What is "Ryōiku" (Developmental Support)? [Part 2] — The Goals of Developmental Support

In the first part, we discussed the theme of what developmental support is in the first place.
In this second part, I would like to talk about what developmental support aims to achieve for a child's growth.

Independence in basic daily living habits in a more desirable form

What is important before entering school is that basic daily living habits have been acquired.
It may sound repetitive, but this is the same for children who need "developmental support."

It is important that personal tasks—such as dressing and undressing, eating, using the toilet, and hygiene habits like bathing and brushing teeth—are acquired in a more desirable form, even if they still require adult assistance.

For example, dressing and undressing.
A child who has had the experience of being helped to change clothes in a sequence—having their pants taken off, changing their diaper, then putting their pants back on; then taking off their outer shirt, taking off their undershirt, putting on a new undershirt, and putting on a new outer shirt—will not, even when they grow older, take everything off at once and change while completely naked.
This is an important skill for protecting oneself from sexual victimization.

Through the way adults around them interact with them from a young age, children acquire more desirable living habits.

Once these are acquired in a socially undesirable way, it becomes very difficult to change them.
This is also called mislearning. Preventing mislearning is also very important in developmental support.

However, sometimes we see people forcing children to hold chopsticks or teaching them letters and numbers in ways that do not match their development because they do not want them to mislearn.
I sometimes hear requests to teach letters and numbers in advance through developmental support so that the child will not struggle after entering school.

Regarding letters and numbers, some kindergartens and nursery schools teach them, and there are pros and cons to this.

The Nursery School Childcare Guidelines state, "Children will utilize these based on their own sense of need, and develop interest, concern, and awareness," and it does not say that we should actively teach them.

Thinking from that perspective, I personally believe it is sufficient if interest and concern regarding letters and numbers have been cultivated.
Rather than being able to write letters, it is often the case that children can engage in subsequent learning more smoothly if they have played sufficiently using their arms and hands and have developed manual dexterity.

Along with support for the child

The basic philosophy of the Child Development Support Guidelines includes "emphasis on family support."
As I mentioned in the section on early intervention, it is important for the child that parents and the adults around them also work on what is being addressed in the developmental support setting, and that it can be widely applied in everyday life.

Parents are often in a very unstable situation after being pointed out their child's developmental delays and feeling the differences between their child and other children.
In developmental support, not only support for the child but also support for the family is necessary.

I would like to ask all the professionals providing developmental support to value listening to parents' worries, becoming their support, and thinking about solutions together.

The goals of developmental support
—It is not about "making them able to do things"—

For any child, it is hoped that they will be independent in the future, even while borrowing a helping hand from those around them.

What are the important things for becoming independent?

I believe they are "being able to like yourself" and "being able to trust others."

Everyone lives by helping each other, but children with developmental concerns, in particular, need to borrow a helping hand from others.
At the root of being able to accept others with peace of mind and being able to trust them is the experience of having been accepted by others oneself.

During early childhood, it is important to be accepted by the adults around you, including your parents, who say,
"You are wonderful and an important existence, no matter who you are."
This is not limited to children who need developmental support.

I believe this is something necessary for all children.

When I look at young children recently,

they cannot do XX,
they don't do things with everyone,

I feel that they are often compared to those around them and told they are not good enough.

I feel that there is too much demand for "things they can do," such as being able to sit, walk, talk, and play nicely with friends as soon as possible.

Are "things you can do" really that important?

Even I, an adult woman, have many things I cannot do (laughs).
When there are things I cannot do, I manage to live my life by having someone help me or by using tools.

Even if there are things you cannot do,
if you have the support of "I like myself"
and "there are others who accept me for who I am,"
wouldn't you be able to live a happy life?

I have met many children who need developmental support.
I have come to think that while they just need careful support and assistance, what flows at the root is the same for every child.

What is important in early childhood, not just for children who need developmental support...

In this Happy Mother Project, I would like to think about this and spread it.