The area of Special Needs Education is receiving substantial funding and investment in recent years and is a rewarding and fulfilling role for those interested in caring for and supporting some of the most vulnerable in our society.
Short training courses that grow your skillset and prepare you for real-life practical scenarios from experienced tutors is a good place to start on the journey of how to become a special needs teaching assistant.
It is important that you choose a provider with recognised qualifications to ensure that your qualification is valid, relevant and can get you the job you want.
Our QQI Level 5 and 6 SNA courses give you the opportunity to achieve a recognised qualification. You will acquire the knowledge, empathy, and understanding crucial to your future role as support to persons needing assistance with their learning.
Whether you are already working in special needs education, considering a change of profession, or want to further your knowledge for personal or family reasons, a QQI accredited SNA course is a great place to start and progress.
A level 5 course in Special Needs Assisting is a qualification that will allow you to work as a special needs assistant in schools, hospitals and care homes.
During the course, you will acquire not only knowledge but empathy and understanding crucial to your future role as support to persons needing assistance in their learning.
The field of Special Needs Education is one of enormous variety and ever-changing needs.
It is important that you take on a course that will equip you not only with knowledge but with empathy and understanding crucial to your future role as support to persons needing assistance in their learning.
Becoming a Special Needs Assistant requires practical skills and knowledge in a wide range of behaviours and abilities.
During your course, you will learn to support and understand the process by which a child with learning, physical or behavioural needs learns. This qualification should allow you to work alongside a child with special needs in a school or care setting.
During your course, you will want to learn about the development and learning in children with special needs and about the role of an SNA, child development and behaviour theories and how a range of activities can promote physical, social, emotional and intellectual development in children with learning, physical and behavioural disabilities.
By studying Special Needs Assisting you will develop the capacity to work and communicate effectively with parents, families, colleagues and other professionals to safeguard, support and promote children’s learning, development and well-being. You will learn the skills that are needed to become a special needs teaching assistant.
Another great way to become a special needs assistant is to get practical, hands-on experience in the role of an SNA.
Supervised and supported work experience should be part of your SNA qualification, so you come out knowing exactly what you need to do and gain real-world experience.
Progressing to a level 6 qualification will strengthen your knowledge on the path to becoming the best special needs assistant that you can be.
Degree programmes in inclusive education can help to further your knowledge, empathy and experience even more.
Overall, the journey to becoming a special needs teaching assistant starts with your qualification where you will learn the skills and gain the experience you need to be able to work in this rewarding role.
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