Treatment and Intervention for Children with Developmental Disabilities

Educational and welfare policies for children with developmental disabilities now emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and treatment, though not cure, through remedial education. Based on participant-observation fieldwork and interviews with staff and parents, this chapter, by Junko Teruyama, describes small-scale programs in Japan for autistic preschool children designed to train them to fit in at school and in larger society. Such children are seen both as rebels or delinquents who require appropriate socialization and as vulnerable members of society who require protection and support. Spatial layout and a visualized daily schedule are important, because they help children understand what is expected of them at each period of the day and train them to move from one activity to another. The staff puts children through social skills training and strategies of self-care; they also support the mothers, who are the children’s caretakers and who often receive criticism or blame from the extended family for their children’s problems.