Learn 5 trends in Human Services for 2021

2021 will be a different year and many of us are breathing a sigh of relief over that. As much as we are all ready to embrace this new year of possibilities and put 2020 behind us, there will be some similar themes carrying forward for those working in human services in roles like education assistants, recreational therapy, autism home support, gerontology and others. Do not worry – the things that will continue into 2021 in human services are all positives!

Job Growth and Demand Will Continue for Education Assistants

The demand for education assistants (also known as teaching assistants, special education assistants, tutors, etc.) will continue to climb beyond the growing numbers seen in the past few years. If the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us anything, it is that some jobs will always be in demand and on the front lines. Teaching, and therefore, the role of education assistants are among these jobs. 

Demand for education assistants has continued to rise throughout the pandemic and those who have taken training in the field have been able to secure jobs quickly and in some cases, in even better roles than they had originally anticipated. Some individuals who have taken an education assistant program and/or continuing education courses like Orton Gillingham training, autism courses or gerontology courses, have actually received multiple job offers.

The growth in need for more education assistants will continue into and throughout 2021 and those who have the right personality traits and training will be able to work in the human services field regardless of what happens in other job fields. 

Unique Agency Pairings

Funds for every organization continue to be watched more carefully as the economy somewhat remains uncertain. When it comes to publicly-funded organizations like schools or not-for-profit associations, the purse strings will be drawn even tighter to ensure that every penny and dollar is used to its fullest potential. What this means in human services is that there may be some unexpected pairings of organizations to bring more benefits all around.  

For example, companies looking to provide adaptive educational software to school districts might do some of their research and development testing within a classroom environment that includes students with unique needs. The school would benefit from exploring new technology and access to cutting-edge free tools while the company would be able to test their offering within a live and realistic environment to make any changes or modifications before a wider release. 

Those in Human Services Will Continue To Grow in Their Field

While a traditional education assistant course with multiple sections will still provide the baseline of learning for those who wish to work in education-specific environments in human services, there will be a growing need for, and availability of, additional courses to deliver advanced education in specific areas. These additional courses will be ideal for those who have taken a community support worker program or other programs in human services and they will also fit those individuals who want to explore a specific aspect of the field. 

 

For example, recreational therapy programs will be on the rise both for those working in an educational environment as well as those in human services who want to assist individuals with disabilities, medical conditions, strengthening and overall beneficial therapy as part of an individual’s goals and advancement in life through leisure-based activities. 

 

Individuals working as education assistants will benefit from autism and ABA therapy (Applied Behavioural Analysis) in their work to help autistic students recognize rewards and consequences to create beneficial behaviours. Orton Gillingham training will also benefit education assistants in their work with students who have dyslexia as it gives EAs the tools they need to teach reading through multiple means that stimulate various parts of the brain to make the process more fun, engaging, and memorable. Beyond words and letters visible on a page, the Dyslexia training also makes use of movement and touch. 

 

Additionally, a gerontology course – studying the process of ageing – will become more necessary and popular as the Baby Boomers continue into their senior years and those in human services strive to support them. This support may come in a variety of ways from adapted physical movement, to dwelling modifications, cognitive assessment and social programming. 

Increased Use of Technology

Technology is not new for human services and the advancements will only continue to expand in areas that assist individuals of all walks of life be it in education, recreation or day-to-day life. 


For example, as virtual reality has become more mainstream, it can create experiences for those with disabilities and challenges that will help ease their anxiety in a virtual setting so that the real activity will become easier to tolerate. This could include helping someone with autism learn how to collect their mail or purchase bread from the convenience store. It may help a student with social anxiety navigate a busy school hallway. By experiencing triggers in the virtual space, people can become less sensitive to the same trigger in real life. 

 

Cloud-based storage will continue to make accessibility possible in a wider range of ways by saving settings and preferences from one device to another when a user logs in. This will ensure personalization for various types of learning does not have to be set up each time a user changes their device. Similarly, more open-source tools will allow those in human services to adapt materials and tools to various groups of individuals to ensure their experience is suitable. This could include ensuring a certain font size and type is always available on documents used by seniors. Margins and white space could be adapted for those with dyslexia or other learning disabilities. 

 

With more advanced technology will also come earlier screening of learning disabilities through activities that do not feel like screening at all. Those in human services will be able to hand a device to an individual and allow them to play a game, do a puzzle or complete an activity. While this person is having fun, the program will be assessing their abilities to see if further assessment is required. 

 

While we are all ready to wish 2020 goodbye and good-riddance, there are some parts of it that will be beneficial to keep into 2021 and beyond. 

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Use the Orton-Gillingham Approach for Treating Dyslexia?

Image
  What is Dyslexia?   Dyslexia is a very common learning disability known as a developmental reading disorder, affecting at least  1 in 10 children  worldwide. It causes trouble reading accurately and fluently, and can also affect reading comprehension, spelling and writing. Children with dyslexia have a much harder time learning to read, as it takes away their ability to read quickly and automatically or find spoken words easily. It does not affect a child’s creativity or ingenuity, and it occurs in children with normal intelligence. Early intervention is, however, very important to catch this while children are still young in order to treat it effectively.    There are  4 types  of dyslexia.   Phonological dyslexia.   Also called dysphonetic or auditory dyslexia, people with this type have difficulty processing the sounds of individual letters and syllables and cannot match them with the written forms.   Surface dyslexia.   Also called dyseidetic or visual dyslexia, this type is mark
Read more

What a Professional Life-Coaching Career Looks Like

Image
  The role of a coach can means a lot of things. They are someone who instructs, trains, or teaches other people a skill and how to actively use this skill in their life. This is something that everyone can use, and we kind of coach each other throughout our lives in a lot of ways already. Sometimes you might have your friends coaching you on navigating your relationships, your parents might try to coach you while you are starting to look for your first job, and your teachers will be coaching you on how to start applying to get into school. Sometimes in life though, people need a more serious and committed person in that role to really help them get or stay on track of what they want to accomplish. This is where a professional life coach comes in.    A life coach is trained to help people hone their skills, personality, and goals, and can give people the tools to really be successful in life. Maybe this means helping them get organized or changing certain patterns and ways of thinking.
Read more

Why a Career in Mental Health Support is Important and Fulfilling

Image
  Mental health is a universal subject that rarely gets the attention it deserves, with  1 in 8 people  living with a mental health disorder worldwide. Mental health conditions and substance use disorders are increasing everywhere, with a  13% rise  in the past 10 years globally, with anxiety and depression being the most common. This contributes to the rise in drug use and addiction as well, creating even more issues and necessary treatment.   The Drug Crisis in British Colombia   The illicit drug crisis in BC is still going strong, claiming more lives than motor-vehicle incidents, homicides or suicides, and fire or drowning-related deaths combined. According to the most recent  B.C. Coroners Service Report , since the start of 2022 in British Colombia alone there have been 722 deaths attributed to illicit drug toxicity. Of those deaths, 73% were aged 30 to 59, and 76% were male. Most of these occurred very close to home in Vancouver, Surrey and Victoria. This equates to an average of
Read more