Some children with disabilities may require the support service of an individual paraprofessional for
all or a portion of the school day to address their individual needs
and to allow them to benefit from instruction. Among other things, a
paraprofessional can be assigned as a:
- health paraprofessional
- behavior management paraprofessional
- special
transportation paraprofessional (if your child's behavior, physical, or
medical condition on the bus to and from school presents a danger to
himself/herself or others.)
Paraprofessionals can also be
assigned as sign language interpreters, oral interpreters, or cued
speech translators for orientation and mobility.
Support from a
paraprofessional assigned to the general education classroom may be
necessary for your child to help adapt to tasks and assignments and to
provide reinforcement and small group instruction. The same level of
support may not be necessary in all situations for your child. A child
may need support in math but no additional support during the rest of
the day. Paraprofessional support as a supplementary aid and service in
the general education classroom must be indicated in your child's IEP
and the IEP must specify the number of periods per day or week the
support is required.