Acceptance of students with developmental disabilities in after-school childcare program and needs for occupational therapists –The 2017 Miyagi prefecture survey–

Abstract

Purpose: We conducted a survey regarding the after-school childcare acceptance rate of elementary school students with developmental disabilities and the support needs of occupational therapists who could serve them. Material and Methods: Subjects comprised 255 after-school childcare facilities in the Miyagi prefecture, including disaster areas following the 2011 earthquake that occurred off the Pacific coast of Tohoku. Of these, 153 facilities （60%） responded. Numerical data are presented using descriptive statistics. We used a text mining approach for free description. This study was supported by the Welfare and Medical Service Network System. The author declares no conflicts of interest. Results: There were 8,782 enrolled subjects（ age, 7–12）. Of these, 309（ 3.5%） subjects had diagnosed developmental disabilities. On an average, there were 2.0 students with developmental disabilities per facility. Breakdown by diagnosis revealed the following: physical disability （0.7%）, mental retardation （0.6%）, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder （1.3%）, learning disorder（ 0.2%）, Autism spectrum disorder（ 0.7%）, and disaster-related posttraumatic stress disorder （0.01%）. In tsunami disaster areas, students had developmental disabilities is a closely identical rate compared with that of inland areas. Approximately, 23% of the after-school childcare facilities had care workers trained in disability care procedures, 51% provided consultation services, 21% provided on-site guidance, and 72% had need for occupational therapy support. Conclusion: Our results suggested a clear need for occupational therapy support services within after-school childcare facilities in the Miyagi prefecture.