Overarching theme 1: Mastery experiences.

“Positive and negative experiences can influence the ability of an individual to perform a given task. If one has performed well at a task previously, he or she is more likely to feel competent and perform well at similarly associated task” (Bandura, 1977).

Theme 1 examines the impact of mastery experiences, or enactive

performance attainments upon the self-efficacy of the TA supporting a child with ASD. Mastery is based upon direct and personal individual experiences, with successful experiences leading to greater feelings of self-efficacy

Figure 9: Themes within overarching theme 1

4.5.1.1. Theme 1: Previous knowledge and experience

This theme represents prior knowledge and skills that TAs have gained through hands-on opportunities, including parenting a child with additional needs, or through prior learning opportunities.

Two of the TAs mentioned expertise they had gained through parenting a child with additional needs. Laura reflected: “I know my skills and my skill set, so that would probably be the high functioning autistic one that I can interact with”, mirroring the experiences she had shared with her own child. Lisa acknowledged the valuable experience she perceives her colleague to have gained: “R.’s got her son, he’s grown up now, but her son was that way, so she’s got a lot more experience”.

Laura explained that in addition to her own personal experience she had been taken through a process of gradual induction to the role via a hands-on approach: “you were given the easier ones to start with, and you learned the ropes that first year and then gradually it would get more difficult”.

TAs require tools for the role of supporting a child with ASD: “I think I could do with the tools, just generally as part of the job” (Laura). In order to access

skills and knowledge in the absence of formal training opportunities Helen notes: “I’m always watching the TV, you know TV programmes come on about ASD and you go oh, I wonder what sort of techniques they’ve been using … and I've been onto the autism website and I've read various things and it’s just helped me understand a little bit more”. Lisa similarly carries out research to support her in her role: “I have looked at a few things, particularly online. I’ve always been happy to, because obviously it makes your own life easier if you look up things doesn’t it, or try and find out.” This activity has often been carried out within the TA’s own time, and has not formed part of any school or wider local authority offer of support.

Both high and low scoring TAs reflected at length on the learning they had gained through working with the pupil, coming to an understanding of strategies through a process of “having a go” and seeing what worked. Unsurprisingly, Lisa felt most lacking in terms of experience, since she had recently moved from a different post within the school.

4.5.1.2. Theme 2: Training - opportunities

All TAs explicitly referred to training opportunities as being key for those carrying out the role. Training might be provided by staff within the school, or by external agencies offering training to the setting or countywide.

Hannah saw herself as lucky to have: “done quite a lot of courses and quite a lot of training,” which shifted her understanding of the needs of children with ASD: “I was sent on the EarlyBird course, and that was absolutely brilliant. it just gave me so many strategies”. Such opportunities impacted positively upon her ability to reflect upon, and modify her performance: “if it goes wrong then I would try and think, okay let me learn what was the trigger there, what happened.” Similarly, The ELSA course being rolled out across the county was specifically mentioned as being: “a good starter” for those who “hadn't come into contact with anybody with ASD” (Helen).

Helen had not attended additional ASD-specific courses, but described a model in which the SENCO: “would give us tips to start with…she was able to feed the strategies down … we do it again on inset days, but she then uses the expertise of the people she has in school to present things”. This appeared to represent a more embedded model of practice within the school.

The low-scoring participants, Laura and Lisa, seemed to feel less confident in the opportunities available. Laura acknowledged: “we do have training during the year”, but explained: “sometimes we have half an hour training at the beginning of the week, but it’s never enough…we don’t have any external training. We’re not sent off, I haven’t been on a course in the longest time”. Despite extensive experience as a parent and within the role, Laura

explained: “even though I've been doing it for a long time, I could do with a catch up and a brush-up, and a reminder of things. Because you get stuck in a way of doing things.” She identified that she was a hands-on learner, and commented: “I don’t think I would learn very well online”, noting: “the

application … is a big thing”. The possible reasons for Laura’s possibly surprising low SE score is discussed within Chapter 5.

4.5.1.3. Theme 3: Training - challenges

Both high and low scoring TAs outlined the challenges facing the school as an organisation when TA training was sought. Laura explained: “if you’re part time, or even if you’re full time, you’ll have to go on a training session and they will have to pay for someone to cover you”. Such challenges were often expressed as the reason TAs were unable to attend ASD-specific courses such as EB+ and Cygnets. An additional challenge was the heavy reliance upon the TA knowledge of, and relationship with the child, which meant that the school perceived that they could not be released from the role: “I think sometimes it’s a problem, getting people out [of school.] Because if you’re the only person who can be there with the child” (Hannah).

Laura asserted: “If you’re not investing (in staff training), you’re on the back foot”, and made suggestions regarding next steps: “more communication, more training, more time out to train, maybe in the summer holidays”. 4.5.1.4. Theme 4: Ad hoc / trial and error

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The ad hoc nature of skill and knowledge development in relation to support for the child with ASD was expressed by all participants, despite SE scores. Lisa explained that she is perceived as an expert: “But you’re not, because you often fall into it”. Learning on the job was seen as the default position, in which: “ just doing the job is obviously the best thing to learn”, and skills and strategies used are: “things I’ve just picked up” (Lisa).

Laura’s experience mirrored that of Lisa: “you learnt by osmosis”. She described the demands within her school: “Right, think on your feet….so it’s this floppy flappy floppy, nothing specific… we need some more guidance”. Despite scoring highly on the TASCA, Helen noted: “I’ve worked mainly from intuition”. She clearly identified that she needed to: “hear and speak and do” in order to develop the ability to support a child with ASD successfully, mirroring Laura’s comments (above).

Hannah was able to reflect upon her skill levels on starting within the TA role: “When I started working in a school, I was working with an autistic child and I didn’t really know many strategies I just knew about autism and the

impairments of it”. In fact this staff member was probably at an advantage in comparison to colleagues in that she had studied Psychology at degree level and did have an understanding of the challenges faced by children with ASD in school and within the wider community. It is interesting that despite this knowledge she still felt unprepared. Again, such issues are examined further within Chapter 5.

The feeling that all TAs held of being unprepared and inadequately skilled may well have contributed to negative physiological and affective states as identified below (4.4.4.)