Empirical research about development of method for support of developmental disorder

2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 14310099
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 社会学(含社会福祉関係)
• Research Institution: TOYO UNIVERSITY
• Principal Investigator: YOSHIKAWA Kaori Toyo University, Sociology, associate professor, 社会学部, 助教授 (90309013)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): AMANO Maki Toyo University, professor, 社会学部, 教授 (50106035) ; OSAKO Masafumi Toyo University, professor, 社会学部, 教授 (60152104) ; SAKAGUTI Masaharu Toyo University, professor, 社会学部, 教授 (10073636) ; KOSHIDA Akiko Kagoshima International University, Welfare Society, lecturer, 福祉社会学部, 講師 (70352458)
• Project Period (FY): 2002 – 2004
• Keywords: non-verbal communication / severe mentally retarded / support for development

Research Abstract

The purpose of this research is to develop the method of non-verbal communications for 6 severe mentally disabled people. They are users in an institute for mentally disabled people. The guardians and the facilities staff cooperated in this project.
First of all, for catch the whole image of 6 people, we research the images from their family and the support staff and the difference point was verified. In addition, the preparation for the dolphin assisted therapy, the horse riding therapy, and the Snoezelen was done. Concretely, it is executed that the touch experience with the dolphin, the development of program through the swim and underwater activity, and the activity of using play equipment. It groped for the best method and tools for the user and facility, including the inspection of domestic and foreign facilities and the program, and the development of the program was tried.
In the swim and the underwater activity that had been done as the former stage of the dolphin assisted thera py introduction, it is achieved that the support program for the user was designed. However, there was a difficulty in respect of a geographic, climate, and cost conditions in introducing the dolphin assisted therapy, and there was the necessity for develop another method. Support program by Snoezelen had to develop the methods other than the relaxation room. Then, it was assumed that the development support program that used other play equipment was designed, and the environment that the user was able daily to get amusement was created. Especially, the effectiveness of using the play equipment which has a lot of stimulation returned is cleared. The physiologic meaning was considered about the horse riding therapy, and an actual introduction became a problem in the future. Mutual understanding of the support staff and the guardian deepened by introducing these programs, and the method of understanding non-verbal communications expressed by the user and the user support concrete method were clarified.