Advice please About a career in assisting special ed children?

Question

I am currently looking into woking with the LAUSD in special Ed but I found out that one has to help them with toileting. I do not have a problem with this, but it will be something new. Any advice.

Answer 1

Well, I will ask this question then give advise based on assumtion. Do you feel you will be comfortable in assisting a disabled child, wheather mentally or/and physically handicapped with toileting? If not then this may not be the job for you. If so, then it will really not be all that bad, seeing as though you are considering  working with children with special needs shows you are a caring person. As a mother of a handicapped child who is in diapers I can tell you that in spite of his limitations he constantly lights up my life just by his smile and laughter. These children are special and need all the love and patience one can give, so look within yourself to see if you have that to offer and you will be fine no matter what decision you make.

Answer 2

Wear latex gloves.  Protect yourself and the kids.  Our special ed department recommends staff get vaccinated for hepatitis and such things - I haven't done that yet.  Yes, there are unpleasant aspects to this job but please look beyond this to the kids themselves.  They are worth the effort.  Yes, i get coughed and sneezed on, I get Pink Eye at least once every year no matter how much I wash and my hands are always red from the washing and the hand sanitizer but I love it when I sit to read with a student and he gets that word he has been struggling to learn and he reads to me without help.  It is huge!!

Answer 3

How about working with service providers (Visually Impaired Department, Assistive Technology, Alternative Augmentative Communication, Bilingual & Testing, Speech, etc.  You provide direct services on a consult basis to the student and teacher (really fun).  I will need an assistant next school year.  We are currently developing the job position.

Answer 4

I just started as a teacher's assistant in a special needs classroom. We are part of a collaborative and our kids have very low cognitive skills. Their disabilities range from Down's to Autism to William's Syndrome... We do have to toilet all of them, and at least 4 out of the 7 of them are not potty trained. I love the job, the toileting aspect of it is a little awkward at first, but you just kinda fall into it, like a routine and eventually you don't even think about it. Try not to make something as small as that your deciding factor to take the job. It is so unbelievably rewarding in so many other ways.

Answer 5

I have been a special ed teacher for more than 30 years, and my daughter is now a special education teaching assistant.  We both love our jobs, but there are a lot of things about working in special ed that can be stressful and/ or unpleasant.

We both work with younger students (ages 5 - 8) who have a wide range of special needs.  Toileting is one of them, although we do our best to get the kids on a toilet training program at home and at school.  Even so, there are a LOT of messes to clean up!  In our district, the nurse does staff training, so we all use the proper procedures to protect ourselves and the students from the spread of disease.  

Some students will never be toilet trained, and I do find changing the diapers of a teenager to be more unpleasant than doing the same for a younger child.  

Wiping noses and bottoms is a typical part of being a special ed assistant.  For certain students, our staff may be called upon to do g-tube feedings, urinary catheterizations, and administer medications.  All of that seems intimidating at first, but with good training from our nurse, it becomes part of the routine.

I would advise you to visit some special education classrooms and see what's involved.  Some people just can't get comfortable with what is involved, and others (like myself) find that the joyful parts of the day far outweigh the unpleasant ones.

Answer 6

I am going to tell you like it is....I will not sugar coat it, I will not make it sound better than it is.  You will have enough people doing that for you!

OK well...I am going to assume that since you did not realize the toileting thing till now...you may not realize that in "special ed" you will be peed on, spit on, hit, bitten, sneezed on, coughed on, smelled, sat on, chased by, chase, and possibly pooped on...you will also likely have students strip in front of you at some time in your career.

Special ed is the hardest job for the lowest pay!

There are all different types of special ed, if you read this and still want to do it...then you are  possibly one of those wonderful people that should just be rewarded wings now!!!!  If you are doubting.......you should reconsider!  Most people only last in Special Ed about 6 years, because the system is not what it should be and they get frustrated and too tired to continue!

Good luck!

Answer 7

I am also a Special Ed teacher and I usually do not have this situation with the children I work with, but last summer I worked with different children and ran into this problem.  I too was nervous about this, because it was something new.  I had just finished potty training my son, so I was up for the challenge.  It is different though helping children that are not your own to toilet, but after a few times it is no big deal.  

I do things that I never thought I would do or thought I could handle (personality wise) as a special ed teacher.  I hope you love your new job and make sure you have flushable wipes...it will make you so much happier!