Training to work wih special needs kids?

Question

my mum would like to work with kids with learning disabilities, as liek a teaching assistant sort of thing, we have looked at job ads and they want qualified people, so we looked at training courses and you need a work placement.

what/where would be a good place to look to find out about getting into this job?

Answer 1

i volounteer as special school residence centre, where kids from the school spend a few nights to have fun and give their parent a break

im 16, and have no qualifications, so i would advise somewhere like that

you WILL need a CRB check, which are easily done. Mine was done through the centre, so didnt cost me anything

hope this helps

Answer 2

I'm currently working as a teaching assistant in a large secondary school. In this school TA's work primarily with students with special educational needs - its a brill job. However, to get this I didn't need any specific qualifications. The school was looking for someone with an understanding of child development and the right kind of personality I suppose. All this kind of thing they assessed at interview - not based on any of my qualifications. So if I was her, I'd just apply to loads of schools and see how involved with the SEN departments the TA jobs are - it varies depending on the school. To find vacancies look on your local council's website.

Answer 3

Try contacting:

-Special Education Schools

-Primary Schools in your area and ask if they need volunteers and stress interest in Special Educational Needs (SEN)

-Social Care Services-may be able to put you in contact with people/groups etc to get some experience.

-County Council-ask to speak to education or local SENCO advisors. They can give you advice.

I got into SEN through working at a preschool. I worked with all the children and did an NVQ...I found i enjoyed SEN and asked to be considered for one-to-one support. We then had an autistic child start and they asked if I wantd to be his learning support and it went from there. Experience counts for a lot in SEN jobs so dont worry to muich on the qualification.

Answer 4

Quite simply, go and help out at your local primary school. - They are crying out for help and would be unlikely to turn you down. - Just explain to them what you want to do.

When you have been helping out for a few weeks, explain that you are interested in working with kids who have learning difficulties.  (The truth is that you will probably work withthese kids anyway as teachers cannot spend the time to do so in a mainstream classroom).

When you are established doing this, your local LEA will then accept you onto a course to train in the field of being a TA and then a special needs TA.

Go for it.

Snowdrop

http://www.snowdrop.cc

Answer 5

You can probably start by working as a para professional while going to school. My son has had a para professional assigned to him, full time since he entered school in kindergarten. The first para he had for a couple of years, was a college student who was going for a degree in special education and she actually was able to use her work hours as part of her college credit requirements. Ask your local school board. They are always looking for para professionals.

Answer 6

call the board of Education also office of child care and licensing got the work shop s and training they don't cast much if you go through day care licensing,volunteer at some of the near by schools get on the sub list and do substituting at the school that have classes with special needs kids ,bottle up a lot of patience and love ,its very rewarding! Good luck

Answer 7

school teaching assistant job with you live at or community college

Answer 8

tell your mum to ask at any local nursery/school that shes interested in doing voluntary work-many schools as long as she has full crb clearance will gladly take her-then she enrols at college to get her qualifications. good luck

Answer 9

I would suggest that your mother call or contact the agencies that placed the ads, because there can be all sorts of different requirements for jobs working with special needs kids.  In the US, there are some No Child Left Behind requirements for assistants who work in special ed classrooms.  My daughter is an assistant working in a county office of education special ed class.  She needed to pass a proficiency test to qualify for the hiring pool, and then she was interviewed twice.  (The proficiency test was to see that she had basic skills in language arts and math;  in the interview, they looked at her experience with special needs kids and made sure that she seemed to have some common sense!)  After she was hired, they paid for her to get first aid and CPR, and she will later be sent to attend trainings on behavior management, autism, etc.

The public school where I am a special education teacher has a number of one-to-one assistants for special needs students who are in full-inclusion (attending general ed classes with the "typically developing kids" of the same age.)  The one-to-ones are from an agency that basically requires a high school diploma, and unfortunately, they don't offer great training to the people they hire, so some of them are struggling.

But call the agencies, schools, or districts that have placed the ads, and ask them what the requirements are.  That's the only accurate source of information.  All we can give you here on Yahoo Answers is general information based on our own experiences.