provide autistic children with an opportunity to illuminate their unique inner world. In turn, we can understand what they are thinking about and work out how we can help them more specifically," said a volunteer named Liu Yao.

The dolls painted and colored by the autistic children display bright color, vivid imagination and a unique glimpse into an otherwise hidden world. [By Zhang Junmian/China.org.cn]

According to the latest statistics, there are currently about 67 million people suffering from autism worldwide. Known as a disorder of neural development, the disease affects 1 out of every 150 new-born children. In China alone, there are more than 1 million autism sufferers, and the number is gradually increasing. The disease is China's main cause of children's mental disability and impairment.

Because the disease cannot be cured, most families with autistic children face a long, hard road, both mentally and financially. Statistics show that rehabilitative treatment typically costs a family between 15,000 and 30,000 yuan annually. Many families are forced to discontinue such treatments due to costs and a lack of rehabilitation facilities. About 80 percent of autistic children are not covered by rehabilitation programs.

Not surprisingly, parents are feeling the strain, and they also worry about the future. "We are joining hands with other families in the same situation as us to try and figure out ways to help our children. However, we are limited in terms of what we can do and we lack strength," said the mother of an autistic boy named Dongdong.

She added that a lack of social understanding, along with a lack of tolerance and recognition remain the greatest challenges, even for rehabilitated autistic children who have been prepared for normal, everyday life and careers. Such children, she believes, face contempt, ignorance and slim job opportunities. Not surprisingly, she worries about Dongdong's long-term future.

"What worries me most is that, when the day comes that his father and I can no longer take care of him, who can we entrust him to?"

The volunteers base their decorations on the colorful paintings produced by autistic children. [By Zhang Junmian/China.org.cn]