Intervention in School and Clinic

More than 525,000 people serve as educational paraprofessionals in the United States (Likins, 2003). Due to the large number of paraprofessionals, their recruitment, hiring, training, and supervision has received increased emphasis. This article summarizes current legislation regarding the roles and responsibilities of paraeducators, and methods and ideas are suggested for preparing and managing paraeducators.

Two important questions arise when creating a school crisis plan: (a) Who should be trained as part of the crisis team? and (b) What type of training will be the most effective and practical? The authors suggest that paraprofessionals are a valuable resource to consider for assisting with crisis prevention and intervention. Practical suggestions are made for preparing paraprofessionals to assist in this role.

Traditional assessment methods, prereferral interventions, referral, eligibility, and special education placement practices are being questioned. This article presents the Assessment of Academic Environments, an intervention technique used to address how the environment contributes to student success in both general and special education. Two case studies are provided and implications for future research are discussed.

This article explores the application and use of curriculum mapping as a tool to assist teachers in communicating the content, skills, and assessments used in their classrooms. The process of curriculum mapping is explained, and the adaptation of the process for special education teachers is detailed. Finally, examples are given of how curriculum mapping can assist both special and general education teachers in meeting the needs of students in the classroom. Although this article will apply the use of curriculum mapping data at the middle school level, the process of mapping is equally effective at the elementary and high school levels.

Self-directed Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) allow students to assume leadership and become actively involved in the decisions made at their IEP meetings. This article describes how through direct instruction, social skills discussion, active practice, and role-playing students are prepared to facilitate their meeting. This active participation encourages empowerment and ownership by the student. Teacher attitude and support are critical to the success of the process. This training is an important tool in assisting teachers to promote their students to become self-advocates in their postsecondary decisions and responsibilities.