Hello All,
My family and I are thinking of moving back to Japan. My husband (fluent in Japanese) grew up there and I was a previous exchange student (conversational level Japanese). This time however, we would
be bringing our twin toddlers (we speak both languages to them). One child has been diagnosed with ASD and the other is awaiting an evaluation. We’ve found some information that was helpful, but I wanted to know more of people’s experiences with their kids in Japanese schools and therapy treatment(s). I watched a (https://youtu.be/uCNgbX61SVI) on YouTube recently, and it made me curious to know more about how families with younger children are going through now. A few questions I would love to hear
feedback on are:
·      Was finding services (speech therapy, occupational therapy, etc) difficult? And were those services age restricted?
·      Was your child diagnosed in your home country or Japan? If in your home country, was the diagnosis honored in Japan?
·      Did you enroll your kids in a Japanese or international school?
·      Was the school supportive of your child’s needs?
·      Are children with ASD placed in a special school, or are they given educational plans that teachers work with them on? If they’re in a special school/class, can you tell me more about it?
·      If you’re inaka, what hardships did you face supporting your child?
·      What have your negative/positive experiences been like?
·      Any additional information I didn’t ask, please feel free to share.
In case it matters, a bit more about us:
We are a mixed family, dad is White and mom is Black. We’re first most likely to live in Shichigahama, Miyagi before trying to buy a home in Chiba/Saitama prefectures. We have family that lives in both
areas. Our path depends on the care we can get for our kids. My husband has already explained what going to Japanese school was like as a foreigner, and we’re prepared on that front.
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I appreciate your time and feedback!
3 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
—
**ASD in Japan**
Hello All,
My family and I are thinking of moving back to Japan. My husband (fluent in Japanese) grew up there and I was a previous exchange student (conversational level Japanese). This time however, we would
be bringing our twin toddlers (we speak both languages to them). One child has been diagnosed with ASD and the other is awaiting an evaluation. We’ve found some information that was helpful, but I wanted to know more of people’s experiences with their kids in Japanese schools and therapy treatment(s). I watched a [video](https://youtu.be/uCNgbX61SVI) on YouTube recently, and it made me curious to know more about how families with younger children are going through now. A few questions I would love to hear
feedback on are:
·      Was finding services (speech therapy, occupational therapy, etc) difficult? And were those services age restricted?
·      Was your child diagnosed in your home country or Japan? If in your home country, was the diagnosis honored in Japan?
·      Did you enroll your kids in a Japanese or international school?
·      Was the school supportive of your child’s needs?
·      Are children with ASD placed in a special school, or are they given educational plans that teachers work with them on? If they’re in a special school/class, can you tell me more about it?
·      If you’re inaka, what hardships did you face supporting your child?
·      What have your negative/positive experiences been like?
·      Any additional information I didn’t ask, please feel free to share.
In case it matters, a bit more about us:
We are a mixed family, dad is White and mom is Black. We’re first most likely to live in Shichigahama, Miyagi before trying to buy a home in Chiba/Saitama prefectures. We have family that lives in both
areas. Our path depends on the care we can get for our kids. My husband has already explained what going to Japanese school was like as a foreigner, and we’re prepared on that front.
Â
I appreciate your time and feedback!
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You’ll probably have a bit more luck getting your husband to make some calls and emails to local services to see what supports are available specifically.
My old coworker had to send his kid to an international school ($$) to get proper services. Granted, the kid (half Japanese, half American and could speak both languages to an extent) was around kindergarten age when they moved.