Early Intervention Teacher

Family at the heart of Fa'asega's passion for teaching

Fa'asega's passion for working with children with special education needs began long before she became an early intervention teacher in 2000.

In fact, it sparked when four of her uncle's six children were born and later diagnosed as having physical disabilities requiring permanent wheelchair support.

"Through them I learned how amazing these children are and how important it is that they receive the right care and support to learn and develop to their potential," she says.

Fa'asega has since completed diplomas in early childhood education and early intervention, as well as a bachelor of education.

Today she works in Manukau City in Auckland, spending three days a week as an early intervention teacher and two days a week as a cultural advisor and leader (a lead practitioner) in her field.

Early intervention teachers work with children with special education needs before they go to school, helping them learn and develop.

Fa'asega says making sure children with special education needs are diagnosed early, as young babies, is vital. And, that's why she, like many early intervention teachers, works closely with early childhood education, health and parent service staff from kindergartens, day centres, Plunket and hospitals and so on.

"We work together as much as we can to share knowledge and information and to provide services, but we also collaborate so that we can identify children who need our help and support as soon as possible."

Ensuring Pasifika children with special education needs get what they need when they need it is not always easy though, says Fa'asega who is Samoan.

She says the technical jargon used in health and education does not translate easily to Pacific Island languages used by overseas-born or non-English speaking mums and dads. And sometimes cultural issues such as seeing disability as a curse can be a barrier for parents, too.

One of the major milestones in all children's lives is starting school. Early intervention teachers play an important role in helping children with special education needs (and their families) prepare for, start and settle into school.

Fa'asega helps parents fill out any necessary paperwork, talks to them about the different schools available to their child, and organises school visits where parents can meet and ask questions of teachers and principals.

She joins parents on school visits if they want her to, picking them up and dropping them off at home to make the trip as easy and stress-free as possible.

"I find it exceptionally rewarding to work in my own community - I immediately relate to Pasifika people. And it's wonderful to see their faces lift in response to me. I talk to them about my family and my experiences. That's just one way I can start to build a relationship with them."

Working with Fa'asega - the process

Early intervention teachers are employed by the Ministry of Education, Special Education (GSE) and by Accredited Service Providers (ASPs) of early intervention services.

Fa'asega works with children from when they are born until they are successfully settled at school. She works with children who have been assessed as having `high' or `very high' special education needs and who have successfully applied for the Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Schemes (ORRS).

Usually a child is referred to Fa'asega by their health or early childhood education service (eg, their doctor, Plunket nurse, or kindy or playcentre staff - someone who has known the child from when they were a baby).

Once a referral is made, Fa'asega will talk with the child's support team to find out what support she might provide and how she might provide it.

A child's support team can be made up of their mum, dad, early childhood educator, support worker, caregivers, wider whānau and other specialists such as a child's doctor, physiotherapist or Plunket nurse.

Fa'asega works closely with the support team during each step of her process.

Next, Fa'asega observes and assesses the child's needs in a one-on-one, early childhood education service and home context.

She looks at a child's overall development and refers children to her colleagues if a child has trouble with their behaviour, communication and hearing.

Fa'asega explains: "I look at how a child learns and develops - their sense of belonging, their wellbeing, how they contribute, their communication and the extent to which they explore."

Once a child's needs are assessed, Fa'asega shares her findings (and the findings of her wider specialist team) with the child's support team and provides them with a tailored education programme for their feedback and ideas.

The education programme will include a range of relevant strategies and may include input from other relevant specialists.

Fa'asega and her colleagues then demonstrate how to safely and effectively carry out the education programme's different strategies. For example, she might coach a child's parent or education support worker on how to build a relationship with the child or how to involve the child in big-group play.

Eventually, the child's education programme is finalised and its actions, strategies and exercises carried out. Everyone works together to monitor, review and adapt the education programme for as long as the child needs and as long as the child is eligible for Fa'asega's service.

Working with early intervention teachers - a point to note

It's important to note that early intervention teachers don't all work in exactly the same way. They adapt what they do to suit the needs of individual children and young people, the needs of families, whānau, educators and specialists, and to suit the context in which children and young people live and learn. They may also adapt the way they work as new research evidence emerges and as their knowledge and experience grows.