Introduction
Educational assistants are important members of the educational team.
In their day to day activities they work with students who require
professional staff to assist in providing a specific educational plan
designed for each students with exceptionalities. Speech and language
pathologists are two of the professional staff members that work
with the students.
A speech or language problem can be diagnosed by the speech
pathologist. They will determine the severity of the disorder based on
the results of a speech or language assessment. Speech and language
therapists assess the student for speech problems such as fluency and
phonics, attention and memory, and many other language based
literacy skills. The education assitant will communicate effectively with
the students using language and tone appropriate to the student and the situation.
Another member of the team would be an Occupational Therapist.
They work with the students to promote a smooth transition, access to
the school environment and inclusion in the classroom. Their treatment
would focus on helping students with a physical,sensory or cognative
disability. The educational assitant will approach the teacher to
access information and resources to carry out the student specific
program. Educationa assistants have a more hands on approach with
occupational therapists.
Process
Speech and language pathologists work with students who are having commuciation
problems that affect classroom activities, social interaction, literacy and learning. It is
important that Ea's are able to adjust their language to the student's level of
comprehension. The educational assistant would follow the teachers directive based on the
program the speech therapist has recommended. The Ea would monitor the student and
can report to the teacher how the student is progressing.
How can you tell if a student could benefit from speech therapy is a great resource for a teachers and parents.
http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/how-tell-if-your-student-could-benef…
The therapist will use the Ea's skills and knowlege of the child's day to day speech and
language to determine the success of the therapy and montitor how the student is progressing.
Occupational therapist help students work on their fine motor skills so they can grasp and
release toys and develop good handwriting,hand- eye coordination to improve the students
play such as batting a ball or catching a ball. They also teach students with physical
disabilites to feed themselves, use a computer or work on their handwriting. Students will
be evaluated and if required would use a wheelchair, splints or a communtication device.
The educational assisistant would help with the day to day routine, position and secure
students in the equipment safely, position or assist students with toileting or personal
hygiene, and transfer students in an out ofequipment using safe appropropriate lifting.
Educational assistants have a more hand on hands approach with occupational therapists.
Kids Who Might Need Occupational Therapy
According to the AOTA, kids with these medical problems might benefit from OT:
- birth injuries or birth defects
- sensory processing disorders
- traumatic injuries (brain or spinal cord)
- learning problems
- autism/pervasive developmental disorders
- juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
- mental health or behavioral problems
- broken bones or other orthopedic injuries
- developmental delays
- post-surgical conditions
- burns
- spina bifida
- traumatic amputations
- cancer
- severe hand injuries
- multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and other chronic illnesses
Conclusion
Teachers, educational assistants, speech patologists and occupation therapists are part of a
multi-displincary team to support the education of the students. Some students require
occational support, while others may require ongoing long-term support designed specifally
for them. Professional members of the school team are part of student specific programming.
Education assistants may have to go for additional training to work with the students. It is
hard for the teacher to attend to specific needs of a student requiring speech or mobility
issues. This is where the educational assistant is essential to the indivualized students needs.
Credits
7 Things Speech Pathologists Do at School # educations Retrieved from http://fedupwithlunch.com/2012/02/7-things-speech-pathologists-do-at-school-education/
Occupational Therapy Retrived from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/occupational-therapy.html
How to tell if your Student Could Benefit from Speech Therapy Retreived from http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/how-tell-if-your-student-could-benef…