Saint Joseph Central | 5hr Autistic Disability 1:1 Special Education Assistant

About the role

Assist teachers with a variety of instructional clerical student management and daily life activities for special education students in special education or general classrooms. Supports the FWCS Schools of Success mission to empower all students to reach their potential through equitable and relevant community‑connected experiences to ensure students achieve at least one of the 4E’s – Enrollment, Employment, Enlistment, or Entrepreneurship. Positively promotes and embodies the FWCS Schools of Success six core competencies: Creativity and Innovation, Critical and Analytical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, Cultural Agility, and Self‑Direction.

Responsibilities

• Provide continuous or designated one‑to‑one support to the assigned student throughout the school day and during school‑sponsored activities as directed by the student's IEP and educational team.
• Assist the student in accessing instruction, classroom activities, school routines, and the general education environment to the greatest extent appropriate.
• Modify or adapt materials and activities as directed by licensed instructional staff.
• Reinforce academic concepts and skills previously introduced by the classroom or special education teacher.
• Provide prompts, cues, modeling, redirection, and reinforcement consistent with the student's educational plan.
• Support the student's functional communication across classroom, social, and school environments.
• Assist the student with use of augmentative or alternative communication systems, visual schedules, communication devices, picture systems, or other communication supports when applicable.
• Reinforce appropriate social interaction, peer engagement, turn‑taking, self‑advocacy, and other social skills identified by the educational team.
• Encourage developmentally appropriate communication and interaction while maintaining the student's dignity and respecting individual communication preferences.
• Implement behavioral strategies, positive behavioral supports, reinforcement systems, sensory supports, visual supports, and structured routines as directed by the student's IEP, BIP, or educational team.
• Recognize signs that the student may be becoming overwhelmed, frustrated, anxious, dysregulated, or otherwise in need of additional support and respond according to established plans and training.
• Assist the student in using taught coping, self‑regulation, sensory, and de‑escalation strategies.
• Respond appropriately to challenging behaviors while maintaining a calm, professional, and supportive approach.
• Avoid the use of punishment, humiliation, unnecessary confrontation, or behavioral practices not authorized by the student's educational plan or district procedures.
• Provide the minimum level of assistance necessary for the student to participate successfully and safely.
• Systematically reduce or fade prompts and adult assistance when appropriate and as directed by the educational team.
• Encourage the student to make choices, communicate needs, solve problems, participate with peers, and perform tasks independently whenever possible.
• Maintain appropriate supervision of the assigned student throughout the school day and during transitions, arrival, dismissal, meals, recess, transportation, community‑based activities, and other assigned settings.
• Closely monitor the student's safety when the student's disability may affect awareness of hazards, impulse control, elopement, communication of needs, or other safety‑related skills.
• Follow established procedures for students who wander, elope, engage in unsafe behavior, or require enhanced supervision.
• Immediately report safety concerns, injuries, suspected abuse or neglect, bullying, threats of self‑harm, or other concerns in accordance with district procedures and applicable law.
• Assist the student when required by the IEP or individual needs with activities such as eating, dressing, toileting, hygiene, mobility, positioning, and other personal care activities.
• Maintain the student's privacy and dignity while providing personal assistance.
• Follow applicable health, sanitation, infection‑control, universal precautions, and student care procedures.
• Assist the student in safely navigating classrooms, hallways, stairs, playgrounds, buses, cafeterias, and other school environments.
• Assist with transfers, positioning, adaptive equipment, mobility devices, or other physical supports when required and when appropriately trained.
• Participate in student evacuation and emergency procedures as required.
• Perform physical assistance associated with the student's documented needs consistent with district training and established procedures.
• Accurately collect academic, behavioral, communication, social, attendance, functional, or other student data as directed by licensed staff.
• Document observations objectively and accurately without making independent diagnoses or clinical conclusions.
• Provide relevant information to teachers and other members of the educational team regarding student progress, behavior, needs, and response to interventions.
• Maintain required records and documentation in accordance with district procedures.
• Become familiar with those portions of the student's IEP, BIP, safety plan, health plan, or other educational plans necessary to perform assigned duties.
• Implement accommodations, modifications, supports, and services as directed by licensed staff.
• Follow the instructional and behavioral direction of the student's teacher, special education teacher, case manager, and other authorized professionals.
• Communicate concerns regarding the student's program or progress to appropriate licensed staff rather than independently changing established interventions.
• Prepare and assist the student with transitions between classrooms, activities, staff members, transportation, lunch, recess, specials, assemblies, field trips, and other school settings.
• Use visual schedules, advance notice, timers, social narratives, first/then strategies, or other supports identified by the educational team.
• Provide additional structure and support during changes in routines, substitute‑teacher days, special events, drills, and other situations that may be challenging for the student.
• Follow the student's established crisis behavior and safety plans.