Essays

The Ideal Education of Mentally Retarded Children in Japan

The capacity, ability and will to learn are diverse among children. Some children are honor students considered to have relatively high intelligence, some are normal students who don’t care as much about academics and some are mentally retarded students who take more time and effort than others in their study. Mentally retarded students may attend special schools or classes for supplementation. However, finding the way to best educate MR students is quite difficult, as mental retardation can be associated with other symptoms such as autism, epilepsy, attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Also, the current competitive education system of Japan tends to make normal children somewhat discriminative towards the MR children, disregarding them as ‘slow’ or ‘uncooperative.’ Therefore, a partially non-competitive education system that can meet children’s individual needs ought to be introduced in Japan, and at the same time, medical treatment and therapy should also be provided for the rehabilitation of the MR children.

Mental retardation is quite difficult to define, for the degree of mental retardation varies among each child. According to information from the Our Special World website, “[an] individual is considered to have mental retardation [when his] intellectual functioning level (IQ) is below 70-75, [when significant] limitations exist in two or more [of his] adaptive skill areas [and when such] condition is present from [his] childhood” (“Introduction”). However, although these are the three basic criteria, the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities states that “[there] are different degrees of mental retardation, ranging from mild to profound” (“Mental Retardation”). Also, J’Anne Ellsworth remarks from her experience with her two mentally retarded daughters, Emily and Melissa, that “[being retarded] is as different as the children themselves” (“Developmental Delays”).

Children with mental retardation may require special education aside from compulsory education to supplement their knowledge and skills. The Daycare website suggests that education plans should be based on the results of comprehensive education of the MR children’s strength and abilities (“Children Who Are Mentally Retarded”). Also, in its book, Educational Guidance Based on Individuality, the School Education Research Center elucidates that strict evaluation of handicapped children is sometimes necessary, as well as occasional appraisal of the procedure of their efforts (41).

However, no matter how high the quality of special school education is, the problems in the social environments of Japanese schools tTuscoy make the ideal education of MR children difficult to materialize. Kenichi Yumino points out that if people do not understand their conditions properly, the impulsive actions of some MR children lacking precaution may be seen as “selfish” or “disobedient” (189). The UN has publicly criticized the Japanese high-level, competitive education system, reasoning that the stress that children experience under this system every day is the main cause of many school-related problems (Kawase 86, 87). In my experience, when I was in elementary school, there were two students in my class who were mentally retarded. I was good friends with one of them, who was a girl. Our way to school was mostly the same, so we sometimes went home together. However, my self-willed other friend didn’t like my going home with that girl because she held some discriminatory prejudice against this girl. The other student with mental retardation was a boy, and he had some emotional disturbance as well. He caused many problems to his teacher with violent behavior, but I think his very own classmates were the ones who provoked him to take such actions by making fun of him and saying spiteful things about him. From these experiences, I felt that something was terribly wrong with the Japanese education system, and I could never forget about these two students even after entering middle school and high school.

As implied in the examples above, mental retardation is sometimes not a certain type of learning disability; it may also be associated with other symptoms. These symptoms include autism, epilepsy and attention deficit/hyperactive disorder (School Education 74). Especially when learning disabilities (LD) and ADHD overlap in a children, it is extremely difficult to make good educational correspondence (School Education 75).

After considering all of these problems, it can be said that both educational and medical approaches are necessary for the education of MR children. The Individualized Education Program (IEP) should be provided for handicapped children from ages six to seventeen (School Education 94). This education program identifies each child’s individual needs, makes some interference necessary to fulfill those needs, and sets appropriate goals for the children and takes measurements of the children’s progress (95-97). Also, medical drugs can be used when necessary, some of which may alleviate the symptoms of ADHD or other conditions. (School Education 77).

In conclusion, mental retardation can be associated with symptoms such as autism, epilepsy or ADHD, which may require medical treatment, and since the degree of mental retardation varies among the MR students, a special curriculum that meets their individual needs must be set. The curriculum should be based on a comprehensive evaluation of their abilities and personalities, and the MR students should receive precise feedbacks that are not so soft just because they are handicapped. At the same time, good medical treatment could make the conditions of MR children better and reduce the gap between them and normal children. When thinking of the education for mentally retarded children, one must not forget the basic principles of education, which is to provide children knowledge so they can solve problems and gain happiness on their own initiatives.

Works Cited

“Children Who Are Mentally Retarded.” 2005. Daycare.com. 6 Jun. 2005

Ellsworth, J’Anne. “Developmental Delays. 1999. Northern Arizona University. 6 Jun. 2005.

“Educating the MR Child: Special Schools.” Our Special World. 6 Jun. 2005.

Gakko Kyou-iku Kenkyu-jyo. Educational Guidance Based on Individuality. Tokyo: Gakko Tosho, 2003.

Kawase, Tetsuya. Kodomono Jinnken to Kyouiku no Yukue. Kyoto: Takanoshobou, 2001.

“Mental Retardation: Introduction.” Our Special World. 6 Jun. 2005.

The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD). “Mental Retardation.” 5 Aug. 2005. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 6 Jun. 2005.

Yoshida, Akiko, Tomoko Sugano, et al. “A Study on Complications of Mental Retardation.” 1999. Matsuishi Laboratory. 18 Nov. 2005.

Yumino, Kenichi, ed. The Psychology of Development and Learning. Kyoto: Nakanishiya, 2002.

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