Implications for Teaching Assistants

Teaching Assistants are employed throughout mainstream schools both in a general capacity as classroom support and as specific, 1:1 support for children with special educational needs (SEN) funded either directly from the school's special needs budget or via a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan. Their effectiveness has come under scrutiny in recent years via research that has

concluded that they have little impact on pupil outcomes (Blatchford et al., 2012; Higgins & Gulliford, 2014) and yet they are highly regarded by class teachers and senior

managers in schools and represent a significant proportion of the school workforce (Rose, 2001; Emam & Farrell, 2009).

TAs often support pupils with complex and significant SEN, including learning and behavioural difficulties and pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorders are amongst the most challenging pupils to support in mainstream schools due to their language, social

interaction and communication difficulties, as well as their often challenging behaviour. Previous research has indicated that TAs working with pupils who have ASD require support and training to be able to work effectively and also need support systems in place within schools (Blatchford et al., 2009b)

This research described the experiences of six TAs in forming relationships with pupils who had ASD and who were in mainstream primary schools and it revealed that those TAs invested very significant amounts of time, hard work and emotional energy into their support of those pupils. However, they ended up with varying levels of commitment to the relationships dependent upon the rewards they got out of the relationship set against the costs to them of continuing in the relationship. Where they felt rewarded it was often in relation to making emotional and social connections with the children and through seeing them progress. Where they found it difficult was in coping with the children's social, behavioural and communication difficulties, as well as struggling to make an emotional connection with them. They also found it difficult when they perceived the children were not making progress. The balancing of these rewards, costs and the investment of time contributed to the TAs’ level of commitment to the relationship and, indeed, whether they were likely to continue with it.

There are, I believe, four main implications this research has for TAs: 1. TA effectiveness

2. TA job satisfaction

3. TA continuing professional development 4. Social inclusion for pupils with ASD

TA effectiveness

This research highlighted the investment the TAs made in developing their relationships with the children they were supporting. Where these relationships were positive and secure they developed trust, an understanding of the child's difficulties and felt rewarded for the progress the child made. The themes developed from the data suggested that developing a secure and positive relationship was a foundation for the TAs feeling that they were more effective when supporting the child and that they contributed actively to that progress. This resulted in a secure commitment to the relationship. At the same time when TAs didn’t have a positive and secure relationship with the child their ability to work effectively was undermined such that they struggled to see progress and focus on the child's difficulties or their own lack of experience and training. When this happened they did not feel a commitment to the relationship. Therefore, one major implication of this research is that developing a positive and secure relationship between TAs and the children with ASD they are supporting is likely to actively contribute to their

commitment to the relationship and, therefore, to their ability to support those children effectively. In essence, if a TA feels positive in his or her relationship with the child then that TA is more likely to be committed to the relationship and then more willing and able to take on board strategies and implement them effectively with the child. Educational Psychologists working with TAs who feel committed and secure in their relationships with the pupils they are supporting will be able to work with strategies that build upon those relationships whilst those TAs who are struggling more with their relationships might require training and support from the EP that is targeted at developing those

relationships. This is then likely to contribute towards TA effectiveness in their support of the pupils in school through a more detailed understanding of the relationship that exists between them.

Where previous research has been undertaken the evidence for TA effectiveness is varied with the DISS project report (Blatchford et al. 2012) noting that ‘those pupils receiving most TA support made less progress than similar pupils who received little or no TA support (p. 323). This view was further supported by Higgins and Gulliford (2014), who noted that TA support had small or no effects on attainment and Howes (2003) reporting little and inconsistent impact on overall attainment scores. However, Saddler (2014) noted that these reports could be criticised as they focussed solely on statistical academic outcomes and gave no acknowledgment to the influence of TAs on social inclusion, which she felt were inextricably linked to academic achievement. She also noted that the research failed to gather ‘substantial qualitative data concerning TAs’ influence on the process of social inclusion, rendering their conclusions, to an extent, unreliable’ (Saddler, 2014, p.150). I would argue that a significant implication of this current research is that the qualitative data produced raises the possibility that the nature of, and commitment to, the relationship between a TA and the child they are supporting could be an important factor in TA effectiveness, particularly in relation to the child’s core difficulties with social interaction and communication. Whilst it is beyond the scope of this research to provide evidence for specific outcomes, and this is something that future research could investigate, it is possible to hypothesise that having a positive, secure and committed relationship between a TA and child is likely to impact upon TA effectiveness in line with Saddler’s view (Saddler, 2014) that TAs could be a powerful influence on social inclusion and, therefore, academic achievement. I would argue that this is particularly relevant for TAs supporting pupils with ASD, where the child’s difficulties with social interaction and communication are significant.

TA job satisfaction

It is important that TAs understand that supporting pupils with ASD is demanding and that they need to invest a significant amount of their time, hard work and emotional energy into that support. The evidence from this study suggests that rewards for this investment in the relationship are in establishing a strong, trusting relationship with the pupils and feeling that they offer a significant contribution to their progress, particularly in relation to emotional connection and social interaction. As noted previously, a secure and committed relationship could be linked to the TA being able to support the child more effectively. Therefore, if a TA feels positive and secure in his or her relationship with the child then it is likely that the TA will feel greater job satisfaction. As noted earlier, satisfaction levels are determined to a significant degree by the balance of the rewards in the relationship set against the costs and difficulties in the relationship. The costs in supporting pupils with ASD, from the data in this study, are that their difficulties are often significant, that it can be a challenge to establish strong emotional connections and that progress can be limited for the amount of time and effort invested in the

relationship. An insecure or problematic relationship is likely to result in the TA feeling less committed and being unable to support the child effectively. This could result in the TA feeling dissatisfied and even unable to continue in the support role, as evidenced by two of the TAs in the sample in this research. However, where TAs develop a positive, secure and committed relationship to the children this is likely, in my view, to contribute to job satisfaction.

TA continuing professional development

This research highlighted that working with pupils with ASD is demanding and that TAs face considerable challenges in developing a positive and secure relationship with

children with ASD. In particular, the primary presenting difficulties that the pupils had in communication, social interaction, behaviour and emotional affect impacted upon the ability of the TAs to engage with them and form reciprocal social relationships. Consequently, the TAs needed to invest time, hard work and emotional energy into making the relationship work. Many of the TAs noted that they had to invest a significant amount into the relationship with the children to receive small amounts back and that there were often times when it seemed that they got little back for the hard work they put into supporting the child. Therefore, it is important for TAs to have an understanding of the nature of ASD, how it presents and how it impacts upon their ability to form

relationships both with adults and other children. This has an implication both for supporting TAs in schools and training them in the key issues relating to children with ASD and their ability to form reciprocal, close relationships. This understanding will then impact upon having realistic expectations of both the child’s potential and also the nature and development of the relationship between TA and child.

It is also clear from most of the TAs in this research that there were considerable rewards for them when they were able to develop a good relationship with the children they were supporting. Whilst it is likely to require a considerable degree of hard work the payoff for TAs in seeing the children progress, particularly socially and emotionally, is very

worthwhile. However, it is clear that for TAs to develop a strong and positive relationship with the children they are supporting that they themselves need support through ongoing training and through support from senior management within the school where they work. Previous research has highlighted the need for TAs working with pupils who have ASD to have support to help them develop effective interventions and to be trained in strategies for supporting pupils with ASD (Humphrey & Symes, 2013). This research indicates that TAs also need support in helping them develop effective relationships and this relies on

an understanding of the difficulties presented by a child with ASD in forming social relationships as well as an understanding of the key factors in developing effective relationships between people. Interdependence theory suggests that there is a need to understand both perspectives in a relationship and that each person is linked in a dynamic system. On that basis it is essential that TAs understand their own needs in the

relationship as well as those of the child. For example, a common aspiration amongst the TAs in this research was for the children to make progress and whilst this took different forms there was an underlying theme of seeing social and emotional development as key to progress. Where the TAs saw this progress, particularly when the child connected to them personally, the relationship was described as more positive, secure and a greater commitment to the relationship was evident. Conversely, where the TAs were frustrated in the relationship this was often linked to the child's social and emotional development. It is interesting to note that the TAs rarely talked about the children's academic or curriculum levels and that progress both for the child and for the TA in the relationship was linked intrinsically to social and emotional factors. Given that ASD is,

fundamentally, a social communication disorder it is clear that TAs saw their relationship as trying to address the social and emotional impairments they saw in the children they were supporting. The implication for this is that it is essential that TAs understand how ASD presents both as a social communication disorder with an impact upon developing social relationships but also specifically for the child they are supporting. Those TAs in this research who had the most secure and positive relationships were those who

understood the child's difficulties but were not frustrated by them. They realised that developing the relationship was hard work and that it took time and an investment of their effort and energy to produce results, however small.

Therefore, I see a significant implication of this research as being around TA training and support both in school and by external professionals, This needs to be in the area of understanding ASD and how it presents, particularly in developing social relationships, as well as an understanding of how relationships develop between adults and children.

Inclusion in schools for pupils with ASD

Previous studies have highlighted the need for research into social inclusion for pupils with ASD and the impact that TAs have on this process (Saddler, 2014; Humphrey & Symes, 2013). It is also the case that pupils with ASD respond more positively to

structure, routine and consistency and often dislike change. This current study noted that, where TAs had positive and secure relationships with the pupils with ASD they were supporting, they felt satisfied with their job, invested time and effort into it and were committed to the relationship. This was, potentially, positive for the pupils with ASD as the TAs were more likely to invest time and effort into developing that relationship and this could have had an impact on social inclusion for those pupils. Where TAs were struggling with their relationship with pupils with ASD, this could also have had an impact upon social inclusion for those pupils, particularly if TAs left the role and the pupils then had to cope with developing new relationships in school both with adults and with peers. The implication from this research is, therefore, that fostering positive and secure relationships between TAs and pupils with ASD could, potentially, impact on social inclusion for those pupils. This adds weight to the view expressed by Saddler (2014) that TAs could have a significant impact on social inclusion for pupils with ASD and further research is required to investigate this.