Introducing Special Education

Special Education

Introductory information for whānau (English version)

This booklet tells you what special education is and what to do if you are concerned about your tamaiti. It also introduces you to some of the Māori Ministry of Education, Special Education (GSE) staff who work with whānau and tamariki and tells you where to go for more in-depth information about special education services.

At the bottom of this page you will find a link to contact details for GSE offices through-out the country.

What special education is

Your tamaiti may require special education services if they:

• have a physical impairment
• have a learning disability
• have hearing or vision difficulties (a sensory impairment)
• struggle with learning, communicating, or getting along with others
• have an emotional or behavioural difficulty.

An everyday learning environment or classroom, by itself, may not be enough for your child to learn to the best of their ability. They may need extra help such as: an individual education programme, a behaviour plan or programme, specialist teaching, a therapist to help with movement or speech and language, or the use of special equipment.

If you think your tamaiti needs extra support and you would like to know what's available, there is a range of people you can talk to.

If your tamaiti isn't at school yet you can talk to your family doctor, Iwi health provider, Plunket, Parents as First Teachers educator or staff at the early childhood education centre they attend.

If your tamaiti isn't at school yet you can also go directly to an education specialist at the GSE office nearest to where you live and ask them for advice.

If you are concerned about your tamaiti and they are at primary or secondary school, you should talk to their classroom or form teacher, or the school principal. Services will be provided by the school your tamaiti attends, or if your tamaiti has high needs, by GSE.

GSE employs Pouārahi-ā-Takiwā (District Māori Advisors) and Kaitakawaenga (Māori Liaison Advisors) to work alongside GSE staff to help them provide services to tamariki and whānau.

GSE Staff

Ngarongo Donaghy, Kaitakawaenga

Invercargill-based Ngarongo Donaghy, a Kaitakawaenga (Māori Liaison Advisor) for more than ten years, enjoys watching attitudes towards tamariki with special education needs change for the better.

"Sometimes families come to me wondering what to do with their tamaiti, and it's inspiring when they learn what's possible - that there are no boundaries, that with help, their tamaiti can learn and develop."

Ngarongo (Rongo), who also works as a part-time special education Pouārahi-ā-Takiwā (District Māori Advisor), is of Ngāti Haua descent in the Waikato.

As a Kaitakawaenga, she works alongside special education specialists helping them provide culturally-appropriate services to Māori children and young people, and their whānau and educators.

She does this in a range of ways. For example, when a tamaiti is referred to GSE, Rongo might go and meet the tamaiti and their whānau before the first meeting with other special education staff is set up. She'll talk to whānau at home, at marae, kura, wharekura, kohanga reo or wherever suits them best. Rongo will talk to whānau about special education, explaining what GSE does and telling them about her co-workers to ensure whānau are comfortable and prepared for their next meeting.

From that point on, she'll remain the key point of contact within GSE for the whānau.

Rongo says a key part of her job is building culturally-appropriate relationships among all the people who support a tamaiti with special education needs.

As a Kaitakawaenga she also helps - as part of a wider team - to develop, implement, monitor and review the education plans for tamariki.

Talking to groups of people who work with children with special education needs such as teachers, whānau and representatives from volunteer and government agencies is another part of her role.

"I encourage them to understand that we've all got an important role in supporting these children. I think these tamariki are lovely to work with, that they're unique and special."

Tiaki Hunia

Tiaki Hunia (Ngati Awa, Te Aupouri, Ngati Pikiao) leads the Māori focus team at the GSE Auckland City office.

The Māori focus team is a 16-person team of Māori and Pākehā education staff who work across the early childhood and school sectors providing culturally-appropriate services to Māori tamariki and rangatahi, and their families, within the Auckland City rohe. Included in the team are a speech-language therapist, a psychologist, special education advisors, a Kaitakawaenga, an early intervention teacher and a kuia and kaumatua.

Tiaki says that several things happen when his team receives a referral for a tamaiti with special education needs at school who needs extra support.

GSE will work closely with a Resource Teacher: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) or school to establish a child's needs. Tiaki and his team will meet and discuss these needs before a key worker is assigned. The key worker will go and meet the whānau and develop a relationship.

"This is our preferred way of working - to meet the whānau first," says Tiaki.

Once the whānau give their support, assessments are conducted over a couple of sessions and include discussions with teachers and whānau, and an observation session in the classroom.

From there, an education plan is developed from a list of recommendations. Plans have three parts: assessment, implementation and monitoring.

"Some plans include special programmes for the teacher to implement such as Te Mana Tikitiki (a behaviour programme) or include time with a special education teacher aide," says Tiaki.

"It's important that our work is a concentrated effort and that it's not carried out in isolation from school, educators and family. It's very important that whānau is involved in the solutions."

Hineuru Timutimu

Psychologist, the Ministry of Education, Special Education (GSE)

Hineuru's whakapapa links her to Te Ati Awa and Tuhoe. She is one of the few Māori in the country who is a registered educational psychologist. Hineuru is presently based in Hamilton but travels to children throughout the southern Tainui rohe.

Hineuru is part of an early intervention team, so all her tamariki are early childhood. Soon Hineuru will be leaving Hamilton to take up a similar position with GSE in Tauranga. In her mahi Hineuru helps families and early childhood education staff make the best decisions they can to support their children's learning.

As a first step she'll talk to a child's family and early childhood educators, identifying their concerns and hopes for a child. She'll also talk with them about possible learning goals before carrying out a formal assessment.

If a child's whānau and educators are mostly concerned about the child's social skills, Hineuru's assessment will involve watching how the child plays and interacts with others, and playing and interacting with the tamaiti herself. She might also consider the child's communication, motor development and approach to learning. Parents and educators are often asked to observe the child's behaviour in their own time, collecting specific information for Hineuru.

Hineuru says the early intervention approach is wide-ranging. She liaises with the specialists and therapists in her team and from local hospitals, and she works with people from community agencies who support a tamaiti. Hineuru shares the information she gathers with parents and educators, surrounding a child with a team of supporters.

"I believe that we all have expertise and knowledge to share with one another - that, together, we are a team. The family is part of the team, alongside those of us from GSE and other agencies. Our perspectives are different but our interest is shared. We are all there for the child."

As part of Hineuru's assessment, she works with a child to trial different strategies that will best help them learn. She shares her findings with whānau and educators so they too can learn more about the child's behaviour and feel more confident supporting them at home and at their early childhood education centre. Together, they'll develop a learning plan for the tamaiti that includes the successfully trialled strategies.

Hineuru says: "Most of the children I see are referred to me because mums and teachers are finding their behaviour difficult. But their behaviour is often just the tip of the iceberg and so I explore aspects of their child's learning that may be bringing about the concern. It's like unravelling a mystery and I like to take the lead from those who know the child best."

Finally, it's Hineuru's job to work with the whānau of a tamaiti and educators to make sure all the physical environments of a tamaiti are set up to support their learning.

More about special education services

If you want to know more about special education services, special education funding and how the system works for tamariki from birth to the end of secondary school, please read the booklet: Special Education Services. To get a copy of this booklet, or any other information you require, please ring your local GSE office (contact details follow).

Information about special education is also available on the Ministry of Education website: www.minedu.govt.nz.

Contact details for the Ministry of Education, Special Education (GSE)

GSE provides special education services for children from birth to six years of age (early intervention services).

GSE also provides services for children and young people who go to primary and secondary school and have high special education needs.

Click here for the contact details for GSE offices.