aspergers

[baremission]

I am becoming increasingly interested in the field of autism and aspergers and would really love to do a job that helped people affected throught social skills training or something similar.
what kind of qualifications would i need?
what kind of job is this classed as? is there such a job?

[sunflower68]

It is more likely you will find this in a special school, as a teaching assistant. Alternatively try applying for teaching assistant roles in mainstream schools as there is the chance they will involve working with these types of kids.

With adult education it is more likely you will need teaching qualifications though I cannot be sure.

good luck in your search.

[chelsea78]

Depending what you want to do, you could always work with autism and aspergers in there home and work with them on day to day needs, for this you need no qualifications you train as you learn and this is a fulfiling job. This job is only classed as a carer.

[saxy_jag]

Special schools are increasingly being closed in favour of placing their students in mainstream schools, so as a teaching assistant in a mainstream school, you are very likely to be working with children and young people with these conditions, as well as children with a whole range of other difficulties. Training and funding for such posts is usually administered by the Special Needs teaching service of the local education authority, and you could do worse than give them a call and ask their advice.

The way into adult teaching with this client is more difficult, as colleges tend to recruit qualified and experienced staff. However, I do know of one guy who began at our local college as a teaching assistant and is now a course leader there, having qualified on the job (he had a degree, but was able to work towards a teaching qualification). He began by covering for the course lecturer on occasion, gradually moving up to having his own teaching and assessment responsibilities. You could possibly make a start with this client group by going to your local college and offering to volunteer.