Intellectual assessment of children and youth in Japan: Past, present, and future

Abstract

This article briefly reviews the history of intellectual assessment with children and youth in Japan, as well as current practices and future directions. The history of intelligence test use in Japan began in the early 20th century. Since the 21st century, three major intelligence tests, namely, the Wechsler Intelligence Scales, the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, and the Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System, have been standardized in Japan and used as theory-based tests. In school settings in Japan, psychologists and teachers use these intelligence tests for special needs education, particularly for developing individualized teaching plans to help students with learning disabilities (LD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), rather than for their diagnosis and treatment. Excellent collaboration between Nationally Certified Psychologists and teachers is one of the strong points in school psychological practice in Japan. To promote such collaboration further, more research regarding the assessment of human abilities is clearly needed in Japan.