In order to gain an understanding of primary factors leading to burnout among teachers at special needs education schools, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was distributed to 829 teachers at special needs education schools, from whom 735 valid responses were obtained. After categorical principal component analysis was applied, question #17 was divided into 2 components: decrease in ambition and decrease in individual sense of accomplishment, so as to explain the factorial structure. Categorical regression analysis revealed the main causes of each component. The results indicated that "school concerns" and "being a member of a faculty department" contributed both to a decrease in ambition and to a decrease in individual sense of accomplishment, whereas "personal concerns," "type of school," and "official title" contributed only to a decrease in ambition. "Age" and "gender" did not contribute to either component.

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Students with autism often have difficulty in reading and comprehending sentences, although they can read and comprehend shorter portions of sentences, such as words and segments. Previous studies have shown that repeated-reading training was an effective intervention, enabling such students to improve their reading skills, including accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Because previous repeated-reading training required students to read whole sentences, it was sometimes difficult for students with autism to read whole sentences and complete the reading intervention training. The present study compared 2 types of repeated-reading training, measuring the improvement in reading skills of a 13-year-old boy with autism. Each segment of the sentences was presented successively and sequentially during training. In the pre-test, the student first read whole sentences presented on a computer, after which he answered 5 questions about those sentences. Repeated-reading training then began. In whole-sentence reading training, the student read whole sentences that were presented on a computer. In segment-unit reading training, he read each segment as it was presented individually by the computer. After the training, the student took a post-test that was identical to the pre-test. The results indicated that although the student's reading time decreased after both types of training, his reading accuracy and comprehension improved only after segment-unit reading training. These results suggest that segment-unit reading training was more effective than repeated reading of whole sentences in improving the reading skills of this student with autism.

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The present study examined effects of picture activity schedules on the smoothness and spontaneity of transitions between activities by a child with autism. The participant was a boy 5 years old at the start of the study, who had been diagnosed as having autism. The boy strongly refused unfamiliar stimuli, as well as refusing to shift activities, especially when the shift was to an activity he did not prefer. Using graduated guidance procedures, he was taught to use picture activity schedules. The training was done in a consultation room at the university. After that, the picture activity schedules were gradually changed to more useful ones. Following this training, the boy acquired the skills of using activity schedules written in words and of controlling his free time by using a digital timer. Effects of the picture activity schedules generalized to his home. The results with this 5-year-old boy suggest the possibility that the independence of people with autism may be promoted by self-management with support.

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The present study examined the effects of basic social skills training (SST) and simulation training on the acquisition of social skills related to employment. The participants (N=4; males, 19-27 years old) had been diagnosed with high-functioning pervasive developmental disorders. The study was conducted in facilities run by the prefectures where they were located. The target behaviors were 7 social skills related to employment: “greeting when you enter and when you leave a room,” “taking notes when you are given instructions on tasks,” “thanking people who help you,” “refusing when you are asked to do something that you cannot do,” “sitting up straight when someone is talking to you,” “asking questions when you don't understand a task,” and “guiding visitors.” After the participants were observed in a baseline period, they received Simulation Training 1, in which they performed the role of employees, and the trainers performed the role of the participants' boss. While the participants were engaged in work tasks, the trainers gave them various instructions, or caused some accident. The participants were able to deal with these events by performing target behaviors. After the simulation training, the trainers provided feedback to the participants on their behavior. Next, participants were given basic social skills training (Simulation Training 2), which was composed of instructions, modeling, role-play, and feedback. Each participant was taught one of the target behaviors. In the baseline and Simulation Training 1, the target behaviors were not acquired. In contrast, the target behaviors were immediately acquired in Simulation Training 2. These results suggest that basic social skills training, in addition to simulation training, was necessary for these individuals to be able to acquire social skills related to employment.

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The participant in the present study was a 20-year-old autistic man living in a group environment with various restrictions in a residential care institution. At times, he displayed aggressive behavior that was harmful to others. The purpose of the present study was to decrease his aggressive behavior by providing him with support based on a functional assessment, and by attempting to incorporate a team approach in reaching this goal. As a result of an assessment, it was hypothesized that his problematic behavior had multiple aspects, and a support plan was formulated based on 4 pillars: (a) support aimed at making the problematic behavior less likely to occur, (b) support that taught alternative behavior to replace the problematic behavior, (c) actions to be taken after an occurrence of the problematic behavior, and (d) actions to be taken when the man was not engaged in problematic behavior, or when favorable behavior was observed.. The support was provided using a team approach. After the support was provided, the frequency of the problematic behavior decreased, and the man's quality of life increased, compared to the baseline period. The results of this study suggest that when support is being provided in a restricted environment such as a residential care institution, it is important to take an individual-based approach, and that support provided through a team approach based on a functional assessment can be effective.

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The present article describes support for a boy who had been diagnosed as having Asperger syndrome and was in transition from a day care center to a regular elementary classroom. The following were considered to be important: (a) organizing a team, (b) arranging tools for sharing information, and (c) appointing a manager responsible for integrating the support. A meeting for the transition team that was held before the boy entered the regular school brought a sense of coordination and cooperation to related parties both in the day care center and in the elementary school, which, in turn, resulted in the implementation of support in the elementary school, based on an individualized education plan. Further, successive meetings after the boy had entered school provided transition support within the school system. The boy adapted to the school better in the second semester than in the first, which reduced the parents' concerns. Based on these results, the discussion recommends the method of sharing information during the transition, holding meetings for transition support continuously both before and after a child's entrance to regular school, and management of integrated transition support by an itinerant consultation team.

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The present paper surveys trends in studies of academic education provided in juvenile training schools, in relation to the current policy regarding juvenile corrections. In juvenile training schools, juveniles receive not only academic education at the junior and senior high levels, but also supplementary academic education aimed at their acquiring academic abilities necessary for their individual social life. Topics relating to academic education in juvenile training schools that have been studied for a long time include the following 3 important subjects: (a) to work more closely with schools and school boards, (b) to establish principles of correctional education, and (c) to promote studies and effective plans for putting theories of learning into practice. A teaching method and system is going to be made in the context of enforcement of the revised Juvenile Training Schools Act, which was put on the agenda of the Ordinary Session of the Diet in 2012. However, in addition to practical aspects of academic education, other important topics for discussion include the meaning of academic education in juvenile training schools, and the legal status of the juveniles who undergo correctional training when they are junior high school students.

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