Daily Life Therapy®
Daily Life Therapy® began in 1964 when Dr. Kiyo Kitahara established the Musashino Higashi Kindergarten in Tokyo, Japan. Her now well-known method for educating children with autism, Daily life Therapy®, emerged naturally from her experience teaching an autistic child who was enrolled in her regular kindergarten class.
Daily Life Therapy® is an educational philosophy and a way of teaching based on that philosophy found only at two schools, the Boston Higashi School in Randolph, MA and the Mushashino Higashi Gauken in Tokyo, Japan. This philosophy believes that the purpose of education for each child is to find that “most precious bud of self identity” by fully developing one’s potential and dignity. This is accomplished through an holistic education of the entire child via the three fundamental “pillars” of
These three pillars make the educational methodology at the Boston Higashi School, absolutely unique. Without medication, students can use vigorous physical exercise to learn to regulate their biological rhythms of life and thus gain the many other benefits in health, stamina, mood, awareness of one’s surroundings, and concentration that result. In this vibrant and energetic environment, through a highly consistent, highly structured approach using group dynamics teachers bond closely with each student to achieve emotional stability so that understanding and trust can develop through “heart to heart” education. Being healthy and happy leaves a child free and open to experience. The varied and intellectually stimulating atmosphere for learning is then part of this core approach, as Dr. Kitahara saw the way a “normal” child learns as a “mirror” for the proper education of the autistic child as well.
Based on this strong philosophy, the Daily Life Therapy® approach is consistent across all aspects of teaching and campus life. Through group dynamics, in classes, students are naturally taught social interactions and relationships as they study a broad based age appropriate curriculum covering literacy, math, science, social studies and the arts, consisting equally of music, art, physical education, and computer technology. Students move around a large campus, explore a nature trail, participate in community events, and interact socially with classmates and others in a wide variety of opportunities that expand their world and help them grow into adulthood.
Social Education develops from the building blocks of play in childhood to community leisure and recreational activities for young adults all directed toward establishing active interpersonal engagement with others and opportunities for experience with and connectedness to one’s surroundings, so often lacking in those with Autism.
According to Dr. Kitahara, “play is the bridge to social development” and learning how to do this through the natural developmental playtime sequences of the Daily Life Therapy® curriculum builds a strong foundation for social relationships.
Play is fun and contributes to feeling happy, successful and self-confident. Playing helps children explore the sensory world, discharge energy, develop problem-solving skills, enhance fine and gross motor abilities, learn social and emotional roles, express one’s feelings and be creative. Developmentally, adolescents continue this play and add more advanced leisure and recreational activities such as drama club and community road races. Together, these components of the social education program are geared to develop the capacity to enjoy activities, to join others for participation and socialization, to develop functional capacities and basic concepts about the world and to develop communication skills that opens the individual to the enjoyment of a variety of experiences in a richer more fulfilling life.
Special subjects, including the visual arts and music are taught on the premise that children with ASD can develop creativity and are able to express their artistic abilities through learning the skills to draw, paint and perform musically on instruments and vocally. An understanding and appreciation of the beauty of art and the world around them is also created, leading to a heightened awareness and enjoyment of one’s surroundings.
The management of behavior through Daily Life Therapy® relies first on the mutually trusting relationship between student and teacher that is a bond of love and deep understanding. In describing this relationship, Dr. Kitahara said, “a teacher does not love a student but is in love with a student”. Secondly, it relies on the development of skills for self-regulation that the student learns gradually through the structure, group dynamics, emotional stability, exercise, enjoyment and participation in activities that make life more fun and other learning throughout the program. Social independence is accomplished by concentrating on the child’s strengths rather than on the undesirable behavior. Aversive measures are never used to change behavior.
A major tenet of Daily Life Therapy® is that education should be conducted in an environment of normality. In the Tokyo program, the format is a mixed educational setting. In the Boston program, some children are included in mainstream classrooms with typical age peers. Other students are in on-campus clubs with typical peers joining them here (i.e. drama club). Still other students hold off-campus jobs or participate in leisure programs. The goal of Boston Higashi School is life long inclusion is the community.
In conclusion Daily Life Therapy® is not a set of discrete techniques or interventions to change or eliminate the behaviors of ASD children. It is a socially valid and clinically meaningful outcomes-based educational approach that is holistic and “heart-to-heart” between teacher and child.
Daily Life Therapy® began in 1964 when Dr. Kiyo Kitahara established the Musashino Higashi Kindergarten in Tokyo, Japan. Her now well-known method for educating children with autism, Daily life Therapy®, emerged naturally from her experience teaching an autistic child who was enrolled in her regular kindergarten class.
Daily Life Therapy® is an educational philosophy and a way of teaching based on that philosophy found only at two schools, the Boston Higashi School in Randolph, MA and the Mushashino Higashi Gauken in Tokyo, Japan. This philosophy believes that the purpose of education for each child is to find that “most precious bud of self identity” by fully developing one’s potential and dignity. This is accomplished through an holistic education of the entire child via the three fundamental “pillars” of
1) Vigorous physical exercise,
2) Emotional stability, and
3) Intellectual stimulation.
Together, these pillars provide the foundation which is at the core of a broad and full education rather than one directed as a piecemeal approach to remediating deficits.2) Emotional stability, and
3) Intellectual stimulation.
These three pillars make the educational methodology at the Boston Higashi School, absolutely unique. Without medication, students can use vigorous physical exercise to learn to regulate their biological rhythms of life and thus gain the many other benefits in health, stamina, mood, awareness of one’s surroundings, and concentration that result. In this vibrant and energetic environment, through a highly consistent, highly structured approach using group dynamics teachers bond closely with each student to achieve emotional stability so that understanding and trust can develop through “heart to heart” education. Being healthy and happy leaves a child free and open to experience. The varied and intellectually stimulating atmosphere for learning is then part of this core approach, as Dr. Kitahara saw the way a “normal” child learns as a “mirror” for the proper education of the autistic child as well.
Based on this strong philosophy, the Daily Life Therapy® approach is consistent across all aspects of teaching and campus life. Through group dynamics, in classes, students are naturally taught social interactions and relationships as they study a broad based age appropriate curriculum covering literacy, math, science, social studies and the arts, consisting equally of music, art, physical education, and computer technology. Students move around a large campus, explore a nature trail, participate in community events, and interact socially with classmates and others in a wide variety of opportunities that expand their world and help them grow into adulthood.
Social Education develops from the building blocks of play in childhood to community leisure and recreational activities for young adults all directed toward establishing active interpersonal engagement with others and opportunities for experience with and connectedness to one’s surroundings, so often lacking in those with Autism.
According to Dr. Kitahara, “play is the bridge to social development” and learning how to do this through the natural developmental playtime sequences of the Daily Life Therapy® curriculum builds a strong foundation for social relationships.
Play is fun and contributes to feeling happy, successful and self-confident. Playing helps children explore the sensory world, discharge energy, develop problem-solving skills, enhance fine and gross motor abilities, learn social and emotional roles, express one’s feelings and be creative. Developmentally, adolescents continue this play and add more advanced leisure and recreational activities such as drama club and community road races. Together, these components of the social education program are geared to develop the capacity to enjoy activities, to join others for participation and socialization, to develop functional capacities and basic concepts about the world and to develop communication skills that opens the individual to the enjoyment of a variety of experiences in a richer more fulfilling life.
Special subjects, including the visual arts and music are taught on the premise that children with ASD can develop creativity and are able to express their artistic abilities through learning the skills to draw, paint and perform musically on instruments and vocally. An understanding and appreciation of the beauty of art and the world around them is also created, leading to a heightened awareness and enjoyment of one’s surroundings.
The management of behavior through Daily Life Therapy® relies first on the mutually trusting relationship between student and teacher that is a bond of love and deep understanding. In describing this relationship, Dr. Kitahara said, “a teacher does not love a student but is in love with a student”. Secondly, it relies on the development of skills for self-regulation that the student learns gradually through the structure, group dynamics, emotional stability, exercise, enjoyment and participation in activities that make life more fun and other learning throughout the program. Social independence is accomplished by concentrating on the child’s strengths rather than on the undesirable behavior. Aversive measures are never used to change behavior.
A major tenet of Daily Life Therapy® is that education should be conducted in an environment of normality. In the Tokyo program, the format is a mixed educational setting. In the Boston program, some children are included in mainstream classrooms with typical age peers. Other students are in on-campus clubs with typical peers joining them here (i.e. drama club). Still other students hold off-campus jobs or participate in leisure programs. The goal of Boston Higashi School is life long inclusion is the community.
In conclusion Daily Life Therapy® is not a set of discrete techniques or interventions to change or eliminate the behaviors of ASD children. It is a socially valid and clinically meaningful outcomes-based educational approach that is holistic and “heart-to-heart” between teacher and child.
800 North Main Street, Randolph, MA 02368 | Tel:781-961-0800 | Fax:781-961-0888