3 kids per class in Japan may have developmental problems

Jiji Press

15:14 JST, December 17, 2022

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Three per class of 35 students in elementary and junior high schools in Japan may have developmental problems such as an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, an education ministry survey showed Tuesday.

The proportion of regular class students believed to have developmental disabilities came in at 8.8% of the total in the survey conducted in January-February, up from 6.5% in the previous survey in February-March 2012.

The figure is the share of students judged as having significant difficulties by the ministry based on reports from teachers on sampled students’ learning and behavioral characteristics, not doctors’ diagnoses

The rise in the proportion of students with developmental disorders came as increased awareness among teachers and parents led to more attention for such previously overlooked difficulties, a ministry advisory panel said.

For high schools, the share of students with possible developmental disabilities stood at 2.2%.

The latest survey covered some 90,000 students sampled from public elementary, junior high and senior high schools across the country. Valid responses came from 84.6% of respondents.

The proportion of elementary and junior high school students with difficulties who are judged by their schools as needing special support came to 28.7%, up 10.3 points from the previous survey.

The survey also found that only 10.6% of elementary and junior high school students with possible developmental disabilities are taking special education classes, though the figure was up 6.7 points.