What does an educational integration specialist do?
The educational integration specialist (EIS) is a professional who supports the right to education and training of children and young people with special educational needs within mainstream schools. The EIS's work is part of special education measures and includes supporting school learning by intervening in the context and promoting the implementation of appropriate strategies, as well as fostering the social development of pupils. These tasks are carried out in collaboration with other key figures in the students' growth path, such as class teachers and subject teachers, educational support teachers, families and other professionals working in the educational and therapeutic fields. In summary, the EIS carries out its activities in the school context, collaborates with other figures fundamental to the child's development and provides targeted support for the learning of pupils who need additional support to that provided in the ordinary school system. If pupils require more intensive support, there is the option of special schooling, which is organised in two ways: inclusive classes or small classes.
How does the EIS work in schools?
In carrying out its functions, the EIS operates on two complementary levels: the context and the student. This means that the EIS's focus is not solely on providing individual support to the student, but also on helping to create conditions that make the context accessible and “facilitating” for the student. In these cases, we refer to environmental facilitators and obstacles, meaning those conditions that enable, prevent or hinder access to the opportunities offered by the environment, in this case the school.
Some concrete examples of these ‘facilitators’?
To make an environment accessible, it may be useful to pay attention, for example, to the materials used, the layout of the space and the teaching aids available in the classroom, as well as sensory stimuli such as noise, lighting and surfaces. In addition to these “physical” elements, it is important to consider more relational aspects such as the communication methods used by the adults involved and raising awareness among peers about the needs of their classmates. Creating a space that is accessible to all members of the class is a collective action, which must be carried out in collaboration with the teachers, and from which other students also benefit.
An accessible environment is one that promotes learning and the establishment of positive mutual relationships. However, making the environment accessible is not always enough to meet all educational needs and, as a result, the EIS also has the task of working at an individual level to provide students with the support they need to achieve the various goals and objectives of the proposed activities, seeking to promote autonomy as much as possible.
In short, it is a complex task that requires mastery of multiple areas of knowledge...
Working with students who, for various reasons, may encounter learning difficulties, EISs are sometimes confronted with diagnoses and disorders characterised by specific characteristics (e.g. specific learning disorders, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit disorder). For this reason, it is necessary for the operator to have theoretical knowledge that helps to describe and understand how some students function. This knowledge provides guidance and suggests, in broad terms, what strategies, methods and objectives should be set. However, this perspective is not sufficient: a “technical” understanding of the difficulties must be accompanied by an in-depth knowledge of the uniqueness and specificities of the individual student, gained through observation, interaction and exchange with the student's other reference figures.
These interactions also require specific skills, starting with interpersonal skills, combined with the ability to build plans together with others in order to make joint decisions that integrate everyone's knowledge and experience and are sustainable for all those involved. This is a task that requires care and great flexibility, as there are many variables at play and solutions must be tailored to different working contexts.
How does EIS relate to the family of the student involved?
The involvement of families in the educational project plays a crucial role. The EIS, together with class teachers, subject teachers, educational support teachers and other professionals, is responsible for creating an educational alliance with parents, involving them in key decisions concerning their child's programme, keeping them up to date with developments and sharing mutual knowledge about the child's specific needs. A student's growth path, especially when difficulties arise, can generate concerns, frustrations and sadness, aspects that must be accepted and supported, primarily in the interests of the students themselves.
Working at school with students who show difficulties is a complex and exciting task, which requires the activation of numerous professional and personal skills. Days at EIS often differ from one another, creating a working environment in which the unexpected becomes the norm and where, for this very reason, collaboration and mutual support become essential for performing one's duties to the best of one's ability.