SUPPORT GROUPS:

* Currently there are support groups for international children with special needs in Japan and their families. In these groups questions can be asked and experiences can be shared. Please try to join these groups to find people to help you. First, here are the groups that pertain most specifically to international children with special needs in Japan:

– “Bilingual Children with Developmental Differences”. This is a Facebook group. It is a support group that has a large number of members living in Japan who can share advice and their experiences of being a parent of a child with learning needs. It is also the most widespread group in terms of having members from all over Japan. It can be accessed by this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/155717381272532/ 

– “Tokyo Parent Child Learning Group”. This is a parent support group based in Tokyo, that works partly in collaboration with Tokyo English Life Line (TELL), and meets in person once a month. The group also has a Facebook group that can only be joined once contact has first been made through e-mail. The e-mail for contact is: tokyoparentchildlearninggroup@gmail.com

– “Special Moms Tokyo” is a support group for English-speaking parents of children with special needs who have completed, or nearly completed their formal education. The group meets every other month and has a private Facebook group. For further information, send an email to: ccamorikawa@yahoo.com

WEBSITES:

* There are some websites that provide a lot of valuable information for an international parent with a child with special needs in Japan. Some of the information on these websites is outdated, however. Also, some of the schools or support services may not have been checked before the information about them was provided. It is highly recommended that you first visit a school, or receive a referral from someone you know about a support service, before choosing any options. This is where support groups can be helpful, for example.

– The first website that has a lot of valuable information, and is also the most up to date. Not only does this website provide important information about schools and resources, but also provides its own support services. This is the link for the website: https://www.tokyoneuropsychologist.org/

– This next website is a blog and contains a lot of important information for international parents with special needs, including interesting websites, schools, and resources. Some of the information provided, however, is out of date, but is still very valuable. Most of the information is still very relevant and valid. This is the link: https://educationinjapan.wordpress.com/resource-room/special-needs/

– This last website is also a blog that was created to provide a lot of valuable and important information for international parents in Japan. It has a page specifically related to children with special needs, and has a lot of important information about schools, resources, and even support groups. Once again, some of the information on the website is out of date. However most is still very valid and important. This is the link: http://www.tokyowithkids.com/fyi/specialneeds.html