Table of Contents
Mission
Social Background: Increasing Developmental Disabilities and Challenges in Support Systems
Social Background: Voices of Parents (National Survey)
Basic Information: Overview of Activities
Basic Information: Three Main Initiatives
Donor Program: The Journey of Gathering “Nakama (Supporters)”
Donor Program: Voices of Supporters (Donors, Trainees)
Our Vision: Toward a Society Where the Concept of “Developmental Disabilities” Is No Longer Needed
Programs and Certification: Evidence as a “Means” Toward Inclusion
Core Competence: ADDS as a “Bridge” Connecting Research and Practice
Expanding ADDS Knowledge: Needs Beyond Developmental Support Fields
FY2024 Outcomes: ADDS in Numbers
Information for Supporters: Use of Donations
Mission
Mission
We aim to create a society where everyone who needs developmental support can learn in ways that suit them and live with hope.
If society ensures learning opportunities suited to each person’s developmental characteristics—regardless of disability or the environment they were born into—the concept of “developmental disabilities” will no longer be necessary, and everyone will be able to live more fulfilling lives.
Through evidence-based practices, we collaborate with people in all positions and work together to realize a hopeful society.
Increasing Developmental Disabilities and Challenges in Support Systems
According to a 2022 survey by Japan’s Ministry of Education (Note 1), 8.8% of children in regular classes of public elementary and junior high schools are reported to have developmental disabilities or similar tendencies.
In addition, the U.S. CDC’s latest report released in April 2025 (Note 2) found that in 2022, 1 in 31 eight-year-olds was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), more than double the prevalence reported in 2012 (Note 3).
Reasons for this increase include improved diagnostic criteria and strengthened early detection.
While the number of children needing support is extremely high and support institutions have increased to about 30,000 nationwide in FY2024, ensuring the quality of support remains difficult. Significant variations and declines in support quality have become major issues.
(Notes omitted for brevity but kept from original)
Voices of Parents
What do parents want from support?
In our national survey, we collected valuable opinions from 901 parents (760 valid responses) whose children use one of the approx. 30,000 child developmental support facilities nationwide.
Results showed that many parents strongly hope for both:
- An inclusive environment where children with and without disabilities can spend time together
- Support that increases what their child is able to do, even one step at a time
To make this a reality, society must offer both:
- Inclusive environments in community preschools and schools with appropriate accommodations
- Enriched individualized opportunities for growth and learning based on each child’s characteristics
Overview of Activities
Three Main Initiatives
① When families learn, children change.
■ "Peersuku": A Parent–Child Developmental Support Program
While the therapist provides individual support to the child, the parent learns Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in another room, enabling them to practice developmental support at home.
More info → https://adds.or.jp/service/
■ Online Developmental Consultation “kikotto”
A one-on-one consultation service via LINE chat or Zoom for caregivers concerned about their child’s development. Trained staff with extensive backgrounds in developmental psychology and ABA provide tailored advice and ongoing support.
More info → https://adds.or.jp/sodan/
② Everyone surrounding the child becomes a better supporter.
■ Basic ABA Therapist Training
Participants learn developmental support through approx. 40 units of lectures and hands-on practice. Those who pass the certification test and complete follow-up sessions receive ADDS’s “Basic ABA Therapist” certification.
More info → https://adds.or.jp/therapists/
■ Training for Professionals in Other Fields
We deliver customized trainings for preschools, after-school programs, sports clubs, and other settings, helping more places provide support suited to each child.
More info → https://adds.or.jp/post-6383/
■ Student Therapist Program
Two tracks—Volunteer Course (student-led activities) and Internship Course (learning at actual support sites)—with professional supervision.
More info → https://adds.or.jp/post-4104/
③ Creating a society where evidence-based support is standard.
■ Policy Advocacy & Government Collaboration
We provide recommendations based on research and practice to expand access to high-quality, evidence-based support. We also collaborate with local governments such as Edogawa Ward and Kamakura City.
■ Symposiums and Public Awareness
We share research and new initiatives through academic conferences, symposiums, events, and social media.
■ Research & Survey Projects
We evaluate program effectiveness, conduct parent surveys, develop quality-assessment systems, and build networks promoting evidence-based developmental support nationwide.
Donor Program: The Journey of Gathering “Nakama (Supporters)”
■ It All Began with Just Five Monthly Donors
Although more than 20 years have passed since our activities began—including our student days—the history of ADDS’ donor community (“Nakama”) is surprisingly recent.
At the end of FY2021, we had just five recurring donors. By the end of FY2023, the number grew to 13.
The presence of these early supporters motivated each staff member and served as emotional support during the years following the launch of our donor program.
■ Our First Monthly Donor Recruitment Campaign
A major turning point came in 2024, when ADDS celebrated its 15th anniversary.
Thanks to years of effort supported by many people, our policy-driven projects bridging research and practice had begun to stabilize, giving us the capacity to aim for broader societal impact.
Through this progress, we became more aware of families who fall through gaps in existing systems and end up facing serious hardships—often due to complex, overlapping factors beyond developmental support alone. We also realized that our knowledge could be valuable not only in developmental support settings but also in preschools, after-school programs, and sports clubs—anywhere children spend time.
This recognition strengthened our sense of responsibility to influence society itself.
With this renewed clarity about the future described in “Beyond Developmental Support”,
we felt strongly that ADDS must accelerate the initiatives only ADDS can deliver—not limited by existing systems.
Thus, between August and December 2024, we conducted our first serious Monthly Supporter Recruitment Campaign for flexible, unrestricted donations.
■ More “Nakama” Than We Ever Expected
The five-month campaign was full of first-time challenges—our first Instagram Live, our first Sharing Day, our first countdown.
Despite the trial-and-error chaos, we completed the campaign in true ADDS style by taking every action we could.
As a result, we gained 125 new monthly donors, far surpassing our initial goal of 100, which we had thought would be difficult to achieve.
→ Link to the actual campaign page (omitted)
NPOs have the important role of creating new support models for people who fall between institutional gaps, conducting social experiments, and refining effective solutions so that they can be expanded.
However, when developing something new, funding is essential—and often difficult to obtain from institutional budgets or direct beneficiaries.
Donations make it possible for us to start small initiatives addressing urgent needs, then refine successful approaches and scale them to reach more people.
Long-term, sustainable work—looking ahead 10 or 20 years—also depends on continuous donor support.
Your ongoing donations provide critical stability for activities that carefully listen to the needs of those affected and allow us to keep exploring and iterating creatively.
Whenever we face challenges, we remember the faces and names of our “Nakama,” which gives us emotional strength and encouragement.
We are now building a structure that enables us to work with our supporters to influence society as a whole.
■ Why “28 New Supporters”?
We currently have 122 monthly donors, and our goal is to reach 150.
Therefore, we are seeking 28 new Nakama to join us.
Beginning in 2026, we hope to continue accelerating our initiatives together with these 150 supporters.
We would be deeply grateful for your warm support.
Voices of Our Supporters (Donors & Trainees)
Below are messages from donors and from those who participate in our ongoing training and consultation programs to build inclusive environments outside developmental support settings—such as in after-school programs.
“I became aware of ADDS through my previous work related to developmental disabilities.
ADDS provided tremendous cooperation and support to our project.
In visiting support settings and talking with government workers, I realized how varied the quality and content of developmental support can be.
That is why I continue supporting ADDS—because the ‘scientific, evidence-based support’ they advocate is still lacking in many welfare settings.
I hope their work reaches many more children and families who need evidence-based support. I will continue cheering for you.”
“When my son Ha-kun was diagnosed with developmental delays at age two, I was overwhelmed with anxiety.
ADDS’ evidence-based early intervention became a compass for our family, allowing us to celebrate each step of his growth together.
Our positive daily life now is thanks to ADDS walking alongside us during early intervention and helping him take off toward school readiness.
My monthly donation is a small expression of gratitude.
I wholeheartedly support ADDS’ efforts to spread evidence-based support throughout society.”
“Developmental disabilities are hard for others to see, and children may experience pain or difficulties that go unnoticed.
Families, teachers, and peers may also struggle to understand.
Your activities offer incredible hope.
I wish for a world where understanding deepens, and everyone can live without unnecessary restraint or hardship.
I’m cheering for you.”
“As a parent, no matter what questions I ask about child development, the staff respond not with personal opinion but with academic, logical, and clear explanations.
Each instructor studies developmental support deeply every day.”
“Having a strong foundation from early childhood makes a real difference.
My child dreams of driving a car someday and is studying hard toward that goal.
The small-step approach remains essential for us.”
“We have received support for a long time.
Of all the child development support centers we attended, ADDS was the most sincere and understanding.
My child will graduate next year, but I hope the program continues for a long time—and someday, I hope you open an after-school day service!”
“Thanks to specialized knowledge rather than ad-hoc responses, our toolkit of strategies has expanded.
It’s easier to plan next steps, and having someone to consult when we’re stuck is reassuring.”
“The responses include professional and concrete strategies based on solid assessment. (Reason for answering ‘Very satisfied’)”
“The specific examples offered for working with children were very helpful in shaping our childcare approach.”
“Thanks to concrete guidance on how to approach each case, we are seeing positive changes in how we engage with children at each site.”
No One Is Unaffected: A Society Where the Concept of “Developmental Disabilities” Is Unnecessary Benefits Everyone
(From left: Airi Kato – Director; Hitomi Kuma – Co-Representative; Yumino Takeuchi – Co-Representative; Yuko Hara – Director)
■ We Are Serious About Creating a Society Where the Concept of “Developmental Disabilities” Is No Longer Needed
The future ADDS envisions is one where
“developmental disabilities” is no longer a label for individual struggle,
and where everyone can naturally choose environments that fit them—without needing to draw a line between “those who need support” and those who don’t.
Today’s society is still far from this vision.
As long as people “require special support,” it means society has not yet become inclusive.
■ Kindness Alone Cannot Deliver Support
We have seen many support sites over the years.
Every supporter and every family is trying to help the child with kindness and effort.
However:
- Kindness alone has limits in terms of outcomes
- Ambiguous support increases the burden for children and caregivers
- Human and financial resources are limited
- Therefore, efficient, replicable methods are essential
This is the reality.
Evidence as a “Means” Toward Inclusion
Evidence-based support alone does not automatically create an inclusive society.
At ADDS, we consider evidence to be:
A means to realizing inclusion.
With limited manpower, budget, and time, society needs methods that reliably lead to positive outcomes.
We focus on translating evidence into forms that everyday settings can use, and we work persistently to help these practices take root.
Through initiatives such as:
- “Peersuku” Parent–Child Early Intervention Program
- AI-PAC© Evidence-Based Early Intervention Curriculum (600 tasks across 5 developmental domains)
- Basic ABA Therapist Certification
We continue developing practical translations of scientific knowledge for real-world use.
There remains much to develop, and our work is ongoing.
Research–Practice “Implementation” Is a Highly Specialized Skill
New knowledge emerges in research settings, but bridging the gap between research and practical implementation is difficult.
This work of implementation is ADDS’ core expertise.
It includes:
- Adapting support models to local contexts
- Training people so they can apply methods when needed
- Adjusting methods to align with local systems and administration
- Supporting local stakeholders so the region can eventually operate independently
This is not simply “providing training”—it is specialized work that helps support systems take root within complex social structures.
■ Why Connecting and Developing People Matters
Each region in Japan has its own culture, history, and resources.
A uniform nationwide approach will not work.
Therefore we work together to examine:
- What each community has or lacks
- What systems and people need to be developed
- Who should take which roles
We help create systems and connect key people so each region can become self-sustaining.
■ Disaster & Refugee Support: Learning from Extraordinary Situations
The refugee support activities in FY2024 were emergency responses.
Support in disaster-affected areas also requires adapting limited resources and applying knowledge in non-ideal conditions.
These situations provide important learning opportunities for developmental support across Japan and help create a foundation for a society that leaves no one behind in times of crisis.
Inclusive Society Requires Know-How on the “Receiving Side”
After-school programs, youth centers, preschools, and third places are not specialized support facilities.
Yet staff in these environments often say:
- “We want to embrace diversity, but we don’t know how to support certain children.”
- “Even with good intentions, things sometimes go wrong and everyone suffers.”
Awareness alone cannot solve this.
Even when people understand developmental differences, difficult cases still arise.
Therefore, society needs inclusive practice know-how on the receiving end as well.
Example: After-School Program (NPO Chance For All)
We provide monthly online training and consultation tailored to each site, offering evidence-based and practical advice on supporting children with developmental differences and shaping shared mindsets.
(Links and reports omitted)
ADDS provides essential know-how when needed while envisioning a future where we act as connectors between local practitioners.
ADDS in Numbers
FY2024 Achievements
(Excerpt from the FY2024 Annual Report)
Note: Visual data omitted in this translation.
How Donations Are Used
Your ongoing support becomes the foundation for creating a society where developmental support is “naturally available.”
ADDS does more than provide direct support:
- We deliver research-based knowledge in practical form to community sites
- We connect governments, supporters, and families to build systems that take root
This foundational “work behind social change” requires the following types of costs:
■ Activities Supported by Your Donations (Primary Uses)
(Items omitted visually but faithfully implied)
■ What Ongoing Support Enables
Sustainable structures that advance our initiatives depend on supporters who walk with us over time.
These steady efforts accelerate the preparation needed to create:
A society where necessary support reaches people exactly when they need it.
A future where support is not “special,”
but a natural and accessible part of life for everyone.
■ Use of Donations Outside the Above
ADDS uses less than 15% of donated funds for administrative costs such as donation management, receipts, and activity reporting.
To Our Donors
We offer small tokens of appreciation to our monthly supporters.
(Details omitted visually)
In Closing
What we can do is deliver highly specialized, evidence-based support to children and families who need it;
develop the next generation of professionals;
and work toward a society where differences—disability or not—are acknowledged, valued, and lived with richness and dignity.
To continue addressing the diverse societal issues related to developmental support,
we warmly welcome those who would join us as monthly “Nakama” supporters.
Please review ADDS’ Privacy Policy and Donation Handling Guidelines before applying.
