Number of children and students with developmental disabilities in Nagano Prefecture reaches record high of over 10,700

From NHK

January 5 2025

NAGANO – Among the children and students attending public elementary and junior high schools in Nagano prefecture, there are over 10,700 children with developmental disabilities, the highest number since statistics began being collected in 2003.

The Prefectural Board of Education intends to improve support to meet the needs of each individual.

In September of last year, the Prefectural Board of Education conducted a survey of public elementary and junior high schools regarding children and students with developmental disabilities.

According to the survey, the total number of children with developmental disabilities was 10,786, including 6,789 elementary school students and 3,997 junior high school students, the highest number since statistics began being collected in 2003.

The breakdown is as follows:

4,968 children with autism spectrum disorder, which makes it difficult to communicate with others;

1,503 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which makes it difficult to concentrate on things and stay still;

501 children with learning disabilities, which makes it difficult to learn certain subjects such as reading, writing, and arithmetic;

3,814 children with multiple disabilities, etc. The results of this survey showed that 7.5% of all children and students have developmental disabilities, which means that roughly 1 in 13 people are affected, and the number is increasing year by year.

The prefectural board of education plans to improve support to meet the needs of each individual, such as by increasing the number of “special education classrooms” where students study in regular classes while receiving instruction in a separate room for some lessons, and by providing learning support using digital devices such as tablets.