Disabled kids offered places to feel at ease in quake-hit Kumamoto

As many such children are sensitive to changes in their environment and may have difficulty controlling their emotions, facilities they regularly attend, including after-school programs and special-needs schools, have begun offering daytime spaces for them.

At Asobi Studio Uki, an after-school daycare service facility in the city of Uki, the voices of elementary and junior high school students echoed through the building Friday.

Some children relaxed by lying on balance balls, while others had their hair tied by staff members.

During a game of team ball-toss, a boy on the losing team asked a staff member for another round.

About 40 children, including those with developmental disabilities, have been attending the facility since before the earthquake to learn social skills through sports.

"Following the earthquake, some children have become more hyperactive and have struggled to sleep at night," said Toshihiro Hara, head of Asobi Studio Uki.

"As mental struggles are not always visible, they can't be resolved easily."

At Yatsushiro Special Needs School in the city of Yatsushiro, which is serving as an evacuation shelter after the earthquake, a daytime care space was opened Thursday for elementary, junior high and high school students with intellectual and other disabilities.

With the help of university student volunteers, children can play handmade musical instruments, take part in rhythm exercises and enjoy other activities.

After a disaster, parents are often overwhelmed by work and cleaning up their homes and therefore struggle to find a safe place for their children with disabilities.

A 50-year-old mother who visited the daytime care space with her son, a student in the high school division of the special-needs school, said that the dance class he had been scheduled to take during the summer break became unavailable because of the earthquake.

"I'm glad that there's now a place where he can spend time and have fun," the mother said.