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In inclusive classrooms, peer supports are a great way to help meet the needs of all learners. While they can't take the place of individualized supports delivered by teachers and other members of a student's school team, they're an important supplemental strategy to keep in your inclusion toolbox.

If you worry that peer supports can place an undue strain on your students, fear not-effective peer supports delivered under your guidance can benefit all students in your classroom, with and without disabilities. Here are just some of the ways they can help (adapted from Peer Support Strategies for Improving All Students' Social Lives and Learning , by Erik Carter, Lisa Cushing, & Craig Kennedy):
For students with disabilities, peer supports can:

Increase the frequency and quality of interactions with classmates

Help them develop new friendships and supportive relationships

Expand their social networks

Promote their sense of belonging

Ensure broader participation in class and school activities

Improve their social competence and social skills

Inspire higher expectations from teachers and peers

Boost their proficiency in the use of communication systems

Strengthen their independence and self-determination

Support acquisition of new academic skills

Foster greater academic engagement and curricular access

Promote progress toward educational goals

Give them less stigmatizing and intrusive sources of supports

For students without disabilities, participating in peer support activities can:

Strengthen academic engagement and class participation

Increase their opportunities to receive and provide social support

Help them acquire new support and advocacy skills

Connect them with additional attention and feedback from adults

Spark lasting friendships

Inspire a sense of accomplishment and personal growth

Increase their class and school attendance

Help improve their grades and homework completion

Develop a stronger appreciation for the importance and value of inclusion

Increase their self-confidence and help them assume greater responsibility

Deepen their knowledge about and understanding of specific disabilities

Help them understand and accept diversity and individual differences

What peer support strategies have you tried in your classroom? Here are 5 effective approaches that benefit students with and without disabilities, excerpted and adapted from Social Relationships and Peer Support by Rachel Janney & Martha Snell. Look them over and think about which ones might be most helpful to your learners.
Peer modeling

Peers provide recorded or live demonstrations of targeted social skills

Situations modeled should be familiar ones that students are likely to encounter

Peers explicitly tell the observing student what they are doing and why

Can be used informally during the course of the day or during formal, structured learning sessions

Peer buddy systems

Peers provide incidental teaching during nonstructured, routine classroom activities

Many buddy systems in lower grades emphasize increasing and improving a student's communication with peers

More formal, structured buddy programs may focus on instructional support for secondary school students during inclusive classes

Friendship groups

Lunch, recess, or after-school groups explicitly designed to bring together students with disabilities and their peers for socialization and fun

Work especially well when inclusion is minimal or if a student with disabilities is new to a school

May meet weekly around specific themes like the homecoming dance or school grounds improvement

Good opportunity to build social relationships and provide informal support channels for students with disabilities

Cooperative learning

Students work in small, mixed-ability groups and support each other's learning

Competition is deemphasized in favor of cooperation, mutual support, and shared accomplishments

All group members work together toward a shared goal; group is successful only when each member achieves the goal

Peer tutoring

Students get one-to-one instruction on a particular topic, assignment, or skill by a classmate, a peer, or an older student

Peer tutoring programs can use fixed roles for students or allow them to alternate between tutor/tutee roles

Especially effective in incremental learning, in which there's one correct answer that the tutor is able to guide the tutee toward

To learn more about these peer support approaches, we recommend the following books:
Peer Buddy Programs for Successful Secondary School Inclusion Peer Support Strategies for Improving All Students' Social Lives and Learning Social Relationships and Peer Support, Second Edition
READ MORE BLOG POSTS ON PEER SUPPORTS

10 Practical Principles for Peer Supports: Getting Students Ready to Help
A Win-Win: McGavock High's Peer Buddy Program "A Win/Win for All Students": Expert Q&A on Peer Buddy Programs

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5 Peer Support Approaches That Work! - Brookes Blog

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In inclusive classrooms, peer supports are a great way to help meet the needs of all learners. While they can't take the place of individualized supports delivered by teachers and other members of a student's school team, they're an important supplemental strategy to keep in your inclusion toolbox.

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Be sure to look at the list at the bottom of this document.

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Peer supports are one of the most effective ways to help students with disabilities reach their potential and ensure that their academic and social needs are met. Whether you're implementing a formal peer buddy program or more informal student-to-student partnerships, peer supports don't have to require a huge time investment-but before you begin, the young people participating will need some preparation and guidance. Today's post gives you 10 tips on getting students ready to help, so they can provide the most effective, appropriate supports to their peers with disabilities.

TIPS FROM: Peer Support Strategies for Improving All Students' Social Lives and Learning, by Erik Carter, Lisa Cushing, & Craig Kennedy

Don't Underestimate Young People

"Adolescents are often capable of much more than adults give them credit for. The current generation of students has grown up attending inclusive schools and classrooms, they are experienced at working collaboratively with others, they are savvy with new technologies and educational innovations, and they recognize their potential role in increasing the participation of their peers with disabilities in everyday school life. In other words, peers often have a good understanding of why inclusion is important and how they can help support it."

"Although students will need some initial orientation to their new roles at the start of the semester and an introduction to basic support strategies, educators can be flexible with how training is provided... Students do not have to learn everything at the outset. Training can often be delivered informally through sharing additional strategies as new needs emerge; modeling appropriate interactions when necessary; or periodically meeting briefly with students before or after class, at lunch, or during down time in class."

Align Training with Students' Needs

"Peers are able to provide a rich and diverse array of supports to their classmates with disabilities [see the examples at the end of this post]. Peer support arrangements, however, are individually tailored interventions designed to help address just some of the educational and social support needs of students with severe disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Because support needs vary from student to student and class to class, peers do not need to be taught to provide every conceivable form of support. Rather, they only need to be shown the specific strategies they will need to support a specific classmate."

Anticipate Potential Challenges and Concerns

"Consider from the outset some of the early questions and concerns students might have [and] make certain that the questions are addressed during orientation activities. Some of the common questions we hear raised by peer supports in our work with schools are as follows:

What do I do if my partner has behavioral challenges? Is it my role to address these issues?

What if my partner decides he or she just does not want to work during a particular class?

Am I responsible for making sure that he or she keeps up with the rest of the class?

What do I do if I find myself falling behind in my own work? What if I ever feel overwhelmed or unable to keep up?

What if my partner and I find we do not get along as well as we thought we would?

Who do I go to if I have questions, need help, or have something I would like to share?

Talk through these or other questions students might have, and brainstorm possible responses before any potential challenges might emerge."

Model Desired Behaviors

"What attitudes and behaviors do you want peers to adopt? They will learn from watching adults, so it is important to be very aware of how you and your colleagues interact and work with students with disabilities. When adults encourage independence, offer choices, and promote self-determination, peers are likely to mirror these actions. When adults use age-appropriate language, model respectful interactions, and hold high expectations, anticipate that peers will do the same."

TIPS FROM: Peer Buddy Programs for Successful Secondary School Inclusion, by Carolyn Hughes & Erik Carter

"As a group, teachers and paraprofessionals in a school must meet to discuss and come to consensus regarding roles, responsibilities, and expectations for peer buddies in their particular school. Expectations and roles will vary from school to school, which is why staff should strive to develop their own expectations. For example, in some schools, peer buddies will be expected to accompany their classmates with disabilities to work-study jobs. In other schools, peer buddies will focus more on adapting academic assignments and teaching study skills."

Clarify Supervisory Roles

"It is important to determine which staff members will be responsible for the day-to-day supervision of peer buddies. For example, in a geography class, peer buddies could be told to go to the general education teacher for academic-related questions but to ask the special education teacher when they have questions about the social behavior of the student with whom they are working. Supervisory roles will differ across schools and even within school settings."

Maintain Communication

"A contact person should be established for peer buddies in case students need to ask questions or report challenges. This point of contact could be the classroom teacher, club sponsor, lunchroom monitor, special educator, job coach, paraprofessionals, or school counselor. A communication system also must be established for reporting emergencies, such as seizures or accidents."

Ask Students to Journal about Their Experiences

"We recommend having peer buddies complete daily or weekly reflective journals to record and think about the activities in which they have engaged and interactions they have shared...Such writing prompts students to think about, process, and learn from their experiences as well as improve their skills as a peer buddy. Students' entries provide teachers with insight into both the successes and challenges that peer buddies are experiencing."

Give Students Ideas for Specific, Real-World Supports

Here's a list of 28 small but powerful things peers can do to help students with disabilities inside and outside the classroom:

For more guidance on peer supports, explore the two books quoted in today's post:

Peer Support Strategies for Improving All Students' Social Lives and Learning, by Erik Carter, Lisa Cushing, & Craig Kennedy

Peer Buddy Programs for Successful Secondary School Inclusion, by Carolyn Hughes & Erik Carter

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10 Practical Principles for Peer Supports: Getting Students Ready to Help

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Peer supports are one of the most effective ways to help students with disabilities reach their potential and ensure that their academic and social needs are met. Whether you're implementing a formal peer buddy program or more informal student-to-student partnerships, peer supports don't have to require a huge time investment-but before you begin, the young people participating will need some preparation and guidance.

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No headphones? Try using closed captions.

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The power of inclusive education | Ilene Schwartz | TEDxEastsidePrep

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5 Must-Try Strategies for a More Inclusive Classroom • Inclusive Schooling

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Dr. Julie Causton & Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak creating inspiring & innovating PD to districts. It is possible to create joyful and inclusive schools where all students flourish!

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Take a look at the charts embedded in this document for some ideas.

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Classroom Design, Sensory Processing & Autism - Sensory Processing

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Classroom design impacts on how effectively children can learn. Sensory Processing Disorder & Autistic pupils can be included with minor adjustments

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Areas to focus: Figure 1 and the sections entitled Paraprofessional Delivering Facilitation

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Paraprofessionals-also known as paraeducators or teacher assistants-can play a critical role in supporting elementary and middle school students with significant cognitive disabilities. Under the supervision of special or general educators, paraprofessionals provide support, deliver instruction, and collect data on academic, social, communication, behavioral, and daily living outcomes across school environments. Paraprofessionals often provide support in inclusive settings which offer numerous opportunities for students to learn alongside and interact with their peers without disabilities. This places paraprofessionals in a unique and impactful position to facilitate inclusion, advance learning, foster relationships, and promote a sense of belonging for students with significant cognitive disabilities.

Paraprofessional facilitation involves arranging environments and activities or delivering strategies and prompts in ways that improve outcomes for students with disabilities (Brock & Anderson, 2021). For example, paraprofessionals may use a gestural prompt to remind a student to respond to a question, verbally encourage a peer to ask a question, or supervise a collaborative learning group that includes students and peers in a general education classroom. A list of paraprofessional facilitation strategies is shown in Figure 1. Research has shown that paraprofessional support that involves unnecessary proximity and excessive assistance can actually interfere with the peer interaction and class participation of students with disabilities (Giangreco, 2021). In contrast, high-quality paraprofessional facilitation intentionally finds a balance of appropriate support that increases students' engagement with peers by reducing too much reliance on adults.

When used correctly, paraprofessional facilitation has been shown to improve student outcomes across school environments related to behavior, peer interaction, social communication, and academic engagement. For example, paraprofessionals can help students with significant cognitive disabilities learn new skills or create opportunities for developing friendships. Although paraprofessional facilitation can happen anywhere in the school, this guide focuses on promoting peer engagement through increasing academic and social participation within inclusive classrooms. When a student increases their academic and social participation, they will have more opportunities to develop shared knowledge, skills, and experiences with their peers. This can serve a strong foundation for cultivating peer relationships and a sense of belonging in and outside the classroom.

Collaborating

The student's educational team members should be involved in planning paraprofessional facilitation. The special educator can lead collaborations between the paraprofessional and other team members. For example, a general educator can share lesson objectives and materials in advance so the special educator can modify materials and prepare the paraprofessional to support the teaching of key concepts and vocabulary. The speech-language pathologist can provide the paraprofessional with training on the student's communication systems and ways to support communication with peers. Physical and occupational therapists can work with the paraprofessional to enhance the student's participation in class activities (e.g., optimizing seating or standing support, using assistive technology tools for writing or typing). Families can share their priorities for peer engagement and determine what information about their child would be appropriate for the paraprofessional to share with the classmates. The family may also provide ideas for conversational topics the student would enjoy (e.g., jokes, hobbies, or family's upcoming trips). Depending on the desired outcomes and student's needs, additional school staff, such as school counselors and district behavior or assistive technology specialists, may be consulted for resources and support.

Planning

When planning paraprofessional facilitation, the team should consider the classes students attend, their learning goals in each class, the peers they are learning alongside, and the skills of the paraprofessional. Below are specific steps with questions for considerations. An example planning sheet is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Paraprofessional Facilitation Planning Sheet

Identify Settings and Student Goals

The team should first review all of the classes the student is taking to determine the settings in which paraprofessional facilitation might be most beneficial. Paraprofessional facilitation can be most useful for increasing engagement with peers within inclusive classes that: (a) incorporate numerous hands-on activities, (b) use cooperative learning groups, (c) have abundant opportunities for social engagement, (d) rely less on whole-class instruction, and (e) are of high interest to the student with significant cognitive disabilities. However, paraprofessional facilitation can still be beneficial for students in almost every school setting, even when some of these features are not present.

Next, the team should identify prioritized learning goals aligned with the student's individualized education program (IEP), the general education curriculum, and the family's priorities. For example, it might be important for students to increase their initiations or responses with classmates, expand their social networks, increase their class participation, or experience a greater sense of belonging. Likewise, students might have goals focused on learning key course content, developing new skills, or increasing their academic engagement. It is important to keep each student's individualized social and academic goals in mind when planning paraprofessional facilitation. Doing this can make sure that your approach is always student-centered.

Consider the Setting

An ecological assessment can be a helpful approach for identifying times during each class when paraprofessional facilitation may be especially needed (Kurth et al., 2020). This involves working with general educators and the paraprofessional to examine the typical routines that make up each inclusive class. This might involve focusing on what happens at the beginning and the end of the class, during large-group work (such as lectures or whole-class discussions), during small-group work, during individual work, and during transitions or free time. For each routine, consider the following questions (Chung & Carter, 2013):

How do classmates without disabilities interact and participate?

How does the student with significant cognitive disabilities currently interact and participate?

How can the student with significant cognitive disabilities interact and participate in similar ways as the classmates do?

What can the paraprofessional do to facilitate the student's interaction and participation?

The answers to these questions can help identify opportunities for greater social and academic participation, as well as ways in which paraprofessional facilitation might be provided to promote greater engagement with peers.

Consider the Student and Peers

Gathering information about the student with significant cognitive disabilities will provide background knowledge that helps the paraprofessional connect the student with peers. It also helps with determining the type of support each student may need for peer engagement. While collaborating with the paraprofessional and general educator, special educators should consider the following questions: Which of the student's strengths and interests can be highlighted? What are the student's existing peer relationships and social network? Does the student have access to appropriate modes of communication to meaningfully participate? Does the student need additional prompts or training on social interaction? For a student who uses augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), does the communication device have the vocabulary needed to interact with peers during different activities?

Likewise, knowing about the student can help special and general educators recruit peers who will work and interact effectively with the student. It can also help the team determine what assistance peers may need from the paraprofessional to engage well with the student with a disability. Questions to consider include: What will the peers be expected to do when interacting or working with the student (e.g., participating in a cooperative learning group alongside the student, providing assistance within a peer support arrangement, providing communication support to a student who uses AAC)? What are the characteristics of peers that would make them suitable for these roles and responsibilities? What training, prompting, and other support will peers need to fulfill these roles and responsibilities?

Consider the Paraprofessional

In a collaborative spirit, special educators should also assess the current skills, mindsets, and support needs of the paraprofessional. These considerations will inform the paraprofessional training and coaching and determine the extent of support that the paraprofessional will need to effectively deliver facilitative strategies. Questions to consider include: How does the paraprofessional currently support the student in the inclusive class? What are the paraprofessional's views, motivation, and concerns on promoting inclusion and engaging peers? What training or support will the paraprofessional need to effectively facilitate and promote peer engagement? How will the paraprofessional evaluate and monitor their progress with implementing the strategies? What feedback will the paraprofessional receive and benefit from?

Implementing

The main steps for implementing paraprofessional facilitation to promote greater peer engagement include preparing the environment, preparing the paraprofessional, and having the paraprofessional use facilitative strategies with students.

Preparing the Environment

Based on the plan, special educators should work with general educators and paraprofessionals to create an optimal environment for engagement among students with and without disabilities. This includes considering instructional grouping, seating arrangement, and accessibility. Although facilitative strategies can be used during almost any instructional grouping, times of small-group work and individual work usually have more peer engagement opportunities than large-group lectures. Special educators can work with general educators to incorporate more group-based activities. The seating arrangements should allow the student and peers to easily work and interact together. The paraprofessional could sit behind the student rather than in between the student and peers. Likewise, the paraprofessional can float around the room or sit at a distance away from the student, approaching the student only when assistance or prompts are needed. If there is more than one student with significant cognitive disabilities who attends the same inclusive class, they should be seated separately to avoid potential stigmatization and to promote more opportunities for peer engagement. When considering the accessibility of content, activities, and materials, special educators can follow the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles (see also Posey & Hartmann, 2020). This involves optimizing the participation and learning of all students (with and without disabilities) by incorporating multiple means of representation (e.g., pictures or videos), engagement (e.g., hands-on activities), and action and expression (e.g., options for how students respond to materials and their learning). In addition, assignments can be modified to reduce task demands. It is easier for the paraprofessional to engage the student and peers in shared activities and conversations when the student has accessible materials with appropriate task demands, and when both closely align with what fellow classmates are doing and learning.

Preparing the Paraprofessional

Most paraprofessionals will need guidance and support from a special educator on using facilitative strategies effectively. The best way to prepare paraprofessionals to successfully implement evidence-based strategies is by combining initial training with coaching (Brock & Carter, 2016). Before the training, the special educator should observe the paraprofessional and the student with a disability in the inclusive classroom. This will provide information about class routines and social opportunities, paraprofessional's style and strengths, and potential issues or recommendations to be shared at the training. If feasible, the observation can be videotaped to allow the paraprofessional to watch their performance and self-reflect. Doing this might also facilitate collaboration and problem-solving among the special educator, general educator, and paraprofessional. After this observation, the initial training for the paraprofessional typically takes 60 to 90 minutes. An example of an initial training handout is shown in Figure 3. At the training, the special educator should:

Explain the purpose of paraprofessional facilitation by addressing the student's goals (e.g., promoting academic learning, social connections, and/or skill development)

Provide an overview of the facilitative strategies with specific examples

Model and role-play the strategies

Finalize a plan to implement the facilitative strategies

Figure 3. Initial Training Checklist for Paraprofessional Facilitation

Because paraprofessionals often feel underappreciated as members of the educational team, special educators should praise them for their past work, highlight the facilitative strategies they already use, and seek their input when developing a plan. Based on the student's support needs, some paraprofessionals may benefit from a reminder of their roles as a facilitator (not as a primary communication partner for the student). Others may need additional training on support strategies (e.g., learning about using a communication device and using different prompts). At the end of the training, special educators should also address any questions or concerns the paraprofessional may have.

Training for paraprofessionals does not have to happen all at once. Depending on the paraprofessional's current skills and roles, special educators might choose to focus on certain facilitative strategies initially. After the initial training, the special educator can follow up with coaching sessions, during which the special educator can praise the paraprofessional's use of the strategies, explain and model additional facilitative strategies, and discuss the paraprofessional's performance.

Paraprofessional Delivering Facilitation

After the training, the paraprofessional is ready to use the facilitative strategies to promote peer engagement through greater social and academic participation. The paraprofessional should ensure the student arrives at the class on time and stays for the entire period when possible. The paraprofessional and general educator may decide to change the seating arrangement so that the student can sit by particular peers. If this is the case, the paraprofessional can briefly introduce the peers and the student when they sit together for the first time (e.g., highlighting strengths and shared interests). Throughout the class, the paraprofessional begins using facilitative strategies based on the plan to encourage full participation and engagement with peers (Brock & Carter, 2016; Chung & Douglas, 2015). Facilitative strategies can include:

ensuring proximity to peers and appropriate access to materials;

ensuring the student sits next to peers;

ensuring the student has access to their communication device (and peers can hear/see the messages, even learning how to model use of the communication device when interacting);

ensuring the student uses the same or similar materials and tools as peers;

encouraging the student and peers to share materials and work together;

encouraging the student to move around the classroom with peers when applicable (e.g., getting materials or distributing materials for the teacher);

reducing paraprofessional proximity to allow the student and peers to interact and work on their own;

encouraging academic- and social-related peer interactions;

encouraging peers to interact with the student

encourage the student to interact with peers

providing information and support when needed

highlighting similarities between the student and peers

redirecting interactions to the student

monitoring and praising the student and peers;

praising the student and peers for interacting and working with each other

providing feedback or suggestions for future interactions

providing information to peers when needed

The paraprofessional can use a range of prompts, including verbal prompts (e.g., saying "You can ask..." "Why don't you..." "How about..." "Would you like to...") and nonverbal prompts (e.g., pointing to a peer, the student, or the device, or giving the student a thumbs up with a smile). When a peer initiates toward the student, the paraprofessional should allow time for the student to respond on their own, then provide prompts or models as needed.

Evaluating Outcomes

Good paraprofessional facilitation can help students with significant cognitive disabilities meet their learning goals and experience fuller social participation within inclusive classrooms. It can also have a positive impact on participating peers and paraprofessionals. Special educators should consider how to evaluate these and other impacts, both formatively and summatively.

For Students with Disabilities

Depending on the goals of the student with a disability, direct observation may be one of the best ways that special educators can collect data. For example, special educators may want to work with paraprofessionals to document a student's initiations and responses toward peers (either on their own or prompted by paraprofessionals), on-task behaviors, work completion, communication with peers for different purposes (e.g., commenting, requesting, joking), number of conversational turns with peers, different words produced using speech or AAC, and/or numbers of peers who interacted with the student. Initially, such data should be collected more frequently to ensure paraprofessional facilitation has resulted in intended changes. This might also help teachers determine if additional training or coaching is needed. Beyond using direct observation, special educators or paraprofessionals can also ask the students to share their experiences in interviews or through questionnaires. Visual communication support can be provided for students with complex communication needs so that they can answer questions about their experiences. Parents of the students can also share if they notice any changes at home or in the community, as peer interactions and class participation may lead to relationship and skill development outside the classroom.

For Peers

Peers who have the opportunity to work with their classmates with disabilities may also benefit from the ongoing interactions and shared work. Special educators can collect data on how peers interact or communicate with the student with a disability (either spontaneously or prompted by paraprofessionals), their on-task behaviors, and potential spillover interactions outside of class. The paraprofessional can monitor peers' engagement with the student with a disability more formatively through periodic check-ins, and can also ask peers to share about their experiences more summatively at the end of the semester.

For Others

The ways in which paraprofessionals support students with disabilities in the classroom are likely to change as a result of using these facilitative strategies. Special educators should document the different facilitative strategies used by paraprofessionals during observations. Paraprofessionals can also record their own use of facilitative strategies using a self-monitoring sheet. Special educators can work with paraprofessionals to prioritize facilitative behaviors that are the most critical to the students' social and learning goals, as well as those that are feasible for paraprofessionals to self-monitor. Special educators should also seek out the perspectives and experiences of paraprofessionals and general educators using interviews or brief questionnaires. Hopefully, paraprofessionals will begin using the same effective facilitative strategies with other students they support or in different classrooms with the same student. Likewise, the ways in which general educators interact with students with disabilities may increase as a result of observing paraprofessional facilitation, promoting even greater peer engagement and academic and social participation.

Sustaining and Expanding

Paraprofessionals should begin using these facilitation strategies with one student in a single class. As the student and their peers become more comfortable and independent in their interactions and collaboration, the paraprofessional can fade their proximity, prompts, and praise. Peers can be an ongoing source of natural support and encouragement, which can also encourage other classmates to get to know the student with a disability. As the student with significant cognitive disabilities becomes less reliant on adult support, the paraprofessional can reduce their support, supervise groups of students, or assist the general educator by supporting all students (Giangreco, 2021).

After seeing some initial success, special educators can arrange paraprofessional facilitation for the same student in additional classes, or for other students and other paraprofessionals. In addition, paraprofessionals who have received training and are confident in their ability to facilitate peer engagement and student participation can begin using those strategies with other students, and even modeling their use for other paraprofessionals. As more paraprofessionals learn this approach, a larger number of students with disabilities can benefit from their application. To create a professional learning community, special educators, general educators, and paraprofessionals can share their accomplishments during team meetings and professional development workshops.

Specific Considerations

Across Ages and Grades

The nature of paraprofessional facilitation and the ways in which students interact with each other in the classroom will be influenced by many factors, including the ages of the students, the classroom context, and peer culture. Peers of different ages will need different types and levels of prompts and feedback from the paraprofessional. Early elementary peers may prefer to work as a group with the student with disabilities and will readily seek direction and approval from the paraprofessional. Middle school peers may seek more independence and want to keep some distance from a paraprofessional. Different grade-level content and activities have varied task and social demands for the student and their peers, which also means there are different opportunities for paraprofessional facilitation within these activities. For example, early elementary school classrooms often have rotating centers embedded with play activities, whereas upper elementary classrooms have increased demands for following directions and task completion. When developing the implementation plan, special educators and paraprofessionals should discuss ways for the students to interact in ways that are appropriate to the classroom, as well as typical of norms and expectations of peer culture (e.g., saying hello vs. giving a fist bump).

Individualized Supports

Students with significant cognitive disabilities often have a range of extensive support needs, including social, communication, behavior, physical, and medical support. When planning and implementing paraprofessional facilitation, special educators need to ensure paraprofessionals are familiar with the students' supports and accommodations, know how to facilitate peer engagement, and can provide other supports and accommodations. All support should be provided in the least intrusive and most age-appropriate manner that dignifies the student. For example, if a student uses a wheelchair, the paraprofessional can work with the general educator to create safe and spacious seating while maintaining proximity with peers. If a student uses a visual schedule of class activities, paraprofessionals may encourage the student to show peers how to use the visual supports. For students who use AAC, paraprofessionals may need to remind peers to allow additional time for the student to communicate, and may want to help the student and peers know how to work together to program new messages. For students with specialized health care needs, paraprofessionals may need to recognize signs to indicate that the student is fatigued and needs a break from working with peers. For students with behavioral support plans, paraprofessionals should monitor students' peer interactions and intervene if the student is demonstrating challenging behavior.

Depending on the ages of peers, they may have different questions about a student's different supports and accommodations. Special educators and paraprofessionals can work with the family and the student to determine what information that they feel is appropriate to be shared with peers. Paraprofessionals may work with the student to explain their own support needs when appropriate. At a class-wide level, special educators and paraprofessionals might work with general educators to consider having an opportunity for each class member to share their strengths and support needs.

Cultural Responsiveness

Considerations of culture should be embedded in all instruction, including planning and implementing paraprofessional facilitation. It is important for special educators and paraprofessionals to get to know the student and involve their family throughout the process of planning and implementing paraprofessional facilitation-from identifying goals to evaluating outcomes. When the cultures of families and students are different from the cultures of paraprofessionals and educators, the team should brainstorm ways to value and integrate the cultural differences in supporting students' peer interaction and class participation. For example, special educators can work with general educators to include culturally responsive materials that honor the students' experience and interests. When identifying peers, special and general educators should take into account the student's preferences, needs, and cultures. Some students may want to work with peer partners of a different gender, while others may prefer same-gender peer partners or those with similar cultural backgrounds. Also, paraprofessionals should incorporate and value the students' primary language whenever possible-including spoken language or the use of AAC.

Case Application

Shawn is a tall fifth-grader with autism who loves to wear bright-colored t-shirts with funny phrases. He is a hard-working student who always wants to please his teachers and other adults on his educational team. Shawn communicates using mostly single words and gestures. One of his IEP goals is to respond to Wh-questions and share information. His speech-language pathologist has been working with him to use an aided AAC device, specifically Proloquo2Go on an iPod touch. Shawn carries the iPod touch on his wrist and has started to use it to initiate and respond when prompted. His parents value inclusion and want him to have more opportunities to interact with his classmates in fifth grade. One of Shawn's favorite activities is library class twice a week, when all students have free time to choose and read books in the library.

Prior to learning about how paraprofessional facilitation could promote peer engagement, Mr. Thomas, a paraprofessional who provides support to fifth graders, would help Shawn choose a book and direct him to sit by a long table with another student who also had a disability. As Shawn would read the book, Mr. Thomas would sometimes ask Shawn to identify objects using his AAC device. Sometimes Mrs. Brown, the classroom teacher, stopped to say hello. However, Ms. Lewis, the special educator on Shawn's team, recently attended a professional learning session and gained some new ideas on how to better promote inclusion outcomes for students. One of the strategies presented was paraprofessional facilitation, and she thought it could be an effective, feasible way to increase peer interactions for Shawn.

Ms. Lewis decides to talk to Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Brown, who are both on board. She also calls Shawn's parents, who are excited about supporting increased interaction with Shawn's classmates. Ms. Lewis works with the team to identify a goal for the library class, "initiate and respond to Wh-questions with peers" which is aligned with Shawn's existing IEP goals and the family's priorities. The team also develops a plan to recruit two male classmates, a request from Shawn's parents, given that he has two big sisters and they want him to have more male models. Mrs. Brown also provides a list of grade-level books that she thinks Shawn and his peers may enjoy. The team decides that the speech-language pathologist will provide Mr. Thomas with training on Shawn's AAC device and the use of aided language modeling. This will also be a strategy that can eventually be taught to Shawn's peers as well. Finally, Ms. Lewis meets with Mr. Thomas to brainstorm specific opportunities and strategies to prompt peer interactions for Shawn.

After obtaining parent permission, Ms. Lewis and Mr. Thomas meet with the peers to provide a brief orientation. Mr. Thomas takes photos of the peers and programs their names in Shawn's AAC device. On the first day of implementing paraprofessional facilitation, Mr. Thomas makes sure Shawn and the two classmates are at the same table. He prompts Shawn to use his AAC device to say hello using the names of peers. He encourages Shawn and his peers to look for books together. As Shawn and the peers read together, Mr. Thomas models ways they could ask each other questions about the book, and how Shawn can use his AAC device to respond. When a book is finished, the peers walk with Shawn to return the book. There are a few minutes left for Shawn to tell knock-knock jokes.

Mr. Thomas continues to use different strategies to facilitate interaction and engagement during library time, as well as during other activities in fifth grade, following the plan he developed collaboratively with Ms. Lewis and Mrs. Brown. After three weeks of this more intentional paraprofessional facilitation, Shawn has developed a new routine, and he and his peers need few reminders from Mr. Thomas. Shawn is even more eager to go to the library class, read different books with his peers, and share the newest knock-knock jokes that his sisters update weekly. Their laughs draw attention from other peers (and occasionally a side-eye from Mrs. Brown). When Ms. Lewis hears about this from Mr. Thomas, she is happy that Shawn has become more a part of the fifth-grade class community.

Acknowledgment

All rights reserved. Any or all portions of this document may be reproduced without prior permission, provided the source is cited as:

TIES Center is supported through a cooperative agreement between the University of Minnesota (# H326Y170004) and the Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. The Center is affiliated with the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) which is affiliated with the Institute on Community Integration (ICI) at the College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota. The contents of this report were developed under the Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Education, but do not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the U.S. Department of Education or Offices within it. Readers should not assume endorsement by the federal government. Project Officer: Susan Weigert

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) leads the TIES Center partnership. There are six additional collaborating partners: Arizona Department of Education, CAST, University of Cincinnati, University of Kentucky, University of North-Carolina-Charlotte, and University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

TIES Center, University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration, 2025 East River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55414Phone: 612-626-1530
www.tiescenter.org
This document is available in alternate formats upon request.

The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity employer and educator.

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TIES Peer Engagement Practice Guides | A Guide to Implementing Paraprofessional Facilitation

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Paraprofessionals-also known as paraeducators or teacher assistants-can play a critical role in supporting elementary and middle school students with significant cognitive disabilities. Under the supervision of special or general educators, paraprofessionals provide support, deliver instruction, and collect data on academic, social, communication, behavioral, and daily living outcomes across school environments.

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This is the third in a series of short articles aimed at providing practical tips for teachers to improve the inclusiveness of their general education classrooms. You can read the other articles at SWJ IncludED and their respective titles and weblinks are also listed at the end of this article.

An education assistant can be an invaluable resource in the classroom to support the teacher to include a student with disability. They can assist the class teacher to provide a great educational experience to all students as well as increase the independence and social connection of the student with disability.

However, we know from research that if an educational assistant is closely attached to a student with disability, sitting next to them as a "substitute teacher" and closely overseeing them in the playground, the result is a poorer academic and social outcome than for a similar student with no assistant at all.

At one level it is hard to conceive of any other relationship where an individual has a greater capacity to affect the long-term development outcomes of a vulnerable person, particularly where the student has a significant intellectual disability. In that sense, it should be appreciated that the "student-education assistant relationship" necessarily involves trust that the education assistant will discharge their role in the student's best interests. In the long term this has to include the development of maximum independence and meaningful peer relationships.

"It is hard to conceive of any other relationship where an individual has a greater capacity to affect the long-term development outcomes of a vulnerable person, particularly where the student has a significant intellectual disability."

A second noteworthy aspect is that, whilst most employment roles are better performed with greater diligence, effort and engagement, the academic, social and independence benefits of inclusive education for a student with disability are likely to be maximised by an educational assistant doing, increasingly over time, as little as is necessary, as unobtrusively as possible. In this sense, "less is more".

Here are some tips to guide teachers in setting the proper role and classroom relationships for education assistants in their inclusive general classrooms.

1. AS THE TEACHER, YOU MUST BE THE PRIMARY ACADEMIC INSTRUCTOR FOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE CLASS

As the classroom teacher, you are the primary instructor of the whole class, including your student with disability. The education assistant's role is to help you to prepare and carry out the teaching lesson, as required to be adapted by you for your student with disability.

The education assistant should not usurp your role as class teacher in relation to your student with disability. It is critical to a student's sense of belonging and connection with his or her classroom that the student perceives, and that their fellow students perceive, the class teacher to be primarily responsible for the academic instruction of every member of the class.

If the education assistant assumes primary responsibility for academic instruction of your student with disability it will mean that:

the student with the most challenging learning requirements will not receive their instruction from the most qualified staff member; and

the "student-education assistant" relationship will be separate and distinct to the "teacher-rest of class" relationship - in other words, it creates micro-segregation from the class lesson and social disconnection from peers.

A useful reflection is to ask "how would it look if a student without disability was singled out to receive most of their academic instruction from an education assistant rather than the class teacher? "
2. BEWARE THE WELL-INTENTIONED "VELCRO" EDUCATION ASSISTANT
Extensive international research has shown that an education assistant closely attached to a student hampers effective social and academic development of the student and sends the exclusionary message that the student belongs with the education assistant, rather than to the class.
A 3. PLAN FOR REDUCING THE STUDENT'S RELIANCE ON THE EDUCATION ASSISTANT "one-on-one" education assistant should endeavour to minimise the perception in the classroom and in the playground that they are "dedicated 5. DO NOT DELEGATE PARENTAL COMMUNICATION TO THE EDUCATION ASSISTANT " to a particular student.
A "velcro" education assistant can inhibit the development of the teacher-student relationship, as well as social relationships with peers - both from the perspective of stifling interactive opportunities and by creating the impression that the student still needs to be "mothered". In time, an overly protective, yet caring and well-meaning, education assistant may, like a self-fulfilling prophecy, foster in the student an unnecessary dependence on adult assistance - "learned helplessness".

Further, challenging behaviour in some students may well be a response to an overly attentive education assistant.
6. FORMALLY PLAN USE OF EDUCATION ASSISTANTS
The education assistant should be instructed (empowered) by you to provide your student with as much space as possible and as frequently as possible, taking into account the student's need for supervision and assistance. The greater the space able to be afforded, the greater the likelihood of:

a healthy and robust teacher-student instructional relationship;

social interaction and connection with student peers (studies show that students are much more likely to engage with the student with disability when an assistant is not with them); and

the educational assistant developing an assistive and interactive relationship with the broader class.

7. ENSURE THAT THE EDUCATION ASSISTANT DOES NOT BECOME THE MAIN DECISION MAKER
Even with students requiring significant support, your goal for your student should be to progressively decrease reliance on "one-on-one" education assistant support. Initially, this may be done by substituting some peer tutoring (assistance from another student in the class) which benefits both students and promotes social connection between peers. Over time, your objective should move to including the building up of "independent learning time" (even if starting from a few seconds or minutes in each lesson). Many education assistants feel that their primary role is to provide continuous teaching support and accordingly need to be empowered by the teacher to withdraw from the student to promote their independence and peer connection

4. EXPLICITLY INSTRUCT THE EDUCATION ASSISTANT TO FACILITATE SOCIAL GOALS, AS WELL AS ACADEMIC GOALS

For all students, including students with disability, the development of meaningful social relationships is critical to their sense of self and belonging - to their future social connection in workplaces, the community and life generally - and ultimately to their long-term mental health and quality of life.
Steps to properly structure the role of the education assistant must be taken as soon as possible - to establish as early as possible the appropriate relationships between the education assistant and the student with disability, the teacher, the classroom and the student's parents.
You should instruct the education assistant to facilitate, when necessary, your student's communication and social interaction with peers and to actively monitor the quality of that interaction. Students with disability are susceptible to becoming "class mascots" - through overtly warm but shallow "friendships" with their peers. An education assistant that is able to help initiate and deepen peer engagement and peer understanding is invaluable. Maintaining healthy and meaningful peer connection throughout the schooling experience is critical to both academic and social inclusion outcomes.
Want to know more?
A healthy and collaborative relationship between the class teacher and the student's parents is a key component of successfully including a student with disability in a general classroom. The teacher-parent relationship is generally more delicate than most given that the parents have greater cause for concern regarding the progress and experience of a more vulnerable child, whilst the teacher is more sensitive to his or her capacity to meet their expectations. In that context entrusting parental communications to the education assistant:
Other articles in this series: Creating An Inclusive Class Culture - Practical Tips For Teachers (N.o1) Supporting Peer Connection in the Inclusive Class - Practical Tips For Teachers (No.2) Getting the "Big Idea": Including All Students in the Same Curriculum - Practical Tips for Teachers (No. 4 Part A) Making the "Big Idea" Achievable: Including All students in the Same Curriculum - Practical tips for teachers (No. 4 part B) Presenting the "Big Idea" for All: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) - Practical tips for teachers (No. 4 part C) Summary of General Comment No 4 by the the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:

adds an extra layer of dialogue and increases the risk for miscommunication;

stifles opportunity to develop a collaborative parent-teacher relationship through regular direct contact; and

sends the message to the parents that the student's education is effectively being entrusted by the school to the education assistant, rather than to the class teacher.

*Catia Malaquias is a mother of three young children, a lawyer and the Founder of Starting With Julius. You can connect with Catia on Twitter @CatiaMalaquias or on Facebook. *Dr Robert Jackson is an Associate Professor of Education at Curtin University in Western Australia, a registered Psychologist and a Director of Include. You can connect with Dr Jackson on Twitter @include108 or through include.com.au
There is natural tendency for a "hands on" education assistant to see their assistive role in relation to a student with disability as extending to them being the primary contact for communication and feedback to the parents. However, in the same way that each student must see the class teacher as their primary instructor, each parent must equally see the class teacher as primarily responsible for the education of their child.
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The teacher is in reality, the manager of the education assistant in the classroom. Leaving the education assistant to manage themselves would be to relinquish that managerial role, so teachers have a responsibility to regularly formulate written plans as to how an education assistant will be used in relation to the student with disability and the class generally. This planning will prompt you as the teacher to identify new objectives and plan for their achievement, whilst creating cause to review the progress of the student and the education assistant.

The review of the effectiveness of the plans and the performance of the education assistant must include measuring the level of independence and social connection of the student with a disability. This will usually involve the educational assistant over time being less involved directly with the student with disability and more involved with you as the teacher in the overall class learning processes.

Sometimes an education assistant can develop a strong relationship with a student with disability so that the assistant becomes seen as the 'expert' and increasingly relied upon to make decisions about that student's education. Over time, such a relationship builds dependence in the student and the school overall, leading to poorer development of independence and social relationships. As the class teacher, you need to be aware of this danger, and where it is apparent, should recommend changing the education assistant as soon as practicable.

Although it is usual to speak of teachers "instructing" education assistants as to what is required of them, in the case of many education assistants supporting students with disability, it may be more helpful to see the giving of some instructions as " empowering " education assistants to perform their role in a manner different to the often assumed and limited "hands on" teaching assistant model. In particular, many education assistants must be empowered to see:

their roles as extending, in particular, to facilitating and maximising meaningful social connection with peers; and

that reducing the need for their support over time and retreating into the background is, in fact, a desired objective.

These "tips" are a few more of the "stepping stones" to an inclusive classroom. They are intended to highlight the delicate but invaluable role of the inclusive education assistant - so critical to maximising the benefits of inclusive education.

________________________________________

UN Committee Clarifies Right to Inclusive Education.

[ Cover photo © Phil Roeder]

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"LESS IS MORE": THE EDUCATION ASSISTANT - PRACTICAL TIPS FOR TEACHERS (NO.3) - Starting With Julius

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By Catia Malaquias and Dr Robert Jackson This is the third in a series of short articles aimed at providing practical tips for teachers to improve the inclusiveness of their general education classrooms. You can read the other articles at SWJ IncludED and their respective titles and weblinks are also listed at the end of this article....Continue Reading

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Although these are virtual recommendations, some could be applied or done in an alternative way in the classroom.

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11 Big Ways Paraprofessionals Can Support All Students Virtually - Brookes Blog

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In inclusive schools and classrooms, paraprofessionals are incredibly valuable human resources. Students benefit in so many ways from the support of paraprofessionals—they not only provide learners with vital support for their academics, life skills, friendships, and mobility, but also offer kids an important sense of connection, encouragement, and safety. Inclusive schools and classrooms have made […]

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FS1287: Developmental Disabilities Series: Visual Supports (Rutgers NJAES)

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Visual supports can help to:

provide structure and routine

encourage independence

build confidence

improve understanding

avoid frustration and anxiety

provide opportunities to interact with others.

They can make communication physical and consistent, rather than fleeting and inconsistent like spoken words can be.

Types of visual support

A wide range of items can be used as visual supports. For example:

These can be real objects, printed images, or on a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Uses of visual supports

Visual supports can be used in a range of ways, for example:

as a single message, eg the person takes a yellow card from their pocket when they need to go to the toilet, or a puts purple card on the board when they're feeling stressed

in combination to create a daily timetable, schedule, sequence or reward chart

to make a choice, eg the person can put the trampolining symbol in the 'afternoon' area of the board

to illustrate a social story or comic strip conversation.

Examples of visual supports

Make visual supports  portable, durable, easy to find, personalised and consistent.

Portable

Make the visual supports portable by:

using a visual supports app on the person's tablet

storing photos and pictures on the person's smartphone

putting symbols, pictures and schedules in a folder for the person to carry with them.

Durable

Laminate printed visual supports

Back up any app, photos and pictures you use on a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Easy to find

Ensure that visual supports are easy to find, for example by:

placing them in prominent places at eye level

putting them on an actual object

putting a single symbol in the person's pocket

distributing them throughout particular environments, eg objects and areas in the classroom and at home could be labelled

putting a shortcut to them from a tablet home screen

attaching symbols to boards so that people know where to go to look at them - you could also use Velcro strips to attach symbols to a board, meaning schedules can be easily altered, eg activities removed once completed.

Personalised

Visual supports are very personal and what works for one person may not work for another. Use the person's special interest, eg make a visual timetable in the shape of a rocket.

Remember that some autistic people have difficulties generalising, eg they may not realise that a Hula Hoop packet symbolises all crisps.

It can sometimes be helpful to use more than one type of visual support, but always introduce visual supports gradually. Start with one symbol and then build up a collection.

Consistent

If using pictures, once you choose a type or style (for example, line drawings), use it consistently. Ask family members, friends, teachers or support workers to use the same visual supports consistently.

Useful resources

There are lots of pictures you can download or buy as printed images and apps that you can use. Some examples are listed below. Inclusion does not mean that the National Autistic Society has endorsed them. You can search our Autism Services Directory or ask the community for suggestions of others.

You should always check the terms and conditions relating to the use of images that you download and any costs involved.

More information

Gerhardt, P, Cohen, M. (2014) Visual supports for people with autism: a guide for parents and professionals. Woodbine House

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Visual supports are a communication tool that can be used with autistic people. They can be used in most situations, and are adaptable and portable.

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No headphones? Try using closed captions.

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Using Graphic Organizers to Support Students with Disabilities

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No headphones? Try using closed captions.

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Helping Students Understand Instruction with Visual Supports

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No headphones? Try using closed captions.

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No headphones? Try using closed captions.

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Off the Page #4: Autism & Special Interests in the Classroom

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Learner Interest Matters: Strategies for Empowering Student Choice

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When students care about an assignment, they’re willing to take greater risks and are more likely to excel in their product.

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Be sure to check out the last section specifically focusing on students with special needs.

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Strategies to Support Strengths-Based Learning

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Susan Baum, Robin Schader and Steven Owen created a very comprehensive resource in their book: To Be Gifted and Learning Disabled: Strength-Based Strategies for Helping Twice-Exceptional Students. One of the many things they focused on was creating responsive environments in the following domains:

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At the end she has a sample list with good examples of strengths.