Posted on: 3rd Nov 2025

5N1786 Special Needs Assisting Level 5 Assessment Brief Pack A

Skills Demonstration – 60% – Learner Instructions

This skills demonstration assessment addresses the following learning outcomes.

Learning Outcome Learning Outcome Text
LO 5Relate effectively and appropriately to children who present with additional needs.
LO 6Use care routines in feeding, toileting and general hygiene.
LO 7Maintain appropriate relationships with children, parents, primary carers, teachers and other members of the multidisciplinary team.
LO 9Assist children with disabilities in a range of activities, ensuring equality of opportunity through working in a safe and professional manner.
LO 10Reflect on personal practice working with children, their parents or guardians and colleagues ensuring that children’s individuality is promoted and that their needs are met

Guideline word count: 1,500 words. *Word counts are guidelines only – you are not rewarded or penalised for the number of words you use, it is the quality of your work that matters.

Title: Special Needs Assisting – Practical Tasks 

You are required to plan and carry out an activity which demonstrates your skills when working with children with special needs. The activity should promote the autonomy and independence of the child. Identify a child that you work/worked with in a school/centre and complete the following:

  • Brief introduction to the child you have chosen,
  • Give the child a first name and age,
  • Outline briefly the child’s condition/reason for assistance.

Where the learner has no experience to draw on, the following case study may be used.

Case Study:

Alanna was born prematurely with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy. She spent some time in hospital after birth and was fed through a gastrointestinal tube. She was slow reaching all her physical milestones, she still had significant head lag at six months and did not sit unaided until 18 months. By four years she had started to walk unaided but was not yet completely toilet trained. She was also diagnosed with Epilepsy.

Alanna’s language development is affected and while she has a good vocabulary, she does not speak clearly.

Alanna started school just before her sixth birthday, she is very engaged and capable. She can walk short distances with a walker but is primarily a wheelchair user. She loves to play on her computer and enjoys being read to. Alanna is now in first class.

Alanna can read quite well but struggles with writing and fine motor skills in general. She needs a clear work space with no obstacles to manoeuvre in the classroom.

Alanna also needs assistance with toileting, she needs support holding doors open and with her balance.

At lunch time she can self feed using adaptive equipment such as a cut-out cup, modified fork/spoon, but needs support as she is at risk of choking and gagging, she may also need support opening cartons etc. She may need longer than other children to consume her lunch.

●     Briefly outline the activity that you will assist the child to complete (10 Marks)

○     Introduction to the child (5 Marks)

○ Condition/reason for assistance requirement (5 Marks)

●     Rationale for this activity (15 Marks)

○     Aim and Rationale of the Activity explained (5 Marks)

○ Appropriate assistance given and steps outlined (5 Marks)

○ Effective communication used with evidence of appropriate social skills (5 Marks)

●     Evaluate the activity and the benefit to the child (15 Marks)

○     Discuss the pros and cons of the activity (5 Marks)

○ Discuss benefit to the child (5 Marks)

○ Changes you would make to further benefit the child (5 Marks)

Detail the steps you would use to assist the child in the following:

●     Feeding (10 Marks)

○     Appropriate level of assistance given (3 Marks)

○ Empathy patience and kindness demonstrated (2 Marks)

○ Independance prompted as appropriate (3 Marks)

○ Effective communication demonstrated (2 Marks)

Toileting (10 Marks)

○ Toileting assisted appropriately (3 Marks)

○ Empathy and understanding demonstrated (2 Marks)

○ Independence promoted as appropriate (3 Marks)

○ Effective communication demonstrated (2 Marks)

While completing this skills demonstration, please take every opportunity to demonstrate the following:

● Personal skills: 

○ Understanding of the role of the Special Needs Assistant,

○ Empathy,

○ Patience,

○ Kindness.

● Interpersonal skills: 

○ Effective communication,

○ Active listening,

○ Teamwork,

○ Non-verbal communication.

Remember:

  • Maintain confidentiality, do not use names of people or places, use pseudonyms,
  • Review learning outcomes and marking criteria and refer to them regularly to ensure they are being met.
  • See assessment document for details on submission, referencing and plagiarism.

Learner Record – 40% – Learner Instructions

This learner record addresses the following learning outcomes.

Learning OutcomeLearning Outcome Text 
LO 1Explore the role and responsibilities of the Special Needs Assistant
LO 2Examine the qualities and skills of an effective Special Needs Assistant
LO 3Examine relevant legislation in relation to disability
LO 4Explore the rights of children with disabilities in relation to personal autonomy, participation and decision making
LO 8Work effectively with children who present with disabilities under the direction of the classroom teacher.
LO 10Reflect on personal practice working with children, their parents or guardians and colleagues ensuring that children’s individuality is promoted and that their needs are met

Guideline word count: 2,000 words. *Word counts are guidelines only – you are not rewarded or penalised for the number of words you use, it is the quality of your work that matters.

Title: Learner Record

This learner record offers the learner the opportunity to further explore topics relevant to this module.

Learners must produce 8 Learner Records that demonstrate their understanding of the following:

Learner Record 1

●     Review and give an explanation of the relevant legislation regarding the rights of individuals with disabilities to include:

○     The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (2 marks)

○ The EPSEN Act (2 marks)

○ Reflection (1 mark)

Learner Record 2

●     Review and explanation of the relevant legislation regarding the rights of individuals with disabilities to include:

○     The Disability Act (2 marks)

○ The Equal Status Act (2 marks)

○ Reflection (1 mark)

Learner Record 3

●     Discuss the roles and responsibilities of the Special Needs Assistant:

○     Roles (2 marks)

○ Responsibilities (2 marks)

○ Reflection (1 mark)

Learner Record 4

●     Examine the qualities and skills required when working with children with disabilities: ○ Qualities (2 marks)

○     Skills (2 marks)

○ Reflection (1 mark)

Learner Record 5

●     Consider how relationships with other stakeholders were created and maintained:

○     Relationships with stakeholders (2 marks)

○ Working under the direction of the teacher (2 marks)

○ Reflection (1 mark)

Learner Record 6

●     Discuss how you promote the rights of children with disabilities in relation to:

○     Autonomy (2 marks)

○ Supporting decision making (2 marks)

○ Reflection (1 mark)

Learner Record 7

●     Discuss how you promote the rights of children with disabilities in relation to:

○     Participation (2 marks)

○ Inclusion (2 marks)

○ Reflection (1 mark)

Learner Record 8

●     Personally reflect on:

○     How your attitude has changed during this course (2 marks)

○ Your own learning while working with children or through this course (3 marks)

Remember:

  • Maintain confidentiality, do not use names of people or places, use pseudonyms,
  • Review learning outcomes and marking criteria and refer to them regularly to ensure they are being met.
  • See assessment document for details on submission, referencing and plagiarism.

Academic Integrity and Referencing

Whenever you use someone else’s work in your assignment, make sure to credit them in a bibliography. A bibliography is a list of all the sources you used to help create your assignment, including both the ones you directly referenced and any additional sources you may have consulted. Referencing is an important part of academic writing, as it shows your readers where you got your information and helps them find those sources. You should use the Harvard Referencing Style for this, and the links below will guide you on how to do it properly. Be sure to clearly show in your assignment when you reference someone else’s work, so your assessor knows you are giving proper credit.

For example, in your project, you might write something like this:

  • “Kirkpatrick (2006) developed a four-level model for evaluating training, which was challenged and refined by Kaufman (1994). ”
  • “The Concept of Child Centred Education began to emerge in Europe in the 1700’s (Flood, 2023)”

And here’s how that would look in your Bibliography (please note your bibliography in not included in your word count):

  • Flood, E., 2013, Early Childhood Curriculum, Dublin, Gill and McMillan
  • Kirkpatrick, D., & Kirkpatrick, J. 2006. Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels. Berrett- Koehler Publishers.
  • Kaufman, R., & Keller, J. M. (1994). Levels of evaluation: beyond Kirkpatrick. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 5(4), 371-380

Online Referencing Tools:

Note on Use of Gen AI

P9 S8 C1 Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure – The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines for maintaining academic integrity across all areas of Forus Training’s scope of training and education provision. It also addresses the consequences of academic misconduct for Learners and sets out procedures for Trainers and other staff in dealing with areas of potential malpractice, including plagiarism and the misuse of Generative Artificial Intelligence (“Gen AI”, or “AI”) resources by Learners.

Submission Checklist

Use this checklist to make sure you’ve completed everything needed for your assessments and are ready to submit your final and completed work – learner evidence.

For each Assessment, you must submit:

Assessment Cover Sheet – Learner Declaration (given on the next page of this document – a

Microsoft Word version is available to download from your Learner Pack)

Your completed work

○ Make sure you’ve done all the parts / tasks listed in your Assessment Brief

Bibliography

○ Make sure you’ve properly credited all your sources

For each Assessment, please make sure:

It is formatted correctly and everything is neat and easy to read

Proofread your work – fix any spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes

Double-check that your work meets the criteria and answers what’s being asked

Assessment Cover Sheet – Learner Declaration

Learner Name:
Learner DOB:
Learner PPS Number:
Learner Email Address:
Learner Phone Number:
Course Title:
Course Code:
Assessment Title:
Trainer Name:
Today’s Date:

By submitting this file, I declare that:

  • I have kept copies of my learner evidence, and I understand that my learner evidence will not be returned to me.
  • All the work in this file is my own, except for what I’ve referenced. I understand that plagiarism will lead to disqualification.
  • If my assessment involves a practical skills demonstration, I understand that it is recorded by me, and I have submitted the video evidence.
  • I have not included any recognisable photos of children or vulnerable adults in my learner evidence, and have used pseudonyms or anonymised subjects when writing about them.
  • I have either been funded to complete this course or I have paid in full. I understand that my submission will not be processed until my account is cleared.

○ If I am funded, I have fully completed and signed the necessary documentation for the funding body (such as TESG, POBAL, etc.), and this has been returned to Forus Training.

Please type your full name below to show that you agree to the above declaration:

Submission Instructions

To submit your learner evidence, use the My Forus Training submission platform: https://my.forustraining.ie

You can submit up to 3 files for each assessment.

If you’d like to see this process visually, we have created a video demonstrating the submission process: Video example of submitting your work.

The files you submit should be saved with the following naming format to ensure they are easily identifiable:

[EVENT ID] – [COURSE CODE] – [ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUE] – [YOUR NAME] Example: 12345 – 5N1786 – SKILLS DEMONSTRATION – JOE BLOGGS

Every submission must include a completed Assessment Cover Sheet – Learner Declaration. Submissions without this declaration will not be accepted.

This file should be saved with the following naming format:

[EVENT ID] – [COURSE CODE] – DECLARATION – [YOUR NAME]

Example: 12345 – XNXXXX – DECLARATION – JOE BLOGGS

If you are submitting an Answer Booklet, the first page is the Assessment Cover Sheet – Learner Declaration.

Extension Information

If you need an extension, email certification@forustraining.ie before the due date.

You will receive an application form to complete.

Your request will be reviewed, and you will be informed of the decision.

If approved, a new submission deadline will be given.

Reading List

  • Book: Assisting Children with Special Needs: An Irish Perspective. Author: Eilis Flood. – Highly recommended.
  • See reference list on the end slide of each presentation for links to resources referenced throughout each session.
  • Diversity Equality and Inclusion Charter for Early Years Providers:
    c9e90d89d94b41d3bf00201c98b2ef6a.pdf (assets.gov.ie)

aistear_theearlychildhoodcurriculumframework.pdf (ncca.ie)

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