[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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[in Japanese]

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In this study, we surveyed the details of the living conditions of students with intellectual disabilities in schools for special needs education and their families. The study examined the difficulties of rearing and development of children with intellectual disabilities and the influences on learning and development. Additionally, it identified the types of support required for problems in daily life, and other support needs. Many children with intellectual disabilities had limited human relations and a monotonous lifestyle, and the conditions tend- ed to persist as age increased. The living situations were more difficult when the child’s disability was more serious or when the child was younger, and the employment and health of the parents were also adversely affected. In recent years, various types of support for children with intellectual disabilities and their families have gradually been expanded. However, it is imperative to formulate a rights guarantee system that comprehensively supports families of children with intellectual disabilities. It should cover support for independence (economic independence/ social independence) of children with intellectual disabilities, and support for daily life based on developmental perspectives, including parents’ work and health problems. This survey was limited to the living conditions of students with intellectual disabilities in schools for special needs education and their families in Hokkaido. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a nationwide survey to comprehensively study the living conditions and the support required by children with intellectual disabilities and their families.

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The present study examined approaches to promote peer interaction in children with autism spectrum disorder in small group teaching. The participants were five children aged 6–9 years (1 = female, 4 = male) with autism spectrum disorder and an 8-year-old participant with motor and mental retardation. The teaching setting was the initial meeting. A total of 28 sessions were conducted in a playroom at a university. The teaching period comprised four phases and the teaching design was shaped by the listener’s response, baseline formation, intervention 1, and intervention 2. Intervention 1 used an iPad or a signal to observe and enhance the speaker’s approach. In intervention 2, a modification to the speaker’s first approach was introduced. The study then analyzed the effects of the signal and observed the listener’s response. Moreover, the study also analyzed the effects of the modification to the speaker’s approach, which was considered in order to promote the listener’s response. The results indicated that the speaker’s approach using the iPad promoted listener response during peer interaction, whereas the speaker’s signal to pay attention had previously been ineffective in arousing listener attention. Moreover, in the absence of listener response, the modification of speaker’s approach demonstrated effectivity.

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The aim of this follow-up study is to investigate the adaptive behavior of adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder(ASD), especially the improvement in daily living skills and social skills pre- and post-employment. For two adults with ASD who were diagnosed and supported in adult- hood and not in employment, the Vineland- II adaptive behavior scales, Second Edition (Vineland-II, Japanese version)revealed that the standard scores for the Adaptive Behavior Composite, Daily Living Skills, Communication, and Socialization were below each average standard score. These results were supported by the data. The adults have no friends and do not customarily engage in self-care activities(e.g., eating, bathing, etc.)and household chores(e.g., cleaning, cooking, etc.), and so on. In employment, the Vineland-II was retested for the subjects. The new results show improvement in part of Daily Living Skills, while Communication and Socialization did not improve. The results suggest that outcomes in adulthood could be effected by the discrepancy between adaptive behavior and adaptation at work.

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This study aims to explore the self-efficacy of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in their adulthood, and examine the relationship between ASD traits and demographic variables separately in men and women. Adults with ASD can be categorized into two types: individuals who were diagnosed earlier in life and those who were not diagnosed until adulthood. It is assumed that the experiences and phenotype differ between the two; this study focuses on the latter. Overall, the sample included 82 people (36 men, 46 women) with ASD aged 21–58 (average age: 34.65) and diagnosed at age 18–56 (average age: 30.63). The results suggest that the self-efficacy of the subjects in this study tended to be lower. Furthermore, the relationship between ASD traits and self-efficacy differed between men and women, such that the higher the ASD traits score, the lower the self-efficacy in men (r = -0.45), while this association was not statistically significant in women. In addition, the average score of self-efficacy differed significantly between groups, depending on the employment situation of women and the marital status of men. This study highlights the need to identify factors influencing low self-efficacy of individuals diagnosed with ASD in adulthood in both genders, and offers implications for building a support system for them.

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This study was designed to understand the educational needs of children with intellectual disabilities. We conducted a questionnaire survey to examine the needs (learning and life) expressed by parents raising school- aged children with such disabilities. We surveyed the parents of 28 children enrolled in an elementary school for special needs education in Tokyo from 200X to 200X+13. We classified their responses into seven major categories of learning needs and nine primary categories of living needs by using the KJ method. Examining the proportion of each major category in each grade indicated a high demand for “Japanese” in terms of learning throughout the six years, followed by “Needs of life” and “Physical education.” Additionally, there was a high demand for “Personal care” in terms of living needs throughout the six years, which was followed by “Social participation skills.” The differences in educational needs based on the type of disability (such as Down’s syndrome or autism spectrum disorder), degree of disability (middle, mild or severe), and grade (lower or higher) were examined by Quantification III (correspondence analysis). The results indicated that learning needs differed based on the type and degree of disability.

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