Special Education Assistant - Severely Mentally Handicapped One-on-One # 661 Stagg High School, Franklin High School

DEFINITION 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 student 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 to the one-on-one assistant.   SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED Receives direction from the teacher in charge.   REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES: (Incumbents may perform any combination of the essential function shown below (E).  This position description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, knowledge, or abilities associated with the classification, but are intended to accurately reflect the principal job elements.)

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

  QUALIFICATIONS   Knowledge of:

• Problems involved in the care of severely mentally handicapped student
• Methods and attitudes required in assisting severely mentally handicapped student with their personal needs and academic activities
• Techniques in dealing appropriately with assaultive behavior
• English usage, punctuation, spelling and grammar
• Basic arithmetic concepts
• Principles, goals and objectives of the educational process

  Page 2, One-on-One Special Education Assistant, Severely Mentally Handicapped     Ability to:

• Demonstrate an empathetic, patient and receptive attitude with student 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
• Gain the confidence of handicapped student, encourage and assist them in therapy, classroom and recreational activities
• Deal appropriately with behavior exhibited by handicapped student
• Remain calm under stress
• Understand and maintain confidentiality
• Follow a work schedule that may change from day to day
• Perform routine clerical tasks and operate office and educational machines and equipment
• Successfully supervise student
• 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

  NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS

• High school graduation or GED
• Degree or completion of 48 semester units from accredited college or university or District Assessment Test/County certificate showing compliance with NCLB. (SUSD proficiency test taken before 7/1/04 does not meet this requirement)

  CERTIFICATES REQUIRED District First Aid Course Certificate must be obtain within the first six (6) months of date of hire. CPR Certificate and a valid American Red Cross First Aid Certificate preferred.   PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: SMH – Pre-K thru 3^rd grade Employees in this position must possess/have the ability to:

1. Sit for prolonged periods of time
2. Stand and walk for prolonged periods of time
3. Frequent bending/stooping; squatting/crouching/kneeling
4. Infrequent climbing
5. Occasional reaching overhead, above shoulder and horizontally
6. Frequent pushing/pulling, lifting and maneuvering objects such as wheelchairs and/or walker with students with a broad range of body weights
7. May lift and/or support/drag up to 150 pounds for short periods of time with assistance if necessary
8. May occasionally to frequently push/pull up to 150 lbs with assistance if necessary
9. 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

10.  Hear sufficient perform essential job functions 11.  Speak sufficient to give instructions/commands to students, speak to parents and other staff 12.  Visual requirement enough to monitor students       Page 3, One-on-One, Special Education Assistant, Severely Mentally Handicapped   MAB training required depending on student requirements – Autism/SMH more commonly need MAB training.   PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: SMH – 4^th Grade thru Adult-Physical Requirements Employees in this position must possess/have the ability to:

• 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

  PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS – MAB (Managing Assaultive Behaviors) 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.   Employees required to perform MAB maneuvers must possess/have the ability to:

• 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
• Page 4, One-on-One Special Education Assistant, Severely Mentally Handicapped
• PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS, CON’T
• 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