Strategies for Paraprofessionals

1
Strategies for Paraprofessionals

• August 24, 2009
• Jill Paul and Alacia Stainbrook

2
http//web.utk.edu/lre4life/
3
TREAT ALL STUDENTS WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT
Establish Rapport. Never do something to a
student that you would not want to have another
teacher/teaching assistant do to your own child.
When speaking to a student with a disability,
especially one with a severe disability, be sure
to speak to him/her as you would speak to a
same-age peer, without a disability. Students
need support, not sympathy or benevolence.
4
USE PEOPLE-FIRST LANGUAGE. When speaking about
students. If you do not advocate (as special
educators) for these students as STUDENTS first,
no one else will.
5

• Making the Change to People First Language
• "handicapped" or "disabled" should be replaced
  with "people with disabilities"
• "the handicapped" or "the disabled" should be
  replaced with "people who have disabilities"
• "he/she is wheelchair bound" or "he/she is
  confined to a wheelchair" should be replaced with
  "he/she uses a wheelchair"
• "he/she has a birth defect" should be replaced
  with "he/she has a congenital disability"
• "handicapped" in reference to parking, bathrooms,
  rooms etc. should be replaced with "accessible" 
• "he/she is retarded or MR" should be replaced
  with "he/she has a cognitive disability or mental
  retardation"

6
Know Your Student

• Get to know your student as a person
• IEP Objectives IEP at-a-glance
• Learn student-specific accommodations
• Think about strategies for keeping data

7
Primary Characteristics of Autism Spectrum
Disorder

• Impaired Social Relating and Reciprocity

• Disordered Language and Communication Development

• Restricted Interests and Repetitive Activities

8
Autism Social Deficits

• Lack of reciprocity
• Lack of eye contact and facial expressions
• Failure to develop peer relationships
• Lack of showing or pointing out objects of
  interest

• Poor perspective-taking/empathy
• Difficulty understanding nonverbal cues
• Poor understanding of social rules/ conventions
• Limited play skills

Denotes diagnostic criteria
9
Socialization and Autism

• Like most people with autism, I have
  difficulties in communication with other people.
  To read between the lines, take a hint,
  understand body language or expressions of the
  face, is difficult for me. I listen to what
  people say instead(and I try to understand all
  that other stuff as well, but that is
  difficult).
• David ( 27 year-old man with autism)

10
Social Stories

• Hi! My name is____. I am going to the
  1st grade. I used to be in Ms. ______
  Kindergarten class. I had lots of friends at
  school. I will have lots of friends in the 1st
  grade too. I will have a new teacher, but she
  will help me just like Ms. ______. I am going to
  go to different rooms like the cafeteria and
  music room. That is okay because I will be with
  my friends and do fun things. I love the 1st
  grade!

11
Social Stories

• Story written from the students perspective that
  explains the expectations of a situation
• Should be written in first person and in a
  positive manner (stating desired not undesired
  behaviors)

12
Writing a Social Story

• 1 directive/ control sentence
• 2-5 descriptive/ perspective
• The primary role of the Social Story is to
• offer social understanding.
• Alternate behaviors or directions can be included
  after the person gains social understanding.

13
Descriptive Sentence

• Descriptive- What is happening in a social
  situation.
• Who is involved. What they are doing. Why are
  they doing it.
• Example- At lunchtime the cafeteria is filled
  with students. Students talk and laugh. It is
  sometimes loud.

14
Directive Sentence

• Directive- This suggests what to do or the
  desired response to a given cue or a situation.
• Example- Sometimes you may ask t take a walk
  when it is too loud.
• You can try to ask for a break when people are
  too close.
• Sometimes you can take a walkman to the
  cafeteria.

15
Perspective Sentence

• Perspective- This describes the reactions and
  feelings of others involved in a situation.
• Example- Children usually feel happy when they
  laugh.
• People laugh because they feel happy to be with
  friends.
• People move away when you get mad and scream
  because sometimes they are confused. Sometimes
  they are afraid.

16
Control Sentence

• Control- This provides the person a way to
  remember. (often written with input from the
  person who need to remember)
• Example- I can put the walkman by the door so I
  can remember to take it with me.
• I can put my schedule on my desk so I can
  remember what is next.

17
Pitfalls

• Only tell a person NO, Wrong, or Stop
• Provide expectation without information
• Use always or never
• Be used without proper planning or implementation

18
Social Stories

• For transition to new grades
• For major events (i.e. field trips, etc)
• For problem routines (i.e. going to the
  cafeteria, playing a game with friends)

19
Use peers to teach

• Very important to build in social opportunities -
  they will not just happen on their own
• Teach peers to initiate
• Ask student to play
• Ask student a question
• Ask student for a material
• Have peers give instruction
• Teach peers to persist
• Use games with turn-taking

20
Autism Language/Communication Deficits

• Delayed/disordered language development
• Delay in or lack of spoken language
• Unusual language features (i.e., echolalia,
  jargon)
• Difficulty with abstract language

• Limited use of nonverbal communication
• Inconsistent language understanding
• Lack of imitation skills
• Limited purposes of communication
• Differences in pitch, loudness, or other voice
  qualities

Denotes diagnostic criteria
21
Supporting communication Skills

• Use visual supports
• Watch for Verbal overload
• Slow down verbal pace
• Emphasize Key Words-Keep Words Concrete and
  specific
• Use Rhythm, Intonation and Music
• Acknowledge communication attempts both verbal
  and non-verbal
• Substitute communication
• Avoid using idioms, sarcasm and puns
• Emphasize key words

22
PROVIDE PREDICTABILITY. Many students, even
those without disabilities, need predictability
throughout their day. As an educational
assistant, you should be thinking about ways to
increase students predictability (personal
schedules, first this, than this, class
schedules, monitoring completion of tasks).
23
Visual Schedules

• Allow the student to see what his/her day will
  look like
• Helps to plan for changes in the students day
• Builds routine and predictability
• Use an individual schedule (at least in the
  beginning)
• May consider use of transition object (from
  outside) for some students
• Give warnings prior to leaving a preferred
  activity
• Use a timer for preferred activities

24
Routines Strategies

• Teach classroom routines (i.e. passing in papers,
  going to lunch, sharpening pencils, hand-washing,
  etc.)
• Balancing the agenda (i.e. familiar and calming
  activities, rotate between active and inactive,
  incorporate special interests, provide down-time,
  etc.)
• Simplify language (minimize words when giving
  directions, use visuals/written, use sequence
  words first/then, etc.)
• just because a student is highly verbal doesnt
  mean their understanding is at the same level
• Watch for literal interpretation

25
Teaching use of visual schedules

• A minimum of 2 schedule items (NOT JUST ONE)
  should be presented at a time so that students
  begin to understand that events and activities
  happen in a sequential manner not in isolation
• Teach using only physical prompts (as opposed to
  verbal)-the verbal prompts are much harder to
  fade and the ultimate goal is independence

26
A Schedule Should

• Be individualized to the child
• Provide a sequence of events and/or location of
  events
• Provide predictability
• Support the students level of understanding
• Promote independence
• Ease transitions

27
Use visual instead of verbal cues

• Minimize the words you use
• Students with autism often need time to process
  and the fewer words the better
• Use visuals for class rules (i.e. nice hands,
  sit, quiet voice, etc)-the picture reminder
  should be all he needs
• Review rules with visuals each day in the
  beginning, and prior to transitions.

28
Alternative and Augmentative Communication Devices

• PECS
• GoTalk, CheapTalk, Big Mac, etc
• Writing with symbols
• Sign language
• Smartboards
• Touch screen computers

29
NEVER SPEAK FOR A STUDENT. Make sure that
adults and students SPEAK TO THE STUDENT, rather
than to you (even if the student is not able to
speak using his/her voice, for him/herself).
30
Participation

• It is IMPORTANT for a student to be able to
  participate on any level to feel part of the
  class and also have their class see them
  differently.

31

• Participation

It is IMPORTANT for a student to be able to
participate on any level to feel part of the
class and also have their class see them
differently.
32
Providing motivation for learning
33
DO NOT DO FOR THE STUDENT. You have to teach
them how to do for themselves and that comes
from letting them do things, not doing for
them. A little bit of what we know about
instruction
34
FACILITATE NATURAL SUPPORTS FOR STUDENTS WITH
DISABILITIES. If you are assigned to a
specific student (even 11 ancillary attendants),
remember that does not mean that you have to be
right next to the student all day long, AND it
does not mean you are not doing your job if you
are not right next to the student. You need to
be facilitating natural supports such that the
student is supported by those around him whenever
needed.
35
Use a first/then board

• Particularly for non-preferred tasks
• Lets him know that he will get to do something or
  have something that he wants after he completes
  something else
• NOT an if/then board
• This frequently works well for students with
  autism. Demonstrate the desired behavior and then
  what he will get when he does the desired
  behavior. Put it where he can see it and wait him
  out.

36
Learning Modifications

• Writing
• Can be very difficult and almost painful for our
  students with autism.
• Weighted pencil
• Markers and wipe off board
• Type of papers
• Alpha smart
• Computer
• Label maker

37
Learning Modifications

• Reading
• Boardmaker

38
Learning and Behavior

• Common sources of behavior problems
• Inability to communicate
• Lack of intrinsic motivation
• Difficulty with a task
• Unclear expectations

39
Behavior Support

• Consider using class-wide reinforcement if there
  is one
• Use an individual system in the beginning
• Frequently praise/reward positive behavior
• Use specific praise (i.e. Good sitting, I love
  how you are listening Awesome that is a blue
  triangle)
• Teach the student to use a break card

40
Things that may set off behavior

• May happen in or out of school/classroom
• Possible conditions to increase likelihood of
  behaviors
• Anxiety
• Schedule changes
• Staff changes
• Medications changed or missed
• Irregular sleep patterns
• Illness
• Missed meals
• Excessive hot/cold
• Argument/fight with classmates, family, teachers
• Difficulties on the bus
• Skills deficit

41
Visuals Visuals Visuals

• Using visuals decreases behavior due to
  predicability.
• Students feel more positive when they know what
  is expected of them.
• Do not take visuals away when you think the
  student is doing just fine.
• Visuals can be objects, pictures or written

42
Attend or Ignore?

• Many problem behaviors are maintained by
  attention
• When you attend to noncompliant behavior, you
  reinforce it
• State your expectation, and ignore subsequent
  inappropriate behaviors
• IMMEDIATELY praise appropriate behaviors

43
AVOID POWER STRUGGLES WITH STUDENTS. It is
important to remember that YOU are the adult in
the situation, and a power struggle is a
lose-lose situation. You have the power to
escalate or de-escalate a situation. Also
remember that YOU are the adult.
44
PROVIDE STUDENTS AMPLE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE
CHOICES THROUGHOUT THE DAY (within activities
and among them, as well). This will help them
feel empowered and they will be less likely to
gain control on their terms of we give them
control on our terms.
45
It Makes All The Difference!
46
(No Transcript)
47

• Choice of activities.
• Choice of sequence of certain activities.
• Choice of reinforcers.
• Choice of with whom to do an activity.
• Choice to join and/or terminate an activity.
• Different ways to do a task and get the same
  outcome(s).

48
DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS If you are
unsure about how to support a student, ask
questions. Ask the student. Ask the
teacher. Work as a team!
49
Our Behavior

• Doing the work for the student to make it easier
  on them AND us
• Its easier not to worry about the schedule, just
  tell them
• They really dont need a schedule, they never
  look at it
• Too much stuff to carry around

50
Sensory Issues

• Touch
• Smell
• Taste
• Sound
• Vision

51
Sensory concerns

• Many students with autism need sensory breaks
• Motor breaks
• Fidgets
• Heavy work activities
• Deep pressure
• Some students will ask for squeezes or hugs.
• Sensory diets should be individualized

52
If you have met one child with autismyou have
met one child with autism.
53
Websites

• http//intranet/student_support_services/modificat
  ions_sss/index.htm
• http//www.wcs.edu/parentstudent/SSS/autism/
• http//mrsriley.com/quick-tour