As Child and Youth Care Practitioners (CYCP), we are aware of the complexities that children with intellectual disabilities and behavioral challenges face. We believe strongly in the value of bringing a specialized, relational approach to supporting these students. The situation highlighted in the article sheds light on an issue we encounter all too often. Children with complex needs, such as ADHD, anxiety, oppositional defiance disorder, and intellectual disabilities, are being excluded from the classroom environment because their behavioral needs are not being supported by professionals trained in working with these needs.

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One of the most important, and often overlooked, aspects of ensuring that all children of Manitoba have access to support from professionals trained in understanding both the social-emotional and behavioral aspects of their development and how to utilize that knowledge within the classroom milieu. This is where CYCPs can play a crucial role in supporting students, families, and schools. We strongly recommend that school divisions hire trained CYCPs as part of the educational team to provide specialized support to students with complex needs in the classroom. It is important to recognize the value of education assistants and their role in education support of learning disabilities. However, CYCPs offer a unique set of skills and interventions that can directly address students’ emotional regulation, behavioral challenges, and communication difficulties that supports education assistants and teachers in utilizing their skills more effectively in valuable classroom time.

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What is the Difference Between Child and Youth Care Practitioners and Education Assistants?

While education assistants play a vital role in supporting students in the classroom, their education and profession is focused on supporting young people with academic tasks and ensuring students have access to educational resources. In contrast, CYCPs are educated in the emotional, behavioral, and social development of children and how to work directly in the life space of that child. By using a child and youth care approach effectively grounded in relational practice, we utilize moments in our daily lives to help students learn to regulate their emotions, teach them effective communication strategies and coping skills. This approach helps children understand and manage their behavior, particularly when it is linked to underlying emotional struggles or disabilities.

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By bringing trained CYCPs into the school setting, we directly address many of the issues discussed in the article around the exclusion of children with disabilities and the negative impact of shortened school days. CYCPs are professionally trained to work with students to identify the root causes of their behavioral challenges and to understand that behavior is a language of needs that is meant to be interpreted so that young people can begin to learn how to meet those needs in ways that are not disrupting the learning environment.

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Furthermore, CYCPs work in the moment so that intervention is immediate and support the learning plans that are created for students on a multidisciplinary team. CYCPs are often able to support access to additional community resources and can be a conduit to mental health and family supports.

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Conclusion:

The challenges faced by children with intellectual disabilities and behavioral issues cannot be solved with simplistic or exclusionary practices like shortened school days. These students require thoughtful, comprehensive support that addresses their emotional, social, and behavioral needs. Hiring CYCPs in schools is an essential step toward ensuring that all students, regardless of their challenges, have the opportunity to thrive in an inclusive and supportive environment. In fact, the Toronto school division employs CYCPs throughout their division, and are demonstrating better outcomes around student attendance and classroom participation. This has created positive outcomes for their students as a whole and is a model that Manitoba could easily incorporate.

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Integration of CYCPs into the school community, enhances the educational experience for these students, but also ensures that they are equipped with the tools they need to build a positive future, both academically and socially. Ultimately, this approach fosters greater belonging, emotional growth, and successful learning outcomes for all students.

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Written by: Chelsea Champagne, President of Child and Youth Care Workers’ Association of Manitoba

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Find the article here: Winnipeg teen with intellectual disability being denied education by shortened school day, mom says | CBC News