By Amy Golden, M.S., BCBA
Research confirms that becoming as independent as possible often substantially impacts future success in all aspects of life, so as a student moves through adolescence, it is essential for the educational team and the family to place increasing emphasis on promoting student independence. This should be carefully considered when developing the individualized educational plan (IEP) for the student.
Typically, IEPs focus on short-term goals and objectives for the year ahead, with supports and services to help the student achieve those skills. However, it is suggested that the IEP should be developed as a plan emphasizing independence, with long-term goals always on the forefront of the discussion. With this framework in mind, the team should focus on supports the student needs now that will lead to less intrusive supports in the future. Goals for independent functional skills should be included in addition to those that are academically oriented. A variety of accommodations and modifications should center on promoting both student progress and independence. Areas of independence may include behaviors such as initiating tasks, transitioning between activities or locations, organizing materials, caring for one’s own daily needs, and more.
Paraprofessionals are routinely assigned to support students with disabilities in the school environment, but there are advantages and disadvantages to this approach. Paraprofessionals can provide the assistance a student needs in order to access less restrictive settings, and can take responsibility for implementing behavior plans, gathering important information about the student’s skills and deficits, promoting social interactions with peers, and collecting data.
One advantage of the use of paraprofessional supports is the ability to promote generalization of skills for the student across environments. Having detailed knowledge of the student’s abilities and challenges allows paraprofessionals to plan ahead, as well as prepare to assist the student in new situations and settings.
There are also disadvantages. 1:1 adult assistance can be considered most restrictive, and can significantly impact the student’s autonomy. Researchers have found that peers may be less likely to approach and interact with the student due to an adult’s presence. The student may engage in spontaneous conversation more readily with the adult, creating an unnatural division from the student’s classmates. The potential for the student to become ‘prompt dependency’ is also greater when an adult is always present. Best intentions can sometimes result in too much being done for the student or the use of intrusive prompts without a careful fading plan.
Before establishing the need for 1:1 staffing, it is vital that the educational team conduct a thorough assessment of the specific areas for support. Teams should determine what they anticipate achieving by using 1:1 supports and consider ways for these needs to be met in other ways that promote student independence. For example, students may benefit from using communication devices, technology, additional visual cues, peer modeling, and environmental adaptations. Additionally, providing teachers and paraprofessionals with more advanced training can encourage the use of alternative and creative ways to assist the student. Instructing staff on the principles of applied behavior analysis, such as content included in the training for Registered Behavior Technicians (RBT), can improve upon educators’ utilization of effective prompting and fading strategies.
Once 1:1 support is in place for a student, collecting data on the paraprofessional’s role can provide great insight into the student’s ongoing needs. While it is customary to collect data focusing on student behavior, it is suggested that staff also self-monitor their own involvement with the student throughout the day. Sample content may include the types of prompts being used, the number of prompts required, and the proximity of the paraprofessional to the student. This information can be used to describe how the services are being used to support the student and point to areas in which the student requires further assistance. For example, if a student has consistent difficulty with unpacking and organizing his belongings each day, a visual list or schedule can be implemented to orient the student to the required tasks with the goal of gradually removing the adult from the prompt. The visual prompt can remain in place long-term and allow the student to work independent of adult assistance. Continuous documentation indicating the need for verbal prompting can signal a potential concern, thus leading to the development of new intervention strategies specific to promoting self-sufficiency for the student.
Ongoing assessment should also help to determine if the 1:1 support is needed throughout the entire day or just for specific subjects or activities. By reviewing the student’s schedule and targeted needs across environments, the paraprofessional can be scheduled for support only when necessary. Thus, student independence can be promoted by fading the adult support from specific activities or subjects. Fading may be done gradually, with the paraprofessional taking increasingly greater steps away from supporting the individual in each setting. For example, a student may be accustomed to being escorted to the bathroom, between classes, or to the bus at the end of the day. A plan for promoting the student’s independence would consider whether the student could learn to navigate these transitions on their own or perhaps with a peer. Rather than relying on the adult to prompt the student, alternate strategies should be investigated.
As educational teams plan how to support students, focusing on long-term goals for greater independence will serve a student well by preparing him/her for the future. Collecting data throughout the fading process can help to pinpoint any new concerns, allowing the team to consider novel strategies for helping the student and maximizing opportunities for self-sufficiency.
Amy Golden, M.S., BCBA is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with Behavior Therapy Associates. She received her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduate degree in Applied Behavior Analysis at St. Cloud State University. To learn more about Behavior Therapy Associates, go to https://www.behaviortherapyassociates.com/
