Working with students with special needs is definitely a rewarding job. But it is also a very challenging one. I considered the position to be perfect for me because this was exactly what I was looking for. I love to challenge myself and put myself in a position where I know I will learn a lot from it. Throughout the 4 months I worked at Greater Heights learning Academy as part of my Coop experience I managed to learn so much about working with students with special needs.
These are the 5 things I learnt while working with high school students with special needs. Some of these things were things that I expected, but some were new things that I learnt and that really challenged me.
1. You must be patient: This might sound obvious but it is something that you may find challenging in certain situations. I knew that patience was going to be a key component for this job but it is truly different when you are put in situations where you really have to apply this skill in a job.
Real-Life Example
I had situations where two different students asked me to help them out answering a math question. With one student I was able to explain as well as I could and he seemed to get it and that was it. With the other student, I tried using the same method of explanation and it didn't work at first. This seemed to make him feel frustrated so I said it was alright and I tried another method of explanation. He still found it very difficult to understand so I tried switching the method again. The concept still seemed very hard for him to understand and at this moment we both seemed to start getting a little bit frustrated. I was struggling to find other ways to explain the concept and he was struggling to understand even if he really seems to want to. So I told him not to worry to much about the question and that we could move on to another question that he knows how to solve. This alleviated the tension created and helped him regain confidence in his understanding of the subject. This also gave me time to come up with other methods of explaining the concept hoping that it would help the student.
Just like this moment, you will have times where you will repeat yourself a lot. You have to recognize what works and doesn't work for each student and be really patient with them. Understanding that they do not get information the same way you and I do is very important.
2. You will make mistakes: Like any other new job experience, you will make mistakes. We are all here to learn and our supervisors acknowledge the fact that we are new to the job and that we might make mistakes. So one thing that I learnt about this is that we should always feel comfortable talking to our peers and supervisors when we make mistakes and we should be opened to hear feedback
Real-Life Example
I had some trouble with a student who would always take out personal devices to use in class time (which is not allowed). He would get very distracted with it and also distract other students. I gave him several warnings, reminding him that he should put his device away when class starts but he would not listen. At some point I told him that I would confiscate his device if he doesn't stop. He told me that I am not allowed to do that, which made me hesitate but also rememebred that kids tend to convince you of things that may not be true. I went to my supervisor to ask about this and ask for assistance and told me that, indeed, we are not allowed to confiscate a personal device. I was told that, if possible, we should try to reinforce good behaviour and remind them of the appropriate ways of behaviing in a classroom. If the situation seems to be out of hand I could alert a teacher and they could take other measures, such as asking the student to leave their device in another desk and gather it when the class is done.
Like in this example, I made a mistake, I acted on my intuition and learnt that this is not the best method to do things. Instead, I learn that we should try to talk to the student and remind them of their personal goals such as being a better student this year. I did not hesitate to go to my supervisor for assistant and gratefully received the feedback given.
3. Make sure to have a good support system: The aspect that I valued more while working here was that I was able to find a good support system. Both from my co-workers, supervisors, teachers and friends. It is very important to know that you have someone who you can go to when you have questions, need a break or need some advice. I met other UBC Co-op students and together we were able to help each other out, ask questions and even arrange online gatherings to have fun after work. This strong support system really helped me throughout the tough times.
Real-Life Example:
I was having some trouble with another co-worker and I was not sure about how to approach my supervisor about it. The issue wasn't too serious but it was something that was bothering me a little bit. I came to my UBC co-op friends about this struggle and they gave me their opinoins about how should I approach the supervisor. It was really helpful to know that I had a good support system available for me. I was able to go to my supervisor and raise this issue and come to a solution together.
4. Every student is unique: It is very important to understand that you cannot assume that one student with autism will react or behave the same as other students. Working with special needs students requires a strong sense of understanding, having the wherewithal to accept that everyone's needs are different and that each person requires their own sort of attention.
Real-Life Example
Since I was assisgned to work with a whle group of grade 8 and 9s I worked with multiple kids as opposed to a single one. This gave me the opportunity to get to work with a variety of kids and get to know them all. This was challneging at first because you can't really get to know every single kid to the same level, but this was good exposure to learn how different they all are. For instance, while some students had more trouble understanding the basic concept of some subjects, other had more difficulty applying what they learnt to new problems. So one of my students would fully understand a concept but when given a slightly different problem they had trouble solving it. So my tactic to help this student was to provide them cues that would help them remmeber what they did in a previous questions. Some students understood better when given an example of how the activity is done and some students worked better by giving them a step by step guide of how to do the same activity.
As I said, all students are different and it is important to acknowledge these differences in order to know how to work efficiently with them. Watch out for behavioural patterns and organize a system to keep track of these patterns and get to know the students.
5. Stay positive: Kids can sense when you are upset or tense. Staying positive is very important because they will sense this and they will be more likely to want to get closer to you and know that you are there to help them. This will also help you have a better time at work. You will be able to enjoy the work and socialize with the students and be more efficient at helping them.
Staying positive also means that we should try to acknowledge the positive aspects of our own students. While working as a Special Education Assistant it can be easy to get caught up in odd behaviours or outbursts when dealing with many students. However, it is also really important to let them know that they are doing a good job.
Stay positive and enjoy the journey! I experienced a lot of ups and downs throughout my time being a SEA but I loved the process and the experience and knowledge I gained.
Working with neurodivergent kids and teens can be a very rewarding job. However, it can also be quite challenging! I want to encourage anyone who is considering this line of work to give it a try. You get to fall in love with the job the more you engage with your clients and families!