The workshop by First Step Job Group , based on the concept of behavior analysis, was held for parents of HIKIKOMORI children over a three day period, in an attempt to help them acquire needed home support skills. This study examines the effect of the workshop through changes in behavior and verbal contact by five sets of these parents by checking the records of their verbal reports about the concept of behavioral support and providing the opportunity for their children to develop potential

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... ls at home. Three of the five parents had short term (in five years at the longest) HIKIKOMORI children, and they showed improvement both in verbal behavior and support skills for their children. They could find and create behaviors the children could act on now , even in the home. The two parents who had longer-term HIKIKOMORI (as long as fifteen years), on the contrary, failed to improve their support behavior and continued to pay attention only to what their children could NOT do. The critical issues of the reasons for long-term HIKIKOMORI and the contents and function of the workshop are discussed.