Concerns about the Proliferation of One-to-One Paraprofessionals. Critical Issues Brief

Autor/in	Giangreco, Michael F.
Institution	Council for Exceptional Children, Division on Developmental Disabilities
Titel	Concerns about the Proliferation of One-to-One Paraprofessionals. Critical Issues Brief
Quelle	(2009), (11 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Autism; Developmental Disabilities; Mental Retardation; Mainstreaming; Inclusion; Paraprofessional School Personnel; Regular and Special Education Relationship; Student Needs; Interpersonal Relationship; Educational Environment; Self Determination; Student Participation; Decision Making + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Autismus; Entwicklungsstörung; Geistige Behinderung; Inklusion; Interpersonal relation; Interpersonal relations; Interpersonelle Beziehung; Zwischenmenschliche Beziehung; Lernumgebung; Pädagogische Umwelt; Schulumwelt; Selbstbestimmung; Schülermitarbeit; Schülermitwirkung; Studentische Mitbestimmung; Decision-making; Entscheidungsfindung
Abstract	As more students with autism, intellectual disabilities, and other developmental disabilities are placed in general education classes, an increasingly common practice is to assign these students one-to-one paraprofessionals as a primary support mechanism. Though offered with benevolent intentions, inappropriate reliance on one-to-one paraprofessionals has been identified a practice fraught with limitations (Giangreco, Yuan, McKenzie, Cameron, & Fialka, 2005). As such it warrants closer scrutiny as a critical issue in special education for at least four key reasons. Overreliance on one-to-one paraprofessionals: (a) is conceptually questionable, (b) may be an unduly restrictive support, (c) is associated with a host of inadvertent detrimental effects, and (d) is exacerbated by insufficient approaches for decision-making. Given the concerns associated with the utilization of one-one paraprofessionals, there are a number of steps school personnel can take to mitigate the problems and provide appropriate supports for students with disabilities who are placed in general education settings: (1) Utilize existing paraprofessionals in responsible ways; (2) Facilitate peer interactions and other natural supports; (3) Involve students with disabilities in making decisions about their own supports; (4) Explore less restrictive alternatives to using one-to-one paraprofessionals; (5) Explore ways to fade one-to-one supports; (6) Have a process for making decisions about one-to-one paraprofessional supports; and (7) Schools can consider systems-level alternatives to overreliance on paraprofessionals. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Council for Exceptional Children. P.O. Box 3512, Fayetteville, AR 72702. Web site: http://daddcec.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10