How to Proceed with School Enrollment Consultations | Timing for Medical Visits and the Reality of Doctor's Documents

If I write serious articles two days in a row, will people worry and ask what happened to Shumai? I'm known for being unserious, so what's with this serious talk?
Some might say I should just write about how much I've lost at pachinko and horse racing, but I'll be serious again today.

Click here for the first part

■ Target Audience and Timing for School Enrollment Consultations

Even though I said this was about school enrollment consultations, yesterday I ended up just talking about the types of schools. Today, I'll talk about how to actually choose where to go.
The timing varies by municipality, but
enrollment consultations for the next school year generally begin around March or April.The main target audience is
children who will be entering the first grade of elementary school next April.
In other words,

children who turn six between April and March. In terms of school grade, they are in their final year of kindergarten.Enrollment consultations are primarily conducted for this age group.

Checking the website of your local municipal office or health center is the most reliable way to get information.
They will announce the procedure for how to receive a consultation there.
Whether it's a group briefing or an individual appointment, this also varies.
From there, you gather the necessary documents, submit them, and a decision is made.

However, that doesn't mean you can't receive a consultation if you aren't that age.
It's probably not possible for younger children, but it is possible to receive a consultation even if your child is currently attending school and you want to reconsider their placement for next year.

Also, there is a lot of misunderstanding about this, so I will say it now.
Just because you went to a school enrollment consultation doesn't mean you will definitely be placed in something other than a regular class.
It is, after all, a "consultation."
It is a means to understand the current situation and grasp the best options from among them.

■ The Biggest Hurdle: Doctor's Documents

The most troublesome part is that the required documents often include "documents written by a doctor" (some regions don't require them, but even if documents aren't needed, a doctor's input is often involved in some form).
Getting these documents is likely the biggest challenge.

This is because when you visit a doctor for developmental issues, there is often a wait of several months, or even half a year to a year. So, even if you decide you need the documents, you might not be able to get an appointment during the period you need to prepare them.
Even if you manage to get an appointment, as an opinion from the doctor's side, it can be difficult to answer when asked suddenly at a first-time outpatient visit what should be done about school.
After all, I can't know their usual behavior from a first meeting, and as I've written repeatedly in my articles, you grasp a child's characteristics over time.

However, since nothing can be done without preparing the documents, there are times when I have to write them at the first visit.
When that happens, I'm writing without knowing if the support is accurate or suitable for the child. Honestly, I don't know if I'm guiding the child correctly.
The deadline is often around autumn, so summer to autumn is depressing... If I had been seeing the child for at least a year, I could grasp their situation well and write proper content.
I write them while thinking that such formal documents are meaningless.
If they continue to visit after that, I gradually grasp their characteristics and we discuss what to do from the second grade onwards, and sometimes we consider a diagnosis.

■ The Best Timing for a Medical Visit

Therefore, while you can receive a school enrollment consultation at the age of six, I think the real best time to start considering a medical visit is to book an appointment at the hospital by at least the autumn of the year they turn five.
Of course, if you hadn't been concerned about anything until then, it can't be helped, but I want to be allowed to say my piece as the one on this side.
Of course, this is also just my personal opinion. Some doctors might say one visit is enough. Please understand that this is just my recommendation.

■ The Role of Diagnosis Names and Intelligence Tests

A diagnosis name is not necessarily required to visit a doctor and have those documents written.
Also, a disability certificate (for intellectual disabilities) is not required, so you don't need to rush that either.
I think many people probably already have a physical disability certificate by that time, so that can be a reference. If you are someone who is very close to needing one and is about to apply, please consult with your attending physician.
I think intelligence tests are required in many municipalities. They are done by the municipality, child consultation centers, or at hospitals if they have the system to perform them.
If you take the results of the intelligence test, add the current difficulties and the child's characteristics, and choose a place that suits the child—whether it's a special needs school, a special needs class, or a resource room—that is fine.
If having a diagnosis name works to your advantage at that time, I might include it in the documents. (In my case, anyway!!!)

■ The Decision-Making Process and Final Determination

Based on those documents, the municipality, mainly centered around school teachers, will consider a place that suits the child. Sometimes there are mock classes where they observe the child, or if the child is in a group setting, they might come to observe them there.
After consideration, a tentative decision is made on where to go, and ultimately it is discussed with the guardians.

The enforcement power there is weak, and ultimately the wishes of the guardians are given top priority.
Demands that are realistically difficult, such as wanting a special needs classroom built at that school, might not be granted, but you can choose to go to a regular class even if the assessment suggests a special needs class is desirable.
However, as I wrote in the previous article, it's not like once it's decided, you're stuck there forever. If it's different from what you thought, I want you to discuss thoroughly why that assessment was made and what will actually be done.

If you are hesitant, please try visiting the school once.
There are many things you can't understand just by listening, and by seeing the actual atmosphere and how the teachers interact, you might feel, "This seems okay."

■ The Gap Between Parental Feelings and Reality

"The intelligence test results were low, but I want them to try hard and keep up in a regular class."
"They can't sit still and will surely walk around during class, but they don't need any special support, so a regular class is fine."

I understand those feelings. It is not wrong to want your child to be like the children around them.

However, if you cannot provide support that matches the child's abilities and characteristics, it is the child themselves who will suffer.
They won't be able to keep up with the class at all, and it will be boring even if they listen.
Because they walk around and interrupt the class, they might be shunned by other children.
As a result, they might end up hating school itself and stop attending, get bullied, or become unable to do things they were actually capable of (this is called secondary disability).

Receiving support to attend school is by no means a bad thing. I want you to think positively about receiving support so that the child themselves can be happy and freely demonstrate their own strengths.

And this is seriously common.
They visited various places, received school enrollment consultations, and were recommended to receive support. The mother went to visit and thinks it's a good idea.
They have discussed the content of the visits and the school enrollment consultations with each other as a couple every step of the way. And then, when it comes time to decide on the school, the father says, "It has to be a regular class. They just need to try hard there."
It renders everything meaningless.
There is also the grandparent pattern, not just the father.
Usually, this is the pattern where they didn't accompany the child to the medical visit, and left all the research and school enrollment consultations to the mother.
If you are visiting a doctor, please have them accompany you to the hospital. Sometimes they are susceptible to a doctor's words.
Even if that doesn't change their mind, another tactic is to have them go to a class observation after school starts. If they see their own child looking like they are struggling in class, their thinking might change.
Unfortunately, that reality exists.
Honestly, the person most affected by a change of opinion here is the child themselves.
The reality that adults' thoughts and values directly determine a child's environment is, after all, heavy.

The names "regular class" and "normal class" aren't good, are they? It makes you think, "Is the other one not normal?"
People say it's a troublesome world full of compliance, but since there are quite a lot of people suffering here, I think it's fine to change it if you can. I can't think of what would be better, though.

■ Timing to Consider School Enrollment Consultations

So, about what kind of children should receive school enrollment consultations.
This is, first of all, when you as a parent at home think, "Is this okay?" If you are concerned about anything—they are restless, their conversation is one-sided, they seem younger than their age, etc.—it's one option to go for a school enrollment consultation rather than a medical visit.

Also, the most reliable way is to ask the teacher if they are attending kindergarten or nursery school.
The person who knows best how the child is doing in a group setting is the teacher there, more than the parents.
Considering the timing I mentioned earlier, it's best if you can ask the teacher in the second half of the middle year of kindergarten, as you might still make it in time for a medical visit.

When you aren't concerned about anything at home, but the teacher says something like that. This is difficult, but there is the fact that it happens in a group setting, so please don't reject it unilaterally, but try to consider it a little.
Of course, kindergarten and nursery school teachers can make mistakes, and there are various teachers who might be a bit off. There are also doctors who are off.
It's not the absolute word of God, but if you can read the character of such schools and teachers and act accordingly, that is perfect.

■ Summary

It has become quite long, but as a summary of the two articles, I hope you have understood:
・Types of support in school life
・The actual timing for school consultations
・The timing for medical examinations
・Who you should consult with
I apologize for the long digressions and small talk. I would also be happy if you could understand that there is a gap between ideals and reality.

■ In Conclusion

If there are any school personnel, medical professionals, or experienced individuals who found the reality to be completely different, please let me know so I can correct any inappropriate expressions or errors immediately.
Also, I am of course open to questions. I may not be able to answer individual cases (such as 'what should I do for my child?'), but I would be happy if you could let me know if there are any points in the articles themselves that are difficult to understand.

How was it?
If it is even slightly useful to someone, then it was worth writing.

Actually, many doctors outside of pediatrics do not know much about these matters.
I think there are also pediatricians who practice without being involved this deeply.

If this article has helped anyone who read it to understand, I would be happy.