Special Education Assistant - Severely Mentally Handicapped One-on-One # 109 Walton Special Center

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; to perform a variety of supportive activities for instructional personnel and to do other related duties as assigned. The one-on-one assistant will follow the student as necessary. If no student is available, the one-on-one assistant will be temporarily placed in a classroom within their classification until a one-on-one student is assigned.

Responsibilities

• Assist student to and from buses and classes
• Teach independent mobility
• Assist instructional personnel in the development and implementation of individual educational plans under the teacher’s supervision
• Continuously assist and monitor student in a variety of academic and recreational activities
• Tutor student to reinforce and follow-up training and learning experiences
• Supervise student during study, lunch and play periods
• Assist student in the development and maintenance of appropriate social behavior
• Assist student to become self-reliant
• Assist in the maintenance of student’s daily performance records
• Prepare instructional material
• Operate a variety of audio-visual equipment such as projectors and other learning machines
• Type and duplicate lessons, tests and other instructional materials
• Assist serving food; teach student self-feeding skills and grooming skills
• Assist student with toileting, buttons, snaps and zippers
• Clean student lacking control; change diapers, bathe and cloth student
• Lift and move handicapped student
• Assist in keeping work area attractive

Requirements

• Knowledge of problems involved in the care of severely mentally handicapped students
• Knowledge of methods and attitudes required in assisting severely mentally handicapped students with their personal needs and academic activities
• Knowledge of techniques in dealing appropriately with assaultive behavior
• Knowledge of English usage, punctuation, spelling and grammar; basic arithmetic concepts; principles, goals and objectives of the educational process
• Ability to demonstrate an empathetic, patient and receptive attitude with students exhibiting specialized severe mental and behavior needs
• Ability to establish and maintain an effective relationship with teachers, therapists and other certificated staff
• Ability to communicate satisfactorily in oral and written form and serve as an appropriate model
• Ability to gain the confidence of handicapped students, encourage and assist them in therapy, classroom and recreational activities
• Ability to deal appropriately with behavior exhibited by handicapped students
• Ability to remain calm under stress
• Ability to understand and maintain confidentiality
• Ability to follow a work schedule that may change from day to day
• Ability to perform routine clerical tasks and operate office and educational machines and equipment
• Ability to successfully supervise students
• Ability to use safe working conditions

Qualifications

• Education, training and experience equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade and at least one year experience working with handicapped students; and completion of college level courses in special education or a related field
• High school graduation or GED
• Degree or completion of 48 semester units from an accredited college or university or District Assessment Test/County certificate showing compliance with No Child Left Behind

Certificates Required

• District First Aid Course Certificate must be obtained within the first six months of date of hire
• CPR Certificate and a valid American Red Cross First Aid Certificate preferred

Physical Requirements

SMH – Pre-K thru 3rd grade

• 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 walker 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
• Hear sufficient to perform essential job functions
• Speak sufficient to give instructions/commands to students, speak to parents and other staff
• Visual requirement enough to monitor students

SMH – 4th Grade thru Adult

• Sit for prolonged periods of time
• Stand and walk for prolonged periods of time
• Occasional to frequent bending/stooping; squatting/crouching/kneeling
• Infrequent climbing
• Occasional reaching overhead, above shoulders and horizontally
• Frequent pushing/pulling, lifting and maneuvering objects such as wheelchairs and/or walker with students with a broad range of body weights
• May lift and/or support/drag up to 200 pounds for short periods of time with assistance if necessary
• May occasionally to frequently push/pull up to 200 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
• Hear sufficient to perform essential job functions
• Speak sufficient to give instructions/commands to students, speak to parents and other staff
• Visual requirement enough to monitor students

Managing Assaultive Behaviors (MAB)

MAB training required depending on student requirements – Autism/SMH more commonly need MAB training. In carrying out the maneuvers required to complete student interventions, the employee must utilize a full body range of motion. These physical requirements are based on two-person interventions.

• Stand on a variety of surfaces
• Walk/run on a variety of surfaces, at a pace dependent upon the situation
• Sit on a chair to protect self by bending forward, or use the chair as a backwards propelling tool to escape a grab or grip of an attacker
• Push/pull with sufficient intensity to achieve desired result
• May lift and/or carry up to 100 lbs for short periods of time with assistance if necessary
• Stoop/kneel/crouch/crawl: these movements occur in multiple intervention strategies
• Reaching in any direction. Depending on age and stature of student, reaching may occur at all levels – waist to knee; waist to chest; below knee; chest to shoulder; and/or above shoulder
• Constant handling: Seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or otherwise working with the hand or hands. Includes simple and power grasping
• Fingering: Fine finger manipulation is required in releasing an individual’s hand grab/grip, as well as releasing tension and/or constraints
• Balancing: Body postures and maneuvers taught require maintaining body balance through positioning of the lower extremities, including pivoting, rotating, and flipping an individual if required
• Climbing: In the event of stairs, the employee must be able to climb or descend the stairs as needed and/or climbing over obstacles or objects may be required such as an upside down table or chair
• Twisting: Upper and lower torso twisting is required in multiple intervention strategies
• Speak: The employee is required to speak to the student/co-workers verbally to resolve the situation
• Hearing: sufficient to perform the MAB techniques
• Visual requirement sufficient to resolve the situation and return the student and employee to safety