University students with developmental disabilities increase in Japan

From The Mainichi

November 28 2025

SAGA – The number of university students with developmental disabilities in Japan is on the rise, with their conditions often identified at a late stage through challenges in their social lives.

According to a survey by the Japan Student Services Organization, 14,666 students with developmental disabilities were enrolled in universities, junior colleges and technical colleges in the 2024 academic year, approximately five times the number from 10 years ago.

Developmental disabilities refer to conditions caused by congenital brain function disorders that hinder social life. While the Japanese government promotes early detection and support for children through infant health checkups, among other opportunities, the disorders often only become apparent later in life during changes such as entering university or joining the workforce, leading to late diagnoses.

Kenta (a pseudonym), a 24-year-old first-year graduate student at Saga University, is one such person. He entered the university in 2020 after graduating from a prestigious high school in the Kyushu region. However, in his first semester in college, he earned credits in only two of more than 10 courses he took.

Despite not intending to skip classes, Kenta left many assignments unsubmitted. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he stayed at his family home and attended all classes online. The university’s portal website was flooded with reminders for report submissions and video viewings, but he overlooked many of them. “It felt like stumbling over a hurdle,” he recalled.

When in-person classes resumed in his second year, he often failed to attend them. Although he knew that skipping classes would prevent him from earning credits and cause problems later, he could not motivate himself. As he pondered why he could not get moving, time would pass, and he would give up, thinking, “It’s too late now.”

Approaching his third year, it became clear he would have to repeat a year. His concerned mother consulted with his academic adviser, who referred him to the university’s “campus life support room.”

Located at the center of Honjo Campus in the city of Saga, where about 5,000 students study, the campus life support room has four coordinators with qualifications in psychology who counsel students with concerns. They also facilitate “reasonable accommodations” by removing barriers to learning for students with disabilities or illnesses upon applications.

After explaining his challenges for about an hour, Kenta was advised by associate professor Shunji Nakajima, 46, a clinical psychologist and head of the campus life support room, “There’s a test that can identify your strengths and weaknesses. Would you like to take it?”

The test was the adult version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale, an IQ test used to assess cognitive abilities. In medical institutions, it is employed as a tool to aid in diagnosing developmental disabilities. The university offers it for free.

“I’ll take it,” Kenta decided. If there was a chance of overcoming his hurdles, he was willing to try anything. He spent about two hours answering questions. Later, he received the results in a face-to-face meeting.

As the most widely used intelligence test globally, the Wechsler test measures four indices — language comprehension, processing speed and two others — combined into an overall IQ score.

Kenta’s IQ was above average. However, there were significant disparities between his strengths and weaknesses across the four indices. He was told that regardless of a person’s IQ level, such disparities often lead to challenges.

“You are good at thinking through connections in words and expressing them in writing,” Nakajima told him. But he added, “You struggle to notice everyday visual information. Under time constraints, you tend to overlook things.”

Nakajima suggested, “You have characteristics seen in developmental disabilities. While this test can’t offer a diagnosis, consulting a doctor might be an option.” Kenta was surprised by the term “developmental disability,” which he had never considered.

Following discussion with his mother, he visited a medical facility six months later and was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with noticeable inattention and traits of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The university’s support, utilizing the intelligence test results, began even before the diagnosis. Kenta can now identify the hurdles and strategize on how to overcome or avoid them.