29 Ways for Teacher Assistants to Support Students in 2019

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Teacher assistants, school support officers, teacher aides etc. – you are angels in disguise and we thank you for all your hard work with our ASD students. You are usually the person that the student with ASD may develop a great mentoring relationship with, so it is important that you start off on the ‘right foot’.

Often, as a teacher assistant your most challenging task is to maintain your students concentration. This can be particularly difficult when working with a student with ASD. The ideas below are some strategies I found extremely useful when I had a teacher assistant in the classroom.

1. Students with ASD are usually visual learners. You need to show them what to do rather than just tell them. Use visuals instructions.

2. Students with ASD often can have difficulty with communication. Just because they can’t talk doesn’t mean they don’t understand you. Be careful what you say in front of them.

3. Some students can talk but don’t understand: they need visual strategies to support verbal information. You may need to minimise your speech so as not to overwhelm them.

4. There is always a reason for behaviour: social, sensory, anxiety, communication issues. Remember that behaviour is a second language.

5. Establishing routines and consistency from day to day are also a key component.

6. You will need to develop a great relationship with the teacher so you can work together.

7. You may want to work with the other students so the teacher has time to work with the student with ASD.