KINGSTON, Jamaica—In a word, it’s transformative – the bonding between parents and special education needs assistants to enhance the well-being of autistic students – children wonderfully made, with their prowess patent proof, that like any other child, they must not be left behind.

It’s bonding, enabling strategic building blocks to be laid between families and special education needs assistants (SENA), formerly known as shadows/caregivers, contractually engaged by the Ministry of Education, Youth, Skills and Information (MoESYI) to provide support to children with special needs in a school setting. Their role, primarily, is to facilitate the children’s participation, socialisation, and eventual independence while ensuring their safety and well-being.

Of the 217 students placed in private non-governmental special education institutions for the 2025-2026 academic year, 124 (57 per cent) were students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Of the 696 approved for shadow support for the said academic year, 486 (70 per cent) were diagnosed with ASD. In endeavouring to avoid any child being left behind, the MoESYI, by extension the Special Education Unit, has also been placing students in schools on a provisional basis while waiting on the psychological education assessment report. There is therefore a standard of operation that speaks to not having students out of school while waiting for the report, with a provisional document such as a doctor’s report being used.

Dana Beckford

The work of the special education needs assistants with families, while accompanying and helping to develop skills of their autistic children in school environs, presents, as such, particular profiles in patience and perseverance. They are special human interest stories of attention and care.

The close-knit family of eight-year-old Kylian Barnett, says special education needs assistant Dana Beckford, supported her work of helping Kylian with his personal care and learning at the Solid Base Preparatory and Kindergarten School in Spanish Town.

“He’s a child getting help from home, they work together, doing a great job – and that surely helps,” said the family.

Kylian’s father Keino Barnett refused to be drowned in despair at the onset of his son’s autism disorder.

“He was three-years-old when we realised something was off. I was calm because autism wasn’t foreign to me. I knew he could still be excellent even though he is autistic,” he said.

Barnett, at that time, was a music teacher at the Aintree Basic School in Portmore, teaching drumming to a nonverbal autistic child. “He was talented – and the drumming helped his overall learning,” he said.

Hannah-Lisa Clue

Family support for son Kylian, says Barnett, is amazing. “Everyone is always willing to assist in whatever way they can, especially his sister and grandparents; and even though he tends to be a bit shy, he is very affectionate. He’s very easy to understand because he knows where everything is so he will point to what he wants,” said Barnett.

The nonverbal child whom Dana Beckford calmly began working with in July 2024, being patient and gently persuasive, is now speaking a few words.

“He is doing so much on his own,” she said. His father asserts that she is very good with Kylian and that there are a lot of improvements.

“There are definite changes in his behaviour, and she has contributed immensely to his learning because she spends a lot of time working with him on literacy and numeracy. There is a lot of growth. The difference she’s making is the commitment and drive being shown for him be passionate about a lot of things he wasn’t interested in at first,” he said.

It is the commitment and drive characterising the approach and attitude of other special education needs assistants working with families.

Angela Davis- Johnson said she has to be patient. “I always have to be positive, affectionate, and respectful – showing my love and interest. You’re up against children who can be moody – and at times there can be a meltdown. I cater to the individual needs of each child as every child is unique with varying personalities, interests and learning styles. Through my interactions, especially with a nonverbal child, I build trust with child and family so that we’re all comfortably addressing the child’s concerns and development,” said Davis-Johnson.

She gives positive instructions and directions, minimising the use of don’t and stop.

“I praise the children with every good effort and deed to produce the desired behaviour,” she said, and points to training periodically throughout the year provided by the MoESYI and the Special Education Unit.

The ministry provides Early Stimulation Programmes (ESP) for young children, six years and under, with various types of developmental disabilities. A new curriculum for students with moderate to acute intellectual disabilities has also been developed by the MoESYI and the Special Education Unit.

Hannah-Lisa Clue said that, in addition to patience, it requires compassion and strong communication skills.

“You also have to be flexible and willing to learn every day,” she said. “In strengthening interaction, I use simple communication methods like pictures, gestures, and routines. I also work closely with parents to share strategies so the child can feel supported both at home and at school.”