Teaching assistant support for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Chinese elementary schools: general education teachers’ perceptions

This study investigates Chinese general education teachers’ perceptions of teaching assistants’ (TAs) support for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We administered open-ended questionnaires to 358 participating teachers and interviewed eight participants. The results showed that teachers perceived behavioural and emotional adjustment among students with IDD as a significant benefit of TA support. Students with IDD also benefited in social development, academic gain, and functional skill development. However, while most teachers were satisfied with TA support, they had concerns about limited independence, decreased social interaction, stigma, behavioural problems, and limited access to professional academic support for students with IDD. The findings highlight the urgent need to enhance the effectiveness of TA support by clarifying TAs’ responsibilities, providing systematic training, and improving the one-on-one support model in Chinese elementary schools.