Paraeducator - Non-Mainstream Special Education - Structured Program

Para educator
- Non-Mainstream Special Education

This position's responsibilities are to assist certificated staff with instructional and non-instructional activities for non-mainstreamed special education students, generally in a self-contained classroom, and including instructing students individually or in small groups, assisting students with basic life skills, and supervising student behavior activities. Activities may include personal care, toilet teaching, feeding and communication development in addition to academic or pre-academic instruction.

Essential functions depending upon individual assignment, the Para educator
- Non-Mainstream Special Education may perform all or a combination of several of the following duties:

• Instructs moderately to severely handicapped students individually or in small groups in a variety of learning activities to promote student understanding of materials presented.
• Communicates with certificated staff concerning individual student progress; adjusts methods to meet the needs of a wide variety of students; consults with certificated staff concerning remediation or enrichment activities.
• Assists certificated staff in maintaining records, logs, charts, assignments and other records for assessment of student progress.
• Attends to student physical and safety needs; monitors students for medical risks such as seizures and behaviors that may result in harm to themselves or others. Corrects behaviors and maintains discipline according to established policies and procedures.
• Assists students with toileting, which may include catheterization and diapering; attends to the personal hygiene needs of students. Assists students in washing hands and face, brushing teeth and hair, and taking showers.
• Assists students with interpersonal and personal skills mastery; helps feed students and teaches social aspects of eating with others.
• Assists students with basic living skills and pre-vocational activities. Works with students to develop communication skills; facilitates integration of students with age-group peers to the extent possible.
• Establishes and maintains effective communication with students, staff and parents for student progress and safety, and community relations.
• Provides physical assistance to students, such as lifting or positioning. Uses adaptive equipment to communicate with students; follows and documents procedures established by physical therapist.
• Monitors need for first aid for students and refers for treatment as appropriate.
• Maintains cleanliness and hygiene of classroom, implements and equipment. Washes dishes; cleans and disinfects tables and counters; washes and dries clothes, towels, washcloths and bibs.

Other functions may include alerting qualified district staff to student problems, locating, preparing and/or modifying materials for student use, enrichment activities and special projects under the direction of certificated staff, preparing, duplicating, collating and distributing materials; operating a variety of office equipment, maintaining physical appearance of classroom and other assigned areas; maintaining, assembling and storing therapeutic and other equipment as assigned;

maintaining supplies as assigned; serving on various district committees and/or departmental work teams.

Reporting relationships include reporting to the school principal or assigned administrator; receiving guidance from certificated staff.

Mental demands may include frequent interruptions, dealing with a wide range of student behaviors and academic abilities, and dealing with a wide range of physical or emotional disabilities. Physical demands may include exposure to ordinary infectious diseases carried by students, exposure to student noise levels, lifting and positioning students and their special equipment such as wheelchairs, working in non-routine positions for extended periods, attending to students' personal hygiene, exposure to biting behavior, precautions to avoid exposure to student bodily fluids, and playground supervision requiring working outdoors in inclement weather.

Minimum qualifications include education and experience necessary to carry out the assignment, with experience working with school age children and special needs students preferred. Non-violent crisis intervention, development and use of PECS, visual schedule systems, and visual supports, use of Social Stories, universal precautions and toilet teaching for special needs, understanding of child development and the needs of students on the Autism spectrum, and sensory processing.

Completion of the Autism Spectrum Disorder course. For Title One and Title One School-wide Special Education positions there is an associate degree, or proof of completion of the Washington State Para educator Assessment, or two years of higher education requirement per the Federal "No Child Left Behind" Act.

Required knowledge, skills and abilities include demonstrated skill in reading, writing and communicating, knowledge of basic subject areas,…