In the following video case study, teaching assistantAn adult that assists a teacher in the classroom, Jo Mead, shares her approach to supporting an autistic child with ADHD in a primary setting.
Before watching the video, we invite you to read about Jo Mead’s journey working as a teaching assistant.
My name is Jo Mead. I am a Teaching Assistant working with individual children with special educational needs in a mainstream primary school in Kent. I originally qualified as a nurse but found that working in a primary school suited me better once I became a parent.
I began supporting children with low age-related attainment in maths and became fascinated in the way children learn (or don’t learn). My next role saw me working with a ‘looked-after child’ in the same school, a role I found much more challenging than I had expected. I started to find out more about what gets in the way of some children thinking and learning and how these barriers can be reduced. Following this, I started to work with a child in Reception who had recently been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). My job share partner and I learned so much from this inspiring child (and subsequent others) who is now flourishing in a local special school in Year 11.
I have continued to work with individual children to enable and encourage inclusionAn approach where a school aims to ensure that all children in mainstream schools because I passionately believe that individuals and society benefit when children learn in inclusive classrooms.
The video below is divided into the following sections:
0.24 – Introduction
1.14 – What are the specific needs of the student you work with?
2.14 – What challenges did the student experience in the classroom?
4.08 – What approach did you take to overcome these challenges? What evidence-base informed your approach?
7.51 – What impact did this approach have on the student’s academic outcomes?
8.54 – What impact did this approach have on the student’s wellbeing and relationships in the classroom?
9.37 – What were the strengths and limitations of this approach?
11.12 – What are your top tips for other teaching assistants working with students with SEND?
Read Jo Mead’s full Impact article here: https://my.chartered.college/impact_article/an-exploration-of-the-benefits-of-small-strategies-to-improve-independence-for-an-autistic-child-with-adhd-in-a-year-5-maths-lesson/