Focusing on the Current State of Special Needs Education in Japan and the Utilization of Handmade Teaching Materials

Abstract

In recent years, special needs education in Japan has undergone major changes due to the ratifications of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2014 and enhanced enforcement from 2016 of the Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities in Japan. In this chapter, the authors first considers the current state and issues concerning special needs education in Japan based on recent historical developments. Next, they introduce two clinical support cases in which the authors discuss the use in special needs education schools of various handmade teaching materials and information and communication technologies (ICT). The new approaches identified are likely to help students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who do not have oral language and support students with severe and co-morbid disabilities who require full-time medical care.