Intellectual Disabilities In Japan Research Articles

Empirical Study on the Empowerment of Families Raising Children with Severe Motor and Intellectual Disabilities in Japan: The Association with Positive Feelings towards Child Rearing

Background: “Children with severe motor and intellectual disabilities” refers to children with markedly limited activity due to severe overlapping of physical and intellectual disabilities. The physical and mental burden placed on families raising severely disabled children, particularly the primary caregivers, is great in home settings. For families to effectively utilize services and over-come child rearing problems, the families themselves need the “strength” to cooperate with others for the purpose of raising a severely disabled child. The ultimate goal of family support is to enable such families to achieve satisfaction and self-growth in child rearing. Methods: We used a questionnaire to survey 75 primary caregivers to empirically elucidate the empowerment and positive feelings towards child rearing of families raising children with severe motor and intellectual disabilities and the related factors. The t-test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient were used to examine the association with bivariates. A multiple regression analysis was conducted for empowerment and positive feelings. Results: Results revealed that life events, livelihood, awareness of social support and the child’s sleep problems were factors related to empowerment. Of these, awareness of social support from outside of the family was found to contribute the most to empowerment. Furthermore, improvement and maintenance of positive feelings towards child rearing reaffirmed the existence of empowerment in addition to reducing negative feelings towards child rearing and ensuring social support. Conclusions: Raising children with severe motor and intellectual disabilities requires specialist knowledge and skills. Support from professionals to empower the entire family is therefore important in order to strengthen positive feelings towards child rearing.

障害のある人の継続教育

The opportunity of continuing education for people with intellectual disabilities, graduated from secondary schools is extremely limited more than those with other disabilities. In this article, the author reviewed the history and current situations of continuing education for people with intellectual disabilities in Japan, and higher lifelong educational situations in overseas countries. In USA, recently, the opportunity of enrollment to higher education institutions has increased remarkably. While, in Japan, the nondegree graduate courses at secondary schools have gradually increased but it is still not enough. It is necessary to be pervasive them throughout the country and establish cooperation with higher education institutions and to make more appropriate educational programs. In addition, the author introduced issues about support system for students with developmental disabilities.

The effectiveness of a sex education program facilitating social skills for people with intellectual disability in Japan

Background Sex education should include social skills, such as those that allow individuals to relate, socialise, and communicate with others, to assist people with intellectual disability (ID) to live life fully in the community.Objectives We administered and investigated the effects of a program involving 8 interactive sex education sessions that were aimed at improving the social skills of people with ID.Methods Participants were 17 people with ID and 17 control group participants in Japan. The evaluation was conducted with a questionnaire based on KiSS-18 (Kikuchi's Scale of Social Skills: 18 items; Kikuchi, 2007).Results The score of KiSS-18 in the experimental group was 55.4 ± 12.9 before the administration of the program, as compared to a mean of 61.8 ± 13.2 after the program. A significant increase was identified. There was no significant difference between the first and second average score in the control group.Conclusion The sex education program involving social skills training for people with ID had significant effects.

Description of environmental determinants of quality of life in children with intellectual disability in Japan using the Delphi technique

The present study aimed to define the framework of an environment conducive to the well-being of children with intellectually disability (CID). A questionnaire composed of 31 items was developed through literature review. Then a 2-round Delphi survey was conducted with 3 different panels: health professionals (HPs), parents of CID, and teachers. The participants were asked to rate each item, select and rank the 10 most important items, and suggest additional ones. A total of 71 participants responded to the first round: 24 HPs, 22 parents, and 25 teachers. In the second round the overall response rate was 83%. At the end of the exercise, 12 items reached global consensus, i.e., in all groups. Only 5 items were ranked as most important by all groups: attitudes of family members at home; attitudes of HPs and teachers; support from family members at home; support at school (classmates and teachers); and government policies. Nevertheless, the panelists' views diverged on the remaining items. Several additional elements were suggested. The views of HPs, teachers, and parents are complementary for the improvement of quality of life (QOL) of CID. The present findings will be used as a basis for the development of an instrument to assess the living environment of CID.

Assessment of Social Networks between Developmental Physicians and Welfare Facilities/Specialists for Children with Intellectual Disabilities in Japan

Assessment of Social Networks between Developmental Physicians and Welfare Facilities/Specialists for Children with Intellectual Disabilities in Japan

Schemata and Attitudes toward Persons with Intellectual Disability in Japan

375 parents of pupils were asked to respond to 14 questions on attitudes toward persons with intellectual disability. About 30% of variance in attitude was explained by a set of variables. The effects of schemata concerning person with intellectual disability had a great effect on attitudes toward such persons. The guess of a greater contribution of heredity as the basis of intellectual disability and of fewer such persons in the future of their own families than in the general population was associated with greater negative attitudes toward persons with intellectual disability. As these estimations relate to teachable information, the attitudes might be improved.