3,341
Views
19
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Short report

The shifting role of the special needs assistant in Irish classrooms: a time for change?

&
Pages 533-544 | Received 16 Apr 2012, Accepted 01 Jul 2012, Published online: 17 Aug 2012

References

  • Abbott , L. , McConkey , R. and Dobbins , M. 2011 . Key players in inclusion: Are we meeting the professional needs of learning support assistants for pupils with complex needs? . European Journal of Special Needs Education , 26 ( 2 ) : 215 – 231 .
  • Alborz , A. , Pearson , D. , Farrell , P. and Howes , A. 2009 . The impact of adult support staff on pupils and mainstream schools , London : DCSF and Institute of Education .
  • Balshaw , M. and Farrell , P. 2002 . Teaching assistants practical strategies for effective classroom support , 2nd ed. , London : David Fulton .
  • Bignold , W. and Barbera , J. 2012 . Teaching assistants and teacher education in England: Meeting their continuing professional development needs . Professional Development in Education , 38 ( 3 ) : 365 – 375 .
  • Black-Hawkins , K. , Florian , L. and Rouse , M. 2007 . Achievement and inclusion in schools , London : Routledge .
  • Blatchford , P. , Bassett , P. , Brown , P. , Koutsoubou , M. , Martin , C. , Russell , A. , Webster , R. and Rubie-Davies , C. 2009 . Deployment and impact of support staff in schools , London : Institute of Education University of London .
  • Blatchford , P. , Bassett , P. , Brown , P. , Martin , C. , Russell , A. and Webster , R. 2011 . The impact of support staff on pupils’ ‘positive approaches to learning’ and their academic progress . British Educational Research Journal , 37 ( 3 ) : 443 – 464 .
  • Bourke , P. and Carrington , S. 2007 . Inclusive education reform: Implications for teacher aides . Australasian Journal of Special Education , 31 ( 1 ) : 15 – 24 .
  • Butt , R. and Lowe , K. 2012 . Teaching assistants and class teachers: Differing perceptions, role confusion and the benefits of skills-based training . International Journal of Inclusive Education , 16 ( 2 ) : 207 – 219 .
  • Carey , D. 2005 . The essential guide to special education in Ireland , Dublin : Primary ABC .
  • Carrig , M. 2004 . Changing role of the special needs assistant: Perspectives of a special school staff . REACH Journal of Special Needs Education in Ireland , 17 ( 2 ) : 119 – 125 .
  • Carter , E. , O’Rourke , L. , Sisco , L.G. and Pelsue , D. 2009 . Knowledge, responsibilities, and training needs of paraprofessionals in elementary and secondary schools . Remedial and Special Education , 30 ( 6 ) : 344 – 357 .
  • Children’s Rights Alliance (CRA). 2010. Is the government keeping its promises to children? Report card 2010. Dublin, Children’s Rights Alliance.
  • Children’s Rights Alliance (CRA). 2012. Is the government keeping its promises to children? Report card 2012. Dublin, Children’s Rights Alliance.
  • Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) . 2009 . Lamb inquiry: Special educational needs and parental confidence , Nottingham : DCSF .
  • Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) . 2010 . Improving parental confidence in the special educational needs system: An implementation plan , Nottingham : DCSF .
  • Department of Education and Science (DES). 2002. Application for full or part time special needs assistant support to address the special care needs of children with disabilities. Circular 07/02. Dublin, DES.
  • Department of Education and Skills . 2011a . The special needs assistant scheme: A value for money review of expenditure on the special needs assistant scheme , Dublin : DES .
  • Department of Education and Skills. 2011b. Educational qualifications for appointment as Special Needs Assistant in recognised primary and post primary schools. Circular 0021/2011. Dublin, DES.
  • Devecchi , C. and Rouse , M. 2010 . An exploration of the features of effective collaboration between teachers and teaching assistants in secondary schools . Support for Learning , 25 ( 2 ) : 91 – 99 .
  • Downing , J. , Ryndak , D. and Clark , D. 2000 . Paraeducators in inclusive classrooms: Their own perceptions . Remedial and Special Education , 21 ( 3 ) : 171 – 181 .
  • Drudy , S. and Kinsella , W. 2009 . Developing an inclusive system in a rapidly changing European society . International Journal of Inclusive Education , 13 ( 6 ) : 647 – 663 .
  • Etscheidt , S. 2005 . Paraprofessional services for students with disabilities: A legal analysis of issues . Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities , 30 ( 2 ) : 60 – 80 .
  • Farrell , P. 2001 . Special education in the last twenty years: Have things really got better? . British Journal of Special Education , 28 ( 1 ) : 3 – 8 .
  • Ferguson , D.L. 2008 . International trends in inclusive education: The continuing challenge to teach one and everyone . European Journal of Special Needs Education , 23 ( 2 ) : 109 – 120 .
  • Flatman Watson , S. 2009 . Barriers to inclusive education in Ireland: The case for pupils with a diagnosis of intellectual and/or pervasive developmental disabilities . British Journal of Learning Disabilities , 37 : 277 – 284 .
  • Forlin , C. , Keen , M. and Barrett , E. 2008 . The concerns of mainstream teachers: Coping with inclusivity in an Australian context . International Journal of Disability Development and Education , 55 ( 3 ) : 251 – 64 .
  • Giangreco , M.F. and Doyle , M.B. 2007 . “ Teacher assistants in inclusive schools ” . In The Sage handbook of special education , Edited by: Florian , L. 429 – 439 . London : Sage .
  • Giangreco , M.F. , Broer , S.M. and Suter , J.C. 2011 . Guidelines for selecting alternatives to overreliance on paraprofessionals: Field-testing in inclusion-oriented schools . Remedial and Special Education , 32 ( 1 ) : 22 – 38 .
  • Giangreco , M.F. , Suter , J. and Doyle , M.B. 2010 . Paraprofessionals in inclusive schools: A review of recent research . Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation , 20 ( 1 ) : 41 – 57 .
  • Government of Ireland . 2004 . Education for persons with special educational needs (EPSEN) Act , Dublin : The Stationary Office .
  • Griffin , S. and Shevlin , M. 2007 . Responding to special educational needs: an Irish perspective , Dublin : Gill and Macmillan .
  • Groom , B. 2006 . Building relationships for learning: The developing role of the teaching assistant . British Journal of Learning Support , 21 ( 4 ) : 199 – 203 .
  • Groom , B. and Rose , R. 2005 . Supporting the inclusion of pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in the primary school: The role of teaching assistants . Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs , 5 ( 1 ) : 20 – 30 .
  • Hammet , N. and Burton , N. 2005 . Motivation, stress and learning support assistants: An examination of staff perceptions at a rural secondary school . School Leadership and Management , 25 ( 3 ) : 299 – 310 .
  • Lawlor , L. and Cregan , Á. 2003 . The Evolving role of the special needs assistant: Towards a New Synergy . REACH Journal of Special Needs Education in Ireland , 16 ( 2 ) : 82 – 91 .
  • Liston , A.G. , Nevin , A. and Malian , I. 2009 . What do paraeducators in inclusive classrooms say about their work? Analysis of national survey data and follow-up interviews in California . Teaching Exceptional Children Plus , 5 ( 5 ) : 2 – 17 .
  • Logan , A. 2006 . The role of the special needs assistant supporting pupils with special educational needs in Irish mainstream primary schools . Support for Learning , 21 ( 2 ) : 92 – 98 .
  • Logan , A. 2008 . Special needs and children’s rights to be heard under the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child 1989 in the Republic of Ireland . Education Law Journal , 9 ( 2 ) : 1 – 14 .
  • Logan , E. and Feiler , A. 2006 . Forging links between parents and schools: A new role for teaching assistants? . Support for Learning , 21 ( 3 ) : 115 – 120 .
  • MacGiolla Phádraig , P. 2007 . Towards inclusion: The development of provision for children with special educational needs in Ireland 1991–2004 . Irish Educational Studies , 26 ( 3 ) : 289 – 300 .
  • Mackenzie , S. 2011 . ‘Yes, but …’: Rhetoric, reality and resistance in teaching assistants’ experiences of inclusive education . Support for Learning , 26 ( 2 ) : 64 – 71 .
  • Mäensivu , K. , Uusiautti , S. and Määttä , K. 2012 . Special needs assistants – the special characteristic and strength of the school system of Finland . European Journal of Educational Research , 1 ( 1 ) : 23 – 36 .
  • Meaney , M. , Kiernan , N. and Monahan , K. 2005 . Special educational needs and the law , Dublin : Thomson Round Hall .
  • Mistry , M. , Burton , N. and Brundrett , M. 2004 . Managing LSAs: An evaluation of the use of learning support assistants in an urban primary school . School Leadership and Management , 24 ( 2 ) : 125 – 137 .
  • Moran , A. and Abbott , L. 2002 . Developing inclusive schools: The pivotal role of teaching assistants in promoting inclusion in special and mainstream schools in Northern Ireland . European Journal of Special Needs Education , 17 ( 2 ) : 161 – 173 .
  • National Council for Special Education (NCSE) . 2011a . Inclusive education framework: A guide for schools on the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs , Meath : NCSE .
  • National Council for Special Education (NCSE) . 2011b . A study on the prevalence of special educational needs , Meath : NCSE .
  • National Council for Special Education (NCSE). 2012. Allocation of resource teacher and special needs assistant (SNA) posts. Press release, June 2012. http://www.ncse.ie/statistics/national.asp].
  • National Sensory Impairment Partnership (NatSIP). 2012. Raising the achievement of pupils with a hearing impairment. Effective working with teaching assistants in schools. http://www.rnib.org.uk/professionals/Documents/natsip_ta_guidance.doc
  • O’Neill , Á. and Rose , R. 2008 . The changing roles of teaching assistants in England and special needs assistants in Ireland: A comparison . REACH Journal of Special Needs Education in Ireland , 22 ( 1 ) : 48 – 58 .
  • Ofsted . 2010 . Workforce reform in schools: Has it made a difference? An evaluation of changes made to the school workforce 2003–2009 , London : HMSO .
  • Radford , J. , Blatchford , P. and Webster , R. 2011 . Opening up and closing down: How teachers and TAs manage turn-taking, topic and repair in mathematics lessons . Learning and Instruction , 21 : 625 – 635 .
  • Riggs , C. and Mueller , P. 2001 . Employment and utilization of paraeducators in inclusive settings . The Journal of Special Education , 35 ( 1 ) : 54 – 62 .
  • Rose , R. and Forlin , C. 2010 . Impact of training on change in practice for education assistants in a group of international private schools in Hong Kong . International Journal of Inclusive Education , 14 ( 3 ) : 309 – 323 .
  • Rose , R. and O’Neill , A. 2009 . Classroom support for inclusion in England and Ireland: An evaluation of contrasting models . Research in Comparative and International Education , 4 ( 3 ) : 250 – 261 .
  • Rubie-Davies , C.M. , Blatchford , P. , Webster , R. , Koutsoubou , M. and Bassett , P. 2010 . Enhancing learning? A comparison of teacher and teaching assistant interactions with pupils School effectiveness and school improvement . An International Journal of Research, Policy and Practice , 21 ( 4 ) : 429 – 449 .
  • Rutherford, G. 2012. In, out or somewhere in between: Disabled students’ and teacher aides’ experiences of school. International Journal of Inclusive Education. doi:10.1080/13603116.2010.509818.
  • Shevlin , M. , Kenny , M. and Loxley , A. 2008 . A time of transition: Exploring special educational provision in the Republic of Ireland . Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs , 8 ( 3 ) : 141 – 152 .
  • Symes , W. and Humphrey , N. 2011 . School factors that facilitate or hinder the ability of teaching assistants to effectively support pupils with ASD in mainstream secondary schools . Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs , 11 ( 1 ) : 153 – 161 .
  • Takala , M. 2007 . The work of classroom assistants in special and mainstream education in Finland . British Journal of Special Education , 34 ( 1 ) : 50 – 57 .
  • Thompson , M. 2006 . Re-modelling as de-professionalisation . FORUM , 48 ( 2 ) : 189 – 200 .
  • Trautman , M. 2004 . Preparing and managing paraprofessionals . Intervention in School and Clinic , 39 ( 3 ) : 131 – 138 .
  • UNESCO . 1994 . The salamanca statement and framework for action on special needs education , Paris : UN .
  • United Nations (UN) . 1989 . UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) , Geneva : Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights .
  • United Nations (UN) . 2006 . UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities , Geneva : Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights .
  • United Nations (UN) . 2007 . UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities , Geneva : Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights .
  • United Nations (UN) . 2011 . Including the rights of persons with disabilities in United Nations programming at country level: A guidance note for United Nations country teams and implementing partners , New York , NY : United Nations .
  • Ware , J. , Balfe , T. , Butler , C. , Day , T. , Dupont , M. , Harten , C. , Farrell , A.M. , McDaid , R. , O’Riordan , M. , Prunty , A. and Travers , J. 2009 . Research report on the role of special schools and classes in Ireland , Meath : NCSE .
  • Watson, D.L. and Robbins, J. 2008. Closing the chasm: Reconciling contemporary understandings of learning with the need to formally assess and accredit learners through the assessment of performance. Research Papers in Education, 1–17.
  • Webster , R. , Blatchford , P. , Bassett , P. , Brown , P. , Martin , C. and Russell , A. 2010 . Double standards and first principles: Framing teaching assistant support for pupils with special educational needs . European Journal of Special Needs Education , 25 ( 4 ) : 319 – 336 .
  • Wilson , E. and Bedford , D. 2008 . New partnerships for learning: Teachers and teaching assistants working together in schools – the way forward . Journal of Education for Teaching: International Research and Pedagogy , 34 ( 2 ) : 137 – 150 .
  • Winter , E.C. 2006 . Initial teacher education: Preparing new teachers for inclusive schools and classrooms . Support for Learning , 21 ( 2 ) : 85 – 91 .
  • Winter , E. and O’Raw , P. 2010 . Literature review of the principles and practices relating to inclusive education for children with special educational needs , Meath : NCSE .

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.