Children with developmental disabilities are more than three times as likely to experience school non-attendance.
If you read a news article like that,
you might worry,
Will my child also stop going to school?
( Kyodo News: “School non-attendance rate for developmental disabilities is over 3 times higher; communication traits may be a factor”)
( MEXT: “Research on the Ideal State of In-School Coordination Systems for Special Needs Education and School Non-Attendance”)
However, one cannot conclude from this survey alone that children stop going to school simply because they have a developmental disability.
In the previous article, using this survey as a starting point,
I wrote that it is important to look not just at whether they are connected to special needs education, but at what kind of support is actually being provided within that framework.
Are children with developmental disabilities more prone to school non-attendance? Thinking about the content of special needs support based on the “over 3 times” report
This time, I would like to take it a step further.
If a child begins to find it difficult to go to school, will the support they have been receiving for their developmental needs continue afterward?
First, we need to look at “what is being built up” rather than “what they are connected to.”
I believe there are children who are currently connected to resource rooms, special needs classes, medical care, or developmental support.
In those settings,
What does this child struggle with? What are their goals? What kind of support has been successful? How does the child feel about it? And what skills are they trying to develop from here on?
If these things are organized and built upon, they become valuable assets that can be carried over even after it becomes difficult for the child to attend school.
However,
“attending a resource room”
“enrolled in a special needs class”
the fact of these alone is not necessarily enough.
What is important is not the mere fact of using a system, but
the substance of what we understand about this child, what we are aiming for, and what kind of support has been built up.
This is the content.
This is the same point I made in the previous article.
After a child stops attending school, the “framework” of support may change.
This is the point I most want to convey this time.
Special needs education for children with developmental disabilities and support for children who have stopped attending school.
Both exist within the school education system.
For children who have stopped attending school, there are various learning environments such as in-school education support centers, education support centers, and schools for diverse learning.
All of these are important resources for supporting school non-attendance.
However,
even after connecting to support for school non-attendance, it is not guaranteed that education tailored to developmental disabilities will be carried over as is.
The reason for this is that the two are fundamentally created under different institutional frameworks.
Both aim for “social independence.” But the mechanisms for achieving this are not the same.
One of the goals of school education is “social independence.”
The Basic Act on Education states that the purpose of compulsory education is to cultivate the “foundation for living independently in society” while developing each individual’s abilities.
Special needs education is also within this purpose of compulsory education.
On the other hand, regarding support for school non-attendance, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) does not seek school attendance as the only result, but rather aims for the individual to proactively grasp their own path and aim for social independence. It also indicates that support should be provided with full respect for the wishes of the individual and their guardians.
In other words, just because a child has stopped attending school does not mean the goal of education changes only to “spending time with peace of mind for the time being.”
Being able to spend time with peace of mind is very important. Building on that, we must foster the foundation for that child to live independently in society.
The goal of aiming for social independence remains the same, even for those who are not attending school.
However, when looking at the mechanisms for achieving this, there are differences between special needs education and support for school non-attendance.
1. The mechanism of ‘how to plan’ is different
For children enrolled in special needs classes or those receiving instruction through resource rooms, it is mandatory to create and utilize an ‘Individualized Educational Support Plan’ and an ‘Individualized Teaching Plan’.
This involves grasping the individual’s actual situation, setting goals, considering what kind of instruction and support to provide, evaluating the results, and connecting them to the next stage of support. It is a mechanism for planning such a flow individually.
On the other hand, support for school non-attendance also has a ‘Student Understanding and Support Sheet’.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) indicates that this sheet should be created in consultation with the student and their guardians, shared among relevant parties, and reviewed according to the progress of support.
However, the status of the two is not the same.
Under the current system, this sheet is a reference format and is considered ‘desirable to create.’ Unlike the individualized plans in special needs education, it is not mandatory to create one for every target student.
This is not merely a difference in paperwork.
Currently, a MEXT working group has also identified as an issue that for both in-school and out-of-school education support centers, there are cases where organized and planned instruction is not sufficiently ensured because there is no individualized teaching plan tailored to each child, and the nature of these individualized teaching plans is being reviewed.
In other words, there is a difference between the two systems regarding ‘how to plan’.
2. The mechanism of ‘what to nurture’ also has differences
Another point is independent activities.
Special needs education has an educational framework called ‘independent activities,’ where goals are set based on the individual’s actual situation regarding learning and daily life difficulties caused by disabilities, and necessary skills are nurtured.
Even in instruction through resource rooms, providing instruction equivalent to independent activities is positioned within the system.
In other words, toward the major goal of social independence, there is a mechanism to individually consider
‘what this child needs to have nurtured right now’
and position it as education.
On the other hand, the goal of support for school non-attendance is also social independence.
However, in support for school non-attendance,
there is no uniform educational framework, such as ‘self-reliance activities,’ that defines what goals to set for the child’s social independence or what specific skills to nurture.
Even when aiming for the same ‘social independence’,
the mechanisms for structuring ‘what to nurture’ as concrete education are not the same.
There is a difference here as well.
3. There is also a difference in ‘who provides that education’
And, thirdly.
Even if a plan is made and ‘what to nurture’ is organized, someone is needed to carry it out as actual education.
For example, regarding instruction through special needs education resource rooms, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology states that in addition to a teaching license, teachers in charge must have knowledge of special needs education and expertise and experience in providing guidance for learning and daily life difficulties caused by disabilities.
So, what about the settings that children connect to after they stop attending school?
In-school education support centers.
Education support centers.
Schools with diverse learning environments.
Each is an important mechanism for supporting the learning of children who have stopped attending school.
However, the systems and operational forms differ, and there is no system that guarantees nationwide that a person with a certain level of expertise in developmental disabilities and special needs education will be responsible for the child’s education.
Regarding in-school and off-school education support centers, even in the current working group, the very structure of how education is provided, including coordination between teachers and support staff or instructors, is a subject of discussion.
Of course, in reality, there are schools and regions where teachers and professionals knowledgeable in special needs education are involved and provide careful support for developmental aspects.
There are also schools with diverse learning environments that have devised their own unique curricula.
Therefore,
‘School non-attendance support lacks expertise’
is not the point.
Rather,
simply connecting to school non-attendance support does not automatically ensure, under the system, that a person with expertise in developmental disabilities will be responsible for the education the child needs.
That is what it means.
What do we connect when support settings change?
So far, we have looked at typical examples from
how to plan,
what to nurture,
and who will provide that education.
these three perspectives.
Looking at it this way, it becomes clear that special needs education and support for school non-attendance operate under fundamentally different frameworks, even though both aim for “social independence.”
Therefore, connecting to support for school non-attendance does not necessarily mean that the educational support for developmental disabilities provided until then will be naturally carried over.
That is precisely why, when a child with a developmental disability stops attending school, it is necessary to consciously connect the support that has been built up until that point with the support provided after they stop attending.
Continuing the education this child needs even after they stop attending school
When a child stops attending school, it is important to first secure a place where they can feel safe.
Reducing their burden.
Creating an environment where they can participate in their current state.
Finding a place where they can learn with peace of mind.
All of these are important.
However, the moment a child stops attending school, the difficulties they face in learning and daily life due to their developmental disability do not simply disappear.
That is why
being able to spend time safely right now,
and continuing the education necessary for this child toward social independence must coexist, rather than choosing one over the other.
If they are currently attending school, look at the support they are receiving to see:
How is this child understood?
What are the goals?
What kind of support has been effective?
What does the child themselves think?
Check to see if such things have been accumulated.
If they have already stopped attending school, work with the child, the school, and support providers to see how what has been built up so far is connecting to their current support.
And if an educational perspective on developmental disabilities is not sufficiently included, while always confirming the child’s own intentions, think together with the child, their family, the school, and necessary related organizations about what to nurture from here on.
It is not about asking the school ‘what will you do for us,’ nor is it about the family trying to manage everything on their own.
It is about placing the child at the center, checking things together, and thinking through any gaps together.
Children with developmental disabilities are more than three times as likely to experience school non-attendance.
When you see that figure and feel concerned, it is not just about whether they will stop attending school or not,
but whether, even if their learning environment changes, both their current sense of security and education aimed at their future social independence are being secured within the support provided to this child.
I want to be conscious of looking at things from that perspective as well.
