The Need for Space
My memories of being bullied in middle school and high school are still vivid. As someone on the autism spectrum, the complexity of social relationships was especially challenging during my formative years. It is with great compassion that I now face the challenge of inclusive settings as a teacher. I see a lot of myself in many of the students I have worked with over the years. Many of these students, who are also on the autism spectrum, are socially isolated. This is especially true as students transition to high school, where social difficulties reach their peak.
Barriers to Social Involvement
Especially at the high school level, the presence of a paraprofessional in the general environment can limit social opportunities. According to a study by Carter et al. (2015), in general education settings, the presence of a paraprofessional can cause peers to hesitate to participate in the community with the student being supported. This effect seems to be more pronounced as the age of the students. If students are socially disadvantaged and presented with additional barriers, it is not difficult to see why many experience negative social outcomes.
High school students are a rare breed—one that I never fully understood. This contributed greatly to my stress as a student. I know what doesn’t fly in a high school classroom: the eyes and ears of a probing adult. The presence of a paraprofessional reduces the ability to outsource or become a student who hears gossip. The truly rich social interactions between high school students often occur when the principal is not present or participating. Students with disabilities need regular peer models who can guide them in navigating the rich social tapestry of the high school classroom. Like adults, paraprofessionals are limited in their ability to fulfill this role.
Peer Mediation Support as an Inclusive Strategy
Peer support provides an accessible and effective strategy for increasing access to inclusive settings for students with disabilities. This evidence-based practice has been shown to produce positive results for both students who need additional resources and their peers who provide structured support. It is a technique that can be used with limited resources in almost any setting.
Brock and Carter (2013) noted that, given high-quality training, the support provided by a paraprofessional has a significant positive impact on the outcomes of the supported student. With nearly 400,000 paraprofessionals employed at the time of this study, the positive impact made by this group of teachers is truly beyond measure. Peer support does not eliminate the role of the paraprofessional—this distinction is incredibly important. Instead, the paraprofessional helps oversee peer support relationships while taking on a broader support role in the classroom. The increased physical distance between the intern and the supported student creates a space for peer interaction.
Long-Term Community Benefits
Peer support can be employed to help students with disabilities acquire a wide range of skills. The usefulness of this strategy is not limited to social media. However, its application to the complexities of public engagement is particularly compelling. Continuous use of peer support at the primary school level may reduce the need for formal social support in later years. By using peer support during recess, students can learn to navigate social relationships at an early age. This can help address the large gap in social understanding often seen between students with disabilities and their neurotypical peers in high school.
Implementation Process
Peer support is typically used in four different categories. Successful implementation of these processes depends on thorough planning and preparation at the initial stage. In the first stage, students, peers, and goals are identified. The structure of their role and the support to be provided is planned and clearly defined. This may include finding a peer who can help a student with a disability greet their classmates or a student who can invite a student with special needs to join playground activities. Individualization is important—professionals know the needs of their students. The application of this strategy is broad, making it ideal for creative teachers looking for unique ways to support their students.
The second stage is where the students participate and prepare their roles. It is important to invite, not assign, the student to serve as peer support. Both the peer model and the student with a disability must give informed consent before the strategy can be implemented. Student motivation and reassurance are important—not all students will want to participate in peer support. Providing regular training and practice improves results and promotes a positive experience for all participants. Paraprofessionals play an important role in training and supervising peer support. Building friendships with student participants is a major focus of this implementation phase.
In the third stage, students take on their identified roles, and the strategy is implemented in the general education environment. A paraprofessional is still available but increases the distance from the disabled student. Although regular training is provided, the paraprofessional primarily monitors student relationships and intervenes only when needed. This allows for a more natural fading process during the final stage. As structured support decreases, students have the opportunity to celebrate success and continue to build their new relationships.
Empathy and Inclusive Leadership
The impact of these relationships can be far-reaching. Carter et al. (2015) noted that students who provided peer support gained skills in communication and support while enriching their empathy and increasing their understanding of the importance of inclusion. These skills are important as students move into leadership roles and begin to influence policy and legislation. Future inclusive environments will be created by empathetic people who learn to value diversity as learners. As educators, we can directly impact the availability of inclusive settings through peer support—directly teaching compassionate leadership and inclusion awareness.
The negative social experiences I experienced as a teenager may end in my generation. Teachers today are empowered with new tools to create lasting change for students with disabilities. Isolation does not have to be automatic for students with limited social skills. The future of inclusion depends on teachers today. By using peer support, the immediate benefits are measurable for the students involved, with far-reaching effects that continue to emerge. The generation of students in our classrooms today will define what inclusion looks like tomorrow. Using peer support, we can work to ensure that meaning reflects empathy, connection, and presence.
References
Brock, ME, & Carter, EW (2013). Implications of a professional development package for preparing special education professionals to use evidence-based practices. Journal of Special Education, 47(3), 170–185.
Carter, EW, Asmus, J., Moss, CK, Biggs, EE, Bolt, DM, Born, TL, Brock, ME, Cattey, GN, Cheney, D., Fesperman, E., & Vincent, LB (2015). A randomized trial of peer support programs to support the inclusion of high school students with severe disabilities. Exceptional Children, 82(2), 209–233.
