Special Education Assistant - Severely Mentally Handicapped One-on-One # 09 Hazelton School

About the role

The one-on-one assistant will perform a variety of paraprofessional instructional activities to assist the teacher or other certificated staff in providing instruction, housekeeping and supervision to severely mentally handicapped students between the ages of 3 to 22 years. They will also perform supportive activities for instructional personnel.

Responsibilities

• Aid students to and from buses and classes.
• Teach independent mobility.
• Assist instructional personnel in developing and implementing individual educational plans under the teacher's supervision.
• Continuously assist and monitor students in academic and recreational activities.
• Tutor students to reinforce and follow-up training and learning experiences.
• Supervise students during study, lunch, and play periods.
• Assist students in the development and maintenance of appropriate social behavior.
• Assist students to become self-reliant.
• Absorb and maintain daily performance records of students.
• May prepare instructional material and operate audio-visual equipment such as projectors.
• May type and duplicate lessons, tests, and other instructional materials.
• Assist in serving food and teaching student self-feeding and grooming skills.
• Assist students with toileting, buttons, snaps, and zippers.
• Clean student areas lacking control.
• Change diapers, bathe, and clothe students.
• May lift and move handicapped students.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Demonstrate an empathetic, patient, and receptive attitude with students exhibiting specialized severe mental and behavior needs.
• Establish and maintain an effective relationship with teachers, therapists, and other certificated staff.
• Communicate satisfactorily in oral and written form and serve as an appropriate model.
• Deal appropriately with behavior exhibited by handicapped students.
• Remain calm under stress.
• Understand and maintain confidentiality.
• Perform routine clerical tasks and operate office and educational machines and equipment.
• Succeed in supervising students.
• Use safe working conditions.

Education, Training and Experience

Education, training, and experience equivalent to the completion of the twelfth (12) grade and at least one (1) year experience working with handicapped students; and completion of college level courses in special education or a related field.

Physical Requirements

• Sit for prolonged periods of time.
• Stand and walk for prolonged periods of time.
• Frequent bending/stooping; squatting/crouching/kneeling.
• Infrequent climbing.
• Occasional reaching overhead, above shoulder and horizontally.
• Frequent pushing/pulling, lifting and maneuvering objects such as wheelchairs and/or walkers with students with a broad range of body weights.
• May lift and/or support/drag up to 150 pounds for short periods of time with assistance if necessary.
• May occasionally to frequently push/pull up to 150 lbs with assistance if necessary.
• Requires simple to firm grasping to seize, hold, grasp, turn or otherwise work with hands to position students in their wheelchairs; assist with classroom instructional activities; assist students with dressing tasks.