[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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This study examined the effectiveness of a single training session for acquiring skills and knowledge related to individual support for all childcare workers at public preschool facilities in a Japanese city. Additionally, we examined the skills and knowledge that childcare providers had al- ready acquired by the caregivers and the skills and knowledge yet to be acquired by them. The training content covered the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis related to appropriate behavior, which were explained in terms of actual childcare situations. As a result, both skill and knowledge ratings increased significantly. Additionally, the results indicate that praising and designing the childcare setting environment are skills and knowledge already possessed by childcare providers, but there are issues with working with children needing individualized care. Moreover, a post-training questionnaire answered by the facility director indicated positive changes within the facilities because all childcare providers received the same training, such as the implementation of case conferences and promotion of information sharing. The survey suggests the need for future individualized interventions based on the assessment of childcare provid- ersʼ skills and knowledge.

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This study aims to clarify the interactions between preschool children with severe motor and intellectual disabilities and healthy children in the community. The survey covered all 521 child development support facilities in Tokyo, Japan. The questionnaire utilized a 5-point scale with free answers. A total of 142 facilities responded, resulting in a response rate of 27.3 %. Among the 47 facilities that accommodated children with severe motor and intellectual disabilities, only 22.5% conducted community interactions. This suggests that many facilities do not conduct community interactions or plan to implement them in the future. Freedescription analysis identified seven clusters, revealing factors contributing to the lack of interaction. These include the physical anxiety of children with severe motor and intellectual disabilities, the intentions of their parents, infection control measures, and challenges in building relationships with the local community. To foster interactions between children with severe motor and intellectual disabilities and their healthy counterparts, it is necessary for supporters to create conducive environments. This suggests the need to review policies for children with severe motor and intellectual disabilities from the perspective of education that leads to the development of each child with severe motor and intellectual disabilities.

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This study investigates the essential abilities required of principals to effectively promote special needs education, based on a comprehensive questionnaire survey conducted in a Japanese prefecture among public elementary and junior high schools. Out of 436 valid responses(82% response rate)， the mean level of special needs education was rated at 7 out of 10 points. The promotion status was found to be correlated with various factors such as school resources, special needs education coordinators holding special needs school teaching licenses, and the principalsʼ personal experiences. The factor structure of the abilities emphasized by the principals was a six-factor model(vision/management plan, personnel affairs, organizational management, human resource development, external collaboration, and education promotion), which was assumed necessary for special support education in school management. The principals evaluated organizational management centered on the support system of homeroom teachers as the most important and implement. However, external collaboration and vision and management plans were low. Principals must have the ability to manage special support education systems based on their own school conditions. Developing principalsʼ abilities were also mentioned.

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This study investigates the priority of teaching in a resource room (tsukyu class- room) for elementary and junior high school students with developmental disabilities in comparison to those in a resource room (tsukyu classroom) for elementary students with language disabilities, using six classifications of special support equivalent to activities promoting independence, as published by the Ministry of Education(i.e., 1. ʻlife managementʼ, 2. ʻmental healthʼ, 3. ʻdevelopment of interpersonal relationships,ʼ 4. ʻsensory/cognitive featuresʼ, 5. ʻmotor skillsʼ, and 6. ʻdevelopment of communication skillsʼ). Additionally, the study delves into the adaptive behavior of elementary and junior high school students with developmental disabilities compared to those with language disabilities. The results showed that both tsukyu classroom teachers prioritized ʻmental healthʼ, ʻdevelopment of interpersonal relationshipsʼ, and ʻdevelopment of communication skillsʼ over ʻlife managementʼ, ʻsensory/cognitive featuresʼ, and ʻmotor skillsʼ. However, the adaptive behavior scales developed in this study, as rated by teachers, revealed that daily living skills scores were as low as communication and socialization scores for the upper grades of elementary and junior high school students with developmental disabilities, and not for those with language disabilities. These findings suggest support for daily living skills is equally important as that for ʻlife managementʼ for the upper grades of elementary school and junior high school students with developmental disabilities.

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This quantitative study examines the extent of second language acquisition through English learning, employing Total Physical Response, and analyzes the experiences of 20 high school students with intellectual disabilities in special needs education. To investigate the extent of students’ second language acquisition, we examined their behavior in response to English instruction from the teacher in a pre-test, post-test, and confirmation test one week later to determine achievement rates. The results of the Steel-Dwass test showed significant differences in newly learned English on the pre-test vs. post-test and on the pre-test vs. confirmation test one week later. The pre- and post-test comparisons also showed a significant difference at the 0.1% level for newly learned English, indicating a large effect size. English learning using Total Physical Response may be an effective learning strategy for second language acquisition in high schools for special needs students with intellectual disabilities.

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