Working as a Teaching Assistant in a Special Educational Facility is a very rewarding experience but this important role can also prove quite challenging. The children who attend these schools have many various issues to overcome that prevent them from attending a mainstream school. Some are physically disabled, while others struggle with anxieties and learning difficulties, some have very challenging behaviours and can become violent when they are scared, anxious or in a new situation that they don’t understand. That’s why most Special Educational Schools send their Teaching Assistants on an elite Challenging behaviour course, run by a professional, reputable, experienced Agency such as https://www.tidaltraining.co.uk/learning-disability-training/. Having thorough and comprehensive training from a specialist will allow the T. A’s to understand why their students behave as they do and more importantly the best way to resolve any conflict without anyone getting hurt.
These training specialists will teach the staff the most important five coping strategies when dealing with a child experiencing a challenging behavioural episode. 1) Don’t take the behaviour personally, it’s not about you. 2) The behaviour may be challenging but the child is not. 3) De-escalate the situation first, problem solve later. 4) There is ALWAYS a reason behind the child’s behaviour. 5) Deal with the situation with empathy and compassion, try to imagine what the child is going through.
With all the training and with encouragement from the Teaching Staff and Leadership Team at their schools the T. A’s will have a much better understanding of the children they support.