Transition Support to Students with Developmental Disorders at Special Support Schools for the Intellectually Disabled : Case Investigation Based on the Interview Study Method

Under the Ordinance for Enforcement of the School Education Act, special support schools for the intellectually disabled require that enrollees are children and students with intellectual disabilities. According to a nationwide survey conducted by Kumachi (2010), students with IQ of 70 or higher and with developmental disorders are found in roughly half of the special support schools in Japan. Notwithstanding the fact that these schools provide extensive support to these students, support needed in the transitional phase leading to employment remains insufficient. For this reason, this study investigated into the type of support needed in the transition phase from school to society at large, chiefly through the story told by a young man (referred to as A) with Asperger\u27s syndrome, who graduated from the high school department of a special support school and eventually found employment. The study also looks into what learning support is necessary during the three years in high school for a student with development disorder who also developed secondary disorder due to inadequate support on the compulsory education level, what work support is necessary in the workplace and how such a student is different from those with intellectual disabilities