The services and the paperwork
- jidō hattatsu shien児童発達支援
- Child development support. The public service for preschool children whose development needs extra support. See the plain-English guide.
- hōkago-tō day service放課後等デイサービス
- After-school day service. The school-age equivalent of child development support, for elementary through high-school students. Our classroom plans to open one in April 2027 (designation application in preparation).
- hoikusho-tō hōmon shien保育所等訪問支援
- Visiting support at daycare / kindergarten / school. Our specialists go to the child's group setting and support the child and the staff there.
- ryōiku療育
- Literally "treatment + education": supporting a child's development in the way that suits that child. The everyday word for what happens at child development support.
- tsūsho jukyūsha-shō通所受給者証
- The certificate from your ward that lets your child use the services above. See the step-by-step guide.
- shikyū-ryō支給量
- The number of days per month written on the certificate.
- jigyōsho / sentā事業所 / センター
- A classroom (provider) vs. the ward's larger centre, which also does assessment and consultation for the area.
- jihatsukan児童発達支援管理責任者（児発管）
- Child development support manager: the specialist at the classroom who writes each child's individual support plan and coordinates the team. Also your main contact.
- kobetsu shien keikaku個別支援計画
- Individual support plan. Written from an assessment of the child and the parents' wishes, explained to you, agreed, and reviewed regularly.
- sōdan shien senmon'in相談支援専門員
- Consultation support specialist: draws up the service-use plan required for the certificate and accompanies the later reviews.
- shōgaiji shien riyō keikaku障害児支援利用計画
- The service-use plan submitted to the ward as part of the certificate application.
- self-planセルフプラン
- A service-use plan written by the parents themselves instead of a specialist. Quicker when consultation offices are full; no specialist accompanies the reviews.
- monitoringモニタリング
- The regular review of the plans above.
The people
- gengo chōkaku-shi (ST)言語聴覚士
- Speech-language therapist (the national licence). Four are on staff at our classroom.
- kōnin shinri-shi公認心理師
- Certified public psychologist (national licence).
- seishin hoken fukushi-shi精神保健福祉士
- Psychiatric social worker (national licence).
- hoiku-shi保育士
- Licensed childcare worker.
- jidō shidō-in児童指導員
- Child instructor — a staff qualification in children's welfare services.
- hattatsu kensa / chinō kensa発達検査／知能検査
- Developmental test / intelligence test. Our classroom offers the Tanaka-Binet intelligence test.
- ryōiku techō療育手帳
- Disability handbook for intellectual disability. Not required for the certificate.
Daycare and school
- kahai加配
- Extra staff assigned at a daycare or kindergarten for a child who needs more support. See the daycare guide.
- shūgaku sōdan就学相談
- School-entry consultation: the ward's process in the year before elementary school that considers which class is right for your child. See the school-entry guide.
- tsūjō no gakkyū通常の学級
- A regular class.
- tokubetsu shien kyōshitsu / tsūkyū特別支援教室／通級
- A regular class plus a few hours a week of specialised teaching in a separate room. In Tokyo every elementary school has a special-support classroom (特別支援教室) for this.
- tokubetsu shien gakkyū特別支援学級
- A small special-needs class inside a regular elementary or junior-high school; children join regular classes for some subjects.
- tokubetsu shien gakkō特別支援学校
- A special-needs school, with the highest staff ratio and most intensive support.
Offices and other words
- shōgai(sha) fukushi-ka障害（者）福祉課
- The ward's disability welfare division — the counter for the certificate. In Shinjuku: Support Section, City Office 2F, 03-5273-4583.
- hoken sentā保健センター
- Public health centre: runs the infant health checks and developmental consultations. Shinjuku has four.
- grey zoneグレーゾーン
- Everyday term for children who show some characteristics but do not have (or do not meet the criteria for) a diagnosis. They can and do attend child development support.
