The Role of the Special Needs Assistant - Assignment Example

 The Role of the Special Needs Assistant Introduction The process of education has always been subjected to various types of modifications. A number of new techniques and strategies have been successfully proved to be effective and worthy. Studies show that Ireland’s educational policy has increasingly moved towards inclusion in accordance with the international trends. Regarding Ireland’s educational field, one can see its tremendous influence in the overall development of that country. Thangavelu& Guangzhou of National University of Singapore observe, “Ireland’s education policy has been one of the key factors for its economic success” (Thangavelu& Guangzhou, 2005.). In connection with the various types of helps that are essential for the learners, first of all one should understand that children are different in all aspects, and according to their capacity different types of strategies should be used to inculcate new ideas in them. There emerges the importance of the new provision SNAs, that is, special needs assistants together with a number of resource teachers. It satiates the need of one to one support for pupils in the mainstream schools. Special needs assistants have now proved as an integral part of the educational system of Ireland. Sally Beveridge, Senior Lecturer in Special Educational Needs confirms the role of SNA when she writes, “…all teachers are teachers of pupils with special education needs, with central role not only in their identification and assessment but also in developing classroom strategies to meet these needs. (Beveridge, pp.117) Researches underline the fact that children have cognitive limitations or other mutilations that may hinder their academic and non academic development and pave the way for poor classroom performance. Many countries developed sufficient methods and strategies to solve and modify the system of education. Previous studies reveal that Ireland’s educational policy has changed towards enclosure in accordance with the international trends and acceptance. Learning and other behavioural disabilities paved the way for the emerging of new stipulation Special Needs Assistance (SNA) that support the students to overcome his/her learning disabilities in schools. In Ireland, special needs assistants became an integral part of the education scenario. A research article of The Frontline writes, “Almost 70% of the SNAs surveyed were assigned to one pupil only, and 23% were assigned to two pupils” (The Frontline, n. d.). The changing nature of Special Needs Assistants serves more serious responsibilities. An effective Special Needs Assistant can manage various instructional strategies and classroom management techniques and should be capable of solving the problems of a special needs student. Mainstream teachers also show their readiness to share experience with Special Needs Assistants. As an effective organizer, a Special Needs Assistant is able to co-ordinate children, teachers and the parents. It has been inferred that SNA should have sufficient knowledge about the new instructional strategies and also knows to solve cognitive, emotional and physical disabilities of the students. Current system of education in Ireland requires more studies and developments in Special Needs Assistants programs. Different studies identified the integral role of SNA in Irish education. According to Richard Anderson, “a recent study of The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has reviewed the allocation of special needs assistants (SNAs) in almost one-in-four of the country’s 3,900 schools since they re-opened after Easter”(Richard, 2005.). Some of them have the problem of limited opportunities and job promotion in service. In the new era Special Needs Assistants have enough power and capacity to face new challenges of general education program. Therefore, the essay is about to discuss Special Needs Assistants and have divided into four specific chapters which each discuss the issues related with Special Needs Assistants. Chapter 1 Finding from Irish research in relation to training Role of SNA from SNAs perspective Researches conducted in Ireland show that almost all the SNAs have a positive opinion about their experiences as an SNA. As they are being appreciated by the principal and teachers with whom they are working, they believe that they have a high level involvement in the teaching learning process. The awareness that they are dealing with a great process that demands a massive amount of responsibility takes them to the job satisfaction. Moreover their working conditions such as incremental salary scale and short working hours are other factors that provide satisfaction in their work. Reports confirm that eighty-five per cent of the SNAs have single voice in the opinion that working with children is the most important aspect of their line of work. Nevertheless certain SNAs bring issues such as the limited opportunities for promotion, job insecurity and the lack of a pension to the front. Role of SNA from teachers’ perspective In Ireland, some teachers support the assistance of SNA in school, but some others feel some complications at their assistance, but teachers with such an attitude is very less in number. Anyway, majority expect their participation in teaching and learning. In Ireland, a teacher does not express any objection to include SNA for the management of students’ behaviour and for dealing matters with their parents. Role of SNA from principal perspective According to Principal’s perspective, SNA can support students as well as teachers in learning and teaching respectively and as such they can assist Principal for the smooth functioning of the school. They consider their help in learning as precious, and thus one can say that the service of SNAs are appropriate and essential for the learning process. At the same time, some of the principals believe that there are certain roles or duties are inappropriate for SNA. Those duties include controlling students in their dealings with parents. In short, they think SNAs help is suitable in educating and caring disabled pupils. Chapter 2 Supporting role of the SNA - pupil, teacher and the school Different studies have doubtlessly proved the role of SNA in providing support to pupil, teachers and the school. They provide relentless help to students not only in their studies but also in physical and behavioural difficulties. As the part of a special school or a main stream national and secondary school, SNAs exert their predominant influence in majority of the fields concerned with education. Regarding the support of SNA in learning one can infer that they act as motivating factor for teachers and students. Some have remarked that SNAs are capable of properly understanding the real problems and disabilities of students and suggesting right methods to alleviate their fear and embarrassment. SNA have been assigned different duties regarding childcare. Different studies have been identified the role of SNA as helping the students having emotional or behavioural disorder, emotional disturbance among the students, and a majority of SNAs have been appointed for caring mentally retarded students, helping them for typing and writing. SNAs lend a hand in clothing, feeding, toileting and general hygiene. As it is their duty to assure the mental health of the students, they bring students out of the school and conducts walks, visits and engaging them in other joyous exercises. The assistance of SNA includes in providing help for students to board and alight in school buses, and if necessary, travel with the students as escort. It is very clear that the supporting role of SNA in upgrading the status of the students are really praiseworthy and they do much among the teachers in promoting the well being of the students (Professional Development Related to Special Needs Assistants, n .d.). Many studies have proved the deployment of SNAs in Ireland as they promote immense help for the teachers. SNAs often bear the elite role of supporting the teachers in the difficult task of supervising children. An overview of the supporting role of SNAs reveals their significant role in offering a hand to teachers during assembly, recreational and dispersal periods (Needs Assistants in Schools, n.d). The online article Special Needs Assistants in Schools writes about the support of SNAs to teachers. SNAs provide, “General assistance to the class teachers, under the direction of the Principal, with duties of a non-teaching nature.” (Special Needs Assistants in Schools, n. d).Analysing the different studies, one can say that SNAs are not substitutes for teachers but they keep their own entity and are very good supporting factors with a work-oriented mentality. SNAs support to schools is too much that some believe it changed the face of school in its approach to students and teachers by assuring a better atmosphere of study. Some of the researchers have identified the changes occurred among students who were under the direct control of SNAs. It is the duty invested in the SNAs that they should have enough awareness about the ability and disability of the children. By properly understanding these factors, and pointing the students of his deficiency and disability, SNAs engage in the service of promoting the quality of schools, not only in educational aspects but also in the social behaviour. SNAs in school are at the service of improving the social service skills of the students that enables the students in keeping a good touch with the society and thus by a supporting the school in achieving a high social status.( How will SNA support in the school, n. d.). What makes an effective Special Needs Assistant Exponents of social constructivism argue that knowledge acquisition is possible through language and experiences both personal and social. Reaching the pre- school, a child began to integrate others and here the children realized his abilities and disabilities. One of the major problems is that children with special needs were not ready to lead a life, being pigeonhole by their mates. Therefore the vital responsibility of a special needs assistant is to lead the child to avoid an inclusive life. According to Larkin: “[SNAs] assist children in maximising the education they are getting”(Larkin, Elaine, n. d.). To be a model in the profession, child caring is the ultimate aim of a special needs assistant. Qualified and highly experienced with the backgrounds of education support can serve as an effective SNA. A SNA should have the ability to give directions in basic learning skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing to special needs candidates in a spacious range of evaluation levels. An effective special needs assistant must have the knowledge of various instructional strategies and classroom management techniques. He/she has the ability to solve the problems of a special needs student who is suffering from both mental and physical disabilities. He should be a person who has the ability to handle with patience, and also has the skill of effective communication with the teachers as well as the pupils. Elaine Larkin shows his willingness to reveals the duties of a Special Need Assistant through the following statement. Larkin says; “The role of the SNA is not just bound by the classroom, however, they may try to maximise a child’s potential through activities perhaps in a school activity room or play room — an environment within the school that can help and assist the child” (Larkin, n. d.). A special need assistant can provide maximum motivation to the children and generate healthy relationship with the student, teachers and parents. A person who approach the profession special needs assistant seriously he/ she is responsible for the continuous and comprehensive development of student’s learning skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing. Special needs assistants have more serious and responsible duty to enhance the academic and individual standard of the special needs students in to the mainstream. At present special education program became an essential part of general education. The web article entitled Special Needs Assistant provides relevant statistical data about the generalization of the profession special needs assistant. It remarks; “There are over 107special schools catering for particular types of disability and special needs in Ireland”(Special Needs Assistant, n. d.) In short, the willingness to serve the special needs children for the development of their self-regulating living skills constitutes an effective special need assistant. More than the academic skills special needs assistant has some extra skills such as are, music, and sign language. It also includes assistant special needs students with serious mental, emotional, and behavioural problems; assist the secondary level students with behavioural disorder and offensive nature, and direct personal needs of the special needs students. The skill of analysis is essential for the smooth functioning of a special needs assistant. Preparation of student progress reports and anecdotal recodes of the student s increase the responsibility o f a special needs assistant. Major aspects of the topic, the relevance e of special needs assistants in schools. Early diagnosis and prevention of communication difficulties and physical disabilities require a pre planned monitoring from the part of a special need assistant. The titled Special educational needs in schools by Sally Beveridge gives some relevant comments about the need and significance of special education needs in schools. Sally Beveridge reveals about the service of special needs assistants. The author remarks, “They can provide information for schools staff about the nature of a pupil’s difficulties, and advice on the use and maintenance of aids” (Beveridge, pp.118). Number of schools require effective guidance strategies for the organization of classrooms. Behavioural problems and mental disorder among the adult students constitute serious social problem. Studies prove that many schools serve the duty of special needs assistants as an experienced counsellor. Continuous assessment and monitoring of visual stipulation of instructional aids and its supervision are the considerable duties of the members of a special needs assistant program. Service of a special needs assistant in schools provides help to the school management to generate a healthy and positive attitude among the students. The program contains helps for various subjects such as languages, mathematics, Social, environmental, and scientific education (SESE), Art education, Social, personal, and health education (SPHE) and Physical education (Country Report Ireland, pp. 7). Present many countries especially Ireland considers the profession of a special need assistant as a ‘care taker’ and he/she has bounded with some specific duties which include non-teaching categories. Any way studies prove that special needs assistants are the integrated pert of current education scenario. A positive perspective of the parent towards special needs assistant reveals the popularity and convenience of special needs education in schools. Majority of parents believe that the help of special needs assistant has a progressive impact on their student’s learning process and communication. Today one can find that schools demand the service of special needs assistants in their schools. The teachers of main stream education welcome the post of the special needs assistant in their schools and they would like to share experience with a special needs assistant. Chapter 3: Importance of SNA in one’s working experience Generally SNAs are very helpful in one’s working experience. Especially their help is essential for parents who lead professional life. In this situation parents and other family members are too busy and they may not get enough time for helping their children who have some kind of disabilities. Such children should need special attention from their parents and parents, affected with their fast and busy life style, may not fulfil their children’s need as its full sense. In this situation SNA plays a vital role. SNA helps disabled children both in education and care. Parents may not help or teach their children in personal hygiene, and assist them in the proper way to overcome their reading, writing or any other kind of disability. SNAs are specially trained people who have a clear awareness in handling such kind of children, so their assistance to teachers for handling these kinds of students are very helpful for parents to lead them in the mainstream of the society. They act as the best person who can analyse, guide and monitor the day to day activities of these children. Through this way, they identify the limitations as well as skills inherited in them and it helps them to give more attention to improve their limitations and help to encourage their skills in positive way. This helps the parents to identify their children’s skills and limitations and guide them in proper way. It is really helpful for parents, especially those who are busy with their duties or who are unable to create good communication skills with their children. Here the teachers can help the parents with the helps of SNA to understand the problems of their children (Connors, Clare & Stalker, Kirsten, 2003). Parents cannot send their mentally retarded or physically disabled children without having a responsible person for assisting them for the journey to the school or for a walk or for playing and engaging in other extra-curricular activities. As they are mentally retarded, these children cannot participate or entertain activities with their peer. It may cause more psychological problems to them. Such children may behave in a dangerous manner to themselves and to others. In this situation parents become helpless and worried because of their incapability in spending time with their children. Here the role of SNAs is so important that they help parents to solve their worries about their disabled children in to a certain extent (S.N.A Ireland Special Need Assistance, 2009.). When I was working in an Autistic Unit I had the opportunity to understand various problems of the intellectually disabled children and how SNAs help them in their learning and especially to encourage them to interact with others through playing and creating positive attitude in their mind. Most of the children who had been affected with Kanner Syndrome were introvert and bore communication disabilities. I could watch the immense help of SNAs providing for those children and how they handled them in a nice manner by considering all their feelings in the right way. In many situations I cannot understand them as these SNA can. There had five SNAs for my assistance and they helped me to recognizing the difficulties of these kinds of children and how to teach them effectively. Some of the important points regarding SNA and working experience they need are; Self-sufficiency:- Students can attain self sufficiency with the help of SNA. SNA help students to their personal activities like clothing, to learn manners and for interact with other in a well manner and to participating in social service activities. They also help them to overcome their learning disability in a certain extend. With these kinds of assistance, SNAs instruct them how to become or do their personal activities without others’ assistance. By promoting them in social services, SNA tries to develop good personality. Gradually they become self sufficient generous. Avoid fear and embarrassment: - Normally the disabled children have fear to and embarrassment toward things and people. Through proper intervention and interaction, SNAs help them to root-out their ill feelings and emotions existing in their mind and behaviour. It helps them to increase their life status and to learn as normal students by understanding their limitations. Come to the main stream of the society: - In some situation they get one-to-one classroom assistance. It is one of the most important and efficient method to understand them deeply. Disabled children may not get enough care from their parents, but they have strong desire in their mind for getting such kind special attention. The lack of proper attention and affection from others may develop depression and other psychological problems in their mind. In this condition, through one-to-one classroom assistance SNA can give such an attention to them and it may become as a turning point in their life. By this kind of interaction, SNA helps to find the inherent skills in them and to help them to encourage them to grow their skills as in the useful manner; it is the way to lead them in the main stream of the society. Educational qualification: - Normally the children who have learning of behavioural disability are backward in education than the normal students. They help students to improve read and write in the appropriate way. They also assist them to do the instructional works and to achieve specific goal in learning. Besides that they helps them to do their homework and assignment and in exam preparation. By all these activities parent’s workload will reduce and the students feel easy for learning. Social and economic status of parents: - The SNA assistance to the children effects the social and economic situation of their parents. Parents are not spending more time especially their working time for this disabled children’s care. It helps them to save money. By the learning of basic manners and social activities parents can leave them for mingling with others without fear. Duties and role of SNA in Ireland SNA are working as non teacher staff, so their duties have a non teaching nature. The roles and duties of SNA will change depends on the age and severity if the disability of the students. Their basic duty is to help the disabled students for their additional needs and help them for achieve their ability as its level best. Communication skill and committed attitude is essential for an SNA. They should have a skill for sound understanding of disabled children’s requirements and the problems they faced. According to the article Special needs assistant “From 1993 onwards the role of the SNA was defined and subsequently overtook the classroom assistant role.”(Special Needs Assistant, pp.2).From this statement it is clear that they are specially recruited for supporting teachers in the classroom for helping the disabled students for accomplishing their objectives in learning. SNA helps pupil in their personal care and in the pay activities besides helping in learning. Seamus Hegarty writes about the duties of SNA as, “observing what teachers do, they way they relate to pupils, how they handle situations, then learning activities setup…”(Hegarty, 1993.). The general roles of SNA in Ireland are discussed below. 1. Assist the children for get in and get down from the school bus, and if necessary accompany them with their travelling. 2. Arrange the classroom in a well manner. 3. Help children who require special assistance due to physical disabilities. 4. Help the students for their personal activities. 5. Helps teachers for their supervision at the break time. 6. Give special attention for the students who temporarily withdrawn from attending the class. 7. Assist the class teacher based on the instruction from the Principal. (Special Needs Assistant, pp.2) Duties of SNA at pre-school At preschool situation SNA must have awareness about each student’s particular needs. Identify each of their skills and weakness and help them to improve their skills and solve their weakness first by play and then by reality. The critical role of SNA at pre-school is value the child. They can help them to increase their self-esteem. Chapter 4 Guidelines for ‘ground rules’ It has been generally agreed upon the fact position of SNA in schools and other educational institutions are just below the teachers and they have the status of a non-teaching nature. In their combined work, How shall we school our children? Colin Richards, et al make clear the role of SNA. According to them SNAs are helpers and, “These helpers are not usually qualified teachers and offer individual help to pupils, particularly those with identified special needs. While such classroom support reduces some of the demands on the teacher they do not alleviate the curricular challenge.” (Richards, Colin& Taylor, Hampson, Philip,1995.). Analysing the view points of majority of the teachers and those who are concerned with educational system, one can infer that most of teachers agree with the service of SNA and the regard it as a helping factor that alleviate their work load. Different suggestions have been put forward to make the service of SNA more effective in then classrooms. Some of the educational researches conducted in this field allows the participation of some adult ‘co-teachers’ to work together in the classroom. They have found out three specific roles that could be undertaken by the adults. They include, ‘individual helper’, ‘activity manager,’ and a ‘mover’ (Lewis, 1995.). One can see the individual helpers as providing help to children and are capable to give individual attention to their children. The duty vested on the activity manager will be to take care of the other children of the class. The third category, that is, the movers are assigned to maintain the flow of the class and they can dissuade students from minor distractions. Considering the status of SNA in the class rooms, majority of the educators are of the opinion that it would be better to appoint SNA as a motivating factor for the students. One of the special roles that SNAs enjoy is the specific help they provide for students at their studies. Students also enjoy this ‘special’ privilege in finding solutions for various problems concerned with their studies. It has been generally been agreed upon that specific information booklets should be distributed for these adult supporters who work with individual children. These booklets should include the details of the particular physical and mental states of students. It also focuses on the necessity of physical restraint and responding to a child affected with epilepsy. As he is an assistant, possessing rights of non-teaching nature, one can see that fact that SNAs cannot directly interfere in matters under the control of the teachers. They may not have the rights to ‘mark’ books, even though they have the right to sit with his child of his care, while the class is going on. Conclusion Analysing the role of SNAs in the educational field of Ireland, one can reach in the following conclusions. The study on this topic has revealed to the researcher that Ireland’s educational policy formed with the inclusion of international trends and the same caused for the formation of the concept of SNA. Now one can infer that SNA is one of the elite part or sect of the educational system of Ireland that many depend on this system. Regarding the importance of SNA, one can see that teachers, students and even parents get the privilege of enjoying the service of SNA in various fields of their activity. Different groups have different perceptions with regard to the service of the SNA. SNAs themselves have a very high opinion of their profession and they keep a positive attitude to it. It is this factor that attracts many people to this profession and also the incremental salary scale and the short working hours exert influence in their motivation. Surveys and researches among teachers have identified the fact that most of the teachers agree with the concept SNA and they regard SNA as their assistants or some confer them the position of a co-teacher. Majority of the principals of educations institutions have marked their satisfactory comments in SNAs service, especially in their ability in working as a mediator between teachers and students, and in some particular cases between parents and students. The supporting role of SNA is too much among teachers, pupils and in schools’ day to day activities. To pupils with mental and physical disabilities, the guidance and help offered by SNA is really a motivating or stimulating factor that enables them facing the difficulties of life. As it is not always possible for the teachers and parents to take care of their children, SNAs do a greater job in filling that gap to an extent to properly monitoring and gradually making the child aware of his disabilities and potentialities. The supporting roles of SNAs are really effective in assuring the well being of their students and it assumes an integral role in their educational as well as in their professional career. It is this support that helped many students to attain self-sufficiency by totally ignoring embarrassment and fear. It was the need of the SNA that lead to the creation of the post of special educational needs co-ordinator by 1993. (Croll, Paul & Moses Diana) An overview reveals the different elements that make an effective SNA. It has been identified that a SNA should be capable of understanding the abilities and disabilities of the child to who he renders his service. If SNA can turn the child’s attention from leading an inclusive life, only then it will be possible for him guide the child to the proper way. Another notable feature of SNA includes the awareness of various instructional strategies and classroom management techniques. It is common knowledge that one can achieve all these factors only through an effective communication with teachers and the students. To conclude, one can infer that SNA has an integral role in the modern educational context and the same trend is there with the educational systems of Ireland. Though SNAs are excluded from teaching and their profession has only the non-teaching nature, the immense help and guidance they provide for children to overcome their deficiencies are really praiseworthy. It is this relentless service of the SNAs that helps to increase their popularity not only among the teachers and parents but also among the general public. References Anderson, Richard, (2005) SNA Article Irish Examiner, < http://forum.educationposts.ie/viewtopic.php?pid=164041> Beveridge, Sally, 1999, Special educational needs in schools, Roultage, edition2, illustrated, pp. 118. Beveridge, Sally, 1999, Special educational needs in schools, Roultage, edition2, illustrated, pp. 117. Connors, Clare & Stalker, Kirsten, 2003, The view and experiences of disabled children and their siblings, Education service and Professionals, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp.70. Country Report Ireland, ‘Teaching approaches’, viewed 23 July 2009, Croll, Paul & Moses Diana, 2000, Education Act. Special needs in the primary school, Continuum International Publishing Group, pp.147 G.E.T.N.S Policy in Relation to Employment of Special Need Assistants, How will SNA support in the school, viewed 23 July 2009. pp.3 Hegarty, Seamus, 1993, Meeting special needs in ordinary schools, On the Job Learning Continuum International Publishing Group, viewed 23 July 2009 Larkin, Elaine, n. d., So you want to be a special needs assistant, Viewed 23 July 2009 < http://careeradvice.loadzajobs.ie/industry-insight/healthcare/special-needs-assistant-job-in-ireland-sna-job-889> Lewis, Ann, 1995, ‘Regular adult co-teachers’, Primary special needs and the national curriculum, vol.2, pp.128 Richards, Colin& Taylor Hampson Philip, 1998, ‘Primary school organisation’, How shall we school our children? pp.45. Special Needs Assistant, ‘What are the main duties of the Special Needs Assistant?’, College of Progressive Education, pp. 2., viewed 23 July 2009, Larkin, Elaine, So you want to be a special needs assistant, viewed 23 July 2009 Professional Development Relevant to Special Needs Assistants (SNAs), Professional Development Related to Special Needs Assistants, viewed 23 July 2009. Special Needs Assistant, n. d. viewed 23 July 2009 Special Needs Assistants in Schools, n. d. viewed 23 July 2009 < http://www.asti.ie/pdfs/FAQ/sna07.pdf> S.N.A Ireland Special Need Assistance, 2009, viewed 23 July 2009. Thangavelu, M. Shandre& Guangzhou, Hu, 2005, Structural Change, Labor Market Dynamics and Economics Growth: Comparative Study of Ireland, Korea, and Malaysia, The Irish and Korean experiences, pp. 4. Viewed 23 July 2009 The Role of the Special Needs Assistant Supporting Pupils with Special Educational Needs In Mainstream Primary Schools in Dublin, Special Needs Assistant, The Frontline of learning Disability, viewed 23 July 2009 < http://www.frontline-ireland.com/article-57-Logan.html> Read More