Learning on the Job
On starting my placement, it was incredibly nerve-wracking to be in an environment that I had no previous experience of. Having never been in a position of care for young children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) before, my main concern was my lack of knowledge around diagnoses such as autism and attention deficit disorder. With each child having their own unique needs and capabilities, I was worried about how I would best build a positive, supporting relationship with each of them on an individual basis, especially as I was coming into the environment as a stranger.
However, after having spent the first day of my placement at the nursery I felt much more at ease. The team of staff I was working alongside offered me guidance and help wherever I needed it, teaching me a number of phrases in Makaton and showing me how to use a picture exchange communication system (See left image). In learning these new tools, I felt I had a much better insight into the processes used within a specialist school for resource children, and was much more confident in my ability to provide the support the children needed.
By putting these tools into practice, I was able to become a point of contact for a number of the non-verbal children, guiding to them learn through the mediums of sensory and/or exploratory play. One thing I learnt for myself is how different each child’s circumstances and personality were. Each had very specific interests and triggers and so at times it could become quite overwhelming trying to ensure that every child was receiving the best support and learning environment possible for them.
However, having this opportunity to learn from a ‘hands on’ perspective meant that I was able to build up a number of strong relationships with the children, that I had previously been concerned about my ability to do. Having the opportunity to spend time with them on a one to one basis allowed me to learn more about their unique personality and interests which I could both accommodate and build upon. For example, with one child’s interest in nature, I was able to encourage them to incorporate pretend play with a ‘mud kitchen’.
In having this positive experience so early on in my placement, it made me consider the prospect of working within the specialist prevision of the education system in future as opposed to mainstream schools as I had previously aimed to do. The world of SEND was so different to what I had expected and was incredibly rewarding, especially once I began to see progress between myself and each child’s relationship. Although I was only a part of the team for one short week, it highlighted a whole new career path I hadn’t considered before and showed me not only how amazing and important the work of SEND support staff is, but also how much I enjoyed being a part of it.
