The education of children with special needs has continually improved throughout the course of history. Clear attempts to help the special child have only been seen since the eighteenth century. The development of special education was encouraged when it became a distinct category within general education in 1901. The basic goal of special education is to provide students that have special needs with every opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding of the world. Another goal of special education is to have the child accepted as an individual of value. Students may enter the realm of special education if they fall under any of the following classifications: visual handicap, mental impairment, behavioural disorder, orthopedic handicap, speech impediment, and brain damage. With advancements that have been made in special education, these students, in most cases, remain in a regular classroom. They generally require additional assistance that cannot be provided by the classroom teacher. This is why educational assistants have become a fundamental aspect of special education. The role of educational assistants, therefore, exemplifies the fact that special education has improved dramatically with time. They are hired to assist special needs students to succeed in a regular classroom. This development clearly shows that special needs students are now being given the attention and resources that they need.
Today, A highly trained educational assistant is the preferred type of personnel for a high needs student. This is because they generally deal with one child at a time, while allowing the child to take part in classroom activities as well. This method is also beneficial to regular students because they receive more of the classroom teacher’s time. Educational assistants may also be referred to as paraprofessionals, teacher aids, or para-educators. One such educational assistant is Sharon Hamilton. She has been in this field for more than a decade and has witnessed the improvement that this additional aid can have on the education of special needs students. Research shows that student learning is directly related to student-teacher ratio. The more time a teacher has to devote to each student, the more students will learn. This proves that educational assistants play a very important role in the education of all students. All the students in the class, as well as the special needs students, receive more direct assistance. With the use of an educational assistant, the other students in the classroom are not hindered by having special needs students in their class. It is quite the opposite actually. The other students in the classroom will benefit from this experience because they will become more accepting of these students. Sharon states, “I feel that students benefit from being aware of these individual’s needs. It will make them more accepting in society and it can assist them in their knowledge of passing on this information to others who may be ignorant in this area.” She is fully aware of the benefits and advancements that educational assistants provide special education. She claims the highlight of her job is, “seeing the students grow, not only academically, but in self-esteem and confidence levels.” She has seen an improvement in the education of special needs students in her time as an educational assistant, with an increase in regular classroom settings and one-on-one interaction with special students. She states, “I feel that there has been more inclusion within the classroom setting. I think that is both beneficial for all the students and classrooms involved as they are aware and informed of these challenges.” Educational assistants are assets to the educational system because they have extensive training working with special needs students, as well as other valuable qualities. When they are hired, schools look for qualities such as; experience working with children, initiative and willingness to follow directions, communication skills, and clerical and computer skills. Sharon claims that she has, “extensive training and experience with working with developmentally and physically challenged individuals.” This is why educational assistants are currently in demand and seen as a valuable tool in the educational system. This is why Sharon states, “I feel that E.A.s in general aren’t thought of as just ‘helpers’ in the classroom. Our job is not to photocopy all day or mark for the teacher. We are an intrical part of the learning process for people with special needs as we work with them to strengthen their abilities and possibilities for the curriculum requirements. I am happy with the roles of the E.A.s in our school district. If I’m in a position of non-E.A. roles I will mention to the instructor and discretely self-acclaim my skills, strengths and job expectations as to benefit the academic expectations of the student and program.”
The inclusion of special needs students in the mainstream classroom has only been in effect since the 1970’s. The use of special needs educational assistants, is therefore, also fairly recent. When looking back at the history of special education, it is quite clear that the opportunities provided for students with special needs have increased and evolved with time. It has been a long road to get to this point. The concepts underlying the care and training of special students have been developing for a long period of time. The oldest account of concern for the handicapped was medical intervention in ancient Egypt to aid visual impairment in 1550 B.C. Early attempts to care for the handicapped centred around the concept of compassion. With the advent of Christianity in the fourth century, Catholic churches assumed some responsibility for the handicapped and set up hospices for the blind. The Renaissance showed a new interest in the education of the handicapped. The first known education of a handicapped individual was in the fourth century, in Spain. Monk Ponce de Leon taught some of the deaf sons, of Spain’s most well off families, to speak and read, as well as take part in church rituals. The founders of special education were members of the clergy and physicians. The French were instrumental in developing teaching practices for the special. They began educating the deaf, blind, mentally impaired, and emotionally disturbed. The first teachers were all French and trained in Paris. Canada followed the efforts of Europe and the United States, with a school for the deaf, near Montreal, in 1831. Canada’s movement towards educating the handicapped began in 1906, in Montreal, with the world’s first organized movement on behalf of crippled children. This movement was organized by a group of educators at Children’s Memorial Hospital. In 1910, Ontario’s Special Classes permitted boards of education to legalize existing special classes. Teacher training began in 1916, at Wellesley School, in Toronto. With time the equality of the disabled became a mission of a greater percentage of people. Parents began to band together to fight for the education of their disabled children. Parent’s organizations challenged the state and federal government in the courts and gained a federal legislation that mandated a free education to all children with disabilities.
It is hard to imagine, but the concept of special needs students as part of a regular classroom, has only been in effect for the past three decades. Whenever it is possible, special students are now educated in regular classrooms with the help of educational assistants. Sharon states, “At times I feel that most students do benefit from being in a regular classroom. The benefit I see is from the social aspect not only the student but their peers as well. I can see the enjoyment of participating in gym class, art, music and other subjects that the student can do with minimal assistance.” There is a rapid increase of students declared eligible for special education services each year. This makes the role of educational assistants even more important. An incredibly large classification system governs the current delivery of special education services. A team approach is used to plan the student’s educational program. The team usually consists of the student’s regular teachers(s), the educational assistant, the parent, and the student. An Individualized Educational Program (IEP) is created. This plan is reviewed at least once a year. These new rules surrounding special education assure that every student is given the attention and consideration he or she needs to receive an adequate education. However, this creates a lot more paperwork and therefore, the educational assistant must work hard to keep this organized and under control, as the regular classroom teacher may not have a lot of extra time to devote to this task. This may be why Sharon sees the drawback of her job as, “the amount of assessment time it may require to identify a student’s needs and methods of learning styles.”
Given the constant improvement of special education throughout history, it can be predicted that it will only improve in the future. Certainly, the ability of schools to provide a free education to those who in the past were excluded from this basic right, has improved a great deal. Research shows that although special education has improved, the evidence to date is not sufficient to demonstrate that special education programs have provided learners with appropriate curricula or interventions to help them reach their full potential. This shows that improvements still need to be made in the area of special education and that it will continually improve, as it has been since the beginning of time. Educational assistants must keep up with the advancements that are continuously being made in the special education field. Sharon exemplifies this by claiming “I have just finished taking a Developmental Delay and Autistic Spectrum training course to be informed of the medical advances in the care of individuals with these challenges.” Part of the reason that all special needs students, although improving, have not been able to fully reach their potential is due to financial reasons. Sharon states, “There have been incidences where I felt that a full-time E.A. would be an asset in the situation or a particular need of the students. One-on-one is always beneficial when the student’s needs require focus and a modified program, but financially and socially it may not always be the right decision, or a possibility.” It must also be acknowledged that some students cannot benefit from being in a mainstream classroom if their needs are too great. Sharon agrees with this. “I do not feel that all special needs students belong in a ‘regular’ classroom. If a classroom has the stimuli and staff for more challenged individuals I feel that it is to their benefit to be in this environment. Not all classrooms can accommodate swings, toys, stands, table for toileting; all necessities for the level of learning for some individuals.”
Special education has truly come a long way since its inception as a distinct program in the early 1900’s. In fact, in many cases, special students are given more attention than the regular students in the classroom. The development and improvement of special education is quite amazing. Although there are still improvements that can be made, it is quite clear that special education is continuously improving. Many educators in the special education field agree with this, as they have personally experienced these advancements. Sharon Hamilton validates these claims. She states, “I definitely feel that the education for special needs has improved with time. I remember that when I went to school these students were put into a ‘special’ class and the rest of the school didn’t even know their names. There was so much opportunity for education and social interaction, but it wasn’t taken advantage of.”
Biography of Sharon Hamilton
Interview With Sharon
Interview With Sharon (Continued)
Bibliography of Secondary Sources Used
Reflection
Me
