Observations from an autistic teaching assistant

Working as a teaching assistant has enabled me to expand my knowledge of education.

I am fortunate enough to work in a lovely and supportive school. A school where everyone feels respected and valued. A school that is marvellously inclusive, where children are cared for and are at the centre of all that we do.

As a person, I believe in the traditional core values of respect, integrity, and hard work, but I also believe in the liberating values of reformation of the classroom. Children should also feel respected, listened to, and their needs met. Being inclusive does not mean treating everyone the same. Each child should be treated as an individual, and their needs met accordingly. Classrooms should be as nurturing as they are academic.

I do have a rebellious attitude, I oppose adultism. Many adults make the wrong assumption to treat children as inferior. Children are often ignored, misunderstood, and greatly imposed upon. Humiliating punishments have no place in modern schools. Any discipline issued In the classroom should be targeted towards reflection, management of emotions, and self-improvement. Thankfully, this is implemented in my practice using the zones of regulation technique. This is a great and revolutionary method that eradicates the humiliating 'Naughty step/chair' of the past.

Teachers and support staff should enable every child to reach their full potential. This may mean making adjustments for SEN pupils, being willing to spend extra time with pupils who are struggling to grasp key concepts of the material, or devising a different way of teaching that communicates to that particular child. This is a tremendous challenge. Time constraints and deadlines are always looming, but we have to try our best. This can be very emotionally draining for teaching and support staff.

Children often believe everything they are told by adults. We have to be careful that we are always inspiring. Children are the next generation. We have to offer constructive criticism and guidance in order for them to self-improve, however, we have to be careful not to pigeonhole a child and make them believe that they are not good enough in a certain subject. We should always support the children to reach their full potential and improve their confidence in all subject matter. If you tell a child they are not good at something, they will start believing that. They won’t make any effort to self-improve in that area. A virtual wall will be built around them, they will always be telling themselves there is nothing they can do about not being good at maths, sports, reading, etc. This is a tremendous responsibility for us as practitioners. Our school always works hard to inspire our pupils and provide a nurturing environment.

Children with SEN needs often slip through the net within education. Particularly when they are not diagnosed early enough. Many times they fail to reach their full potential not because of ability, but because the classroom environment wasn’t adapting to their needs. One size does not fit all. Autistic people often have to see the relevance of what they are doing. If they do not see the relevance in the task, or why it will benefit them or others, they will reject it as being uninteresting and tedious. This can lead to pupils greatly underachieving. It can greatly damage their self-esteem.

No child should receive negative labels such as naughty, lazy, daydreamer, etc. It is our job as practitioners to find and resolve the underlying cause of these perceived behaviors.

It could be an undiagnosed disorder, it could be problems at home, bullying, etc.

Education should be accessible to all children and adults. Let us play our individual parts to improve education and make schools more inclusive.

Thank you for reading.

Trance.