ODA Mami

This paper reports on the practice of the “Children and Families Happiness Project,” a community collaboration initiative launched in fiscal year 2023 by Institute of Child and Family Social Work Education affiliated with the Faculty of Social Welfare at Yamaguchi Prefectural University. Addressing complex community challenges such as isolated parenting households, school refusal, support for children with developmental disorders, and support for children requiring medical care, the university leveraged its educational and research functions to collaborate with related organizations. This collaboration resulted in the development of six support programs aimed at enhancing the well-being of children and families. Students actively participated in each practice, forming a mutually reinforcing cycle of support and learning. This research presents a new model for supporting children and families, where the university-affiliated research institute functions as a hub connecting local support resources, complementing existing systems.

In recent years, early support for preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been the focus of social attention. In this study, we report the results of an early support program, APPLE, for one preschooler with ASD. As a result of the implementation of this program, it was confirmed that the joint attention behavior and verbal behavior of the child who participated in the program became richer. In the future, it is necessary to verify the effectiveness of the APPLE program by increasing the number of children participated in this program.