PRACTICAL AND THEORETICAL TRAINING FOR INCLUSION ASSISTANTS WHO WORK WITH SPECIAL-NEEDS STUDENTS

The inclusion of pupils with special needs in regular educational frameworks stems from an ideology that led to legislation requiring the educational system to adapt to these pupils’ special needs. Pupils with complex disabilities such as autism or developmental, mental or physical disabilities, sometimes require personal aides in order for them to function successfully within the schools. This paper describes a study done in Israel regarding the definition and role of the “inclusion aide,” following previous studies done in the United States and Europe. This paper describes issues pertaining to the definition and description of the role of the “inclusion aide,” and is based on research in the United States, Europe, and, to a lesser extent, Israel. It addresses the major problem affecting the practical implementation of the role, namely, the lack of sufficient training to ensure the aide’s effective functioning, it proposes a model in which inclusion aides are trained while already working within the educational system. The model focuses on components and aspects of the role as described in the research, and is based on the needs that have arisen in the schools.