Life Skills Instructional Assistant

SUMMARY OF DUTIES:

Under direct supervision, as a Classroom Instructional Assistant in Special Education, you will play a crucial role in providing support to students with diverse learning needs. Your primary responsibility will be to assist the Special Education teacher in creating a positive and inclusive learning environment, fostering the academic and social development of students with disabilities. This role primarily serves in a classroom setting, assisting a Special Education Teacher. Depending on the student's needs, some positions may require physical assistance and flexibility to adapt to changing situations. Work hours align with the school schedule, with occasional school meetings and events. The Instructional Assistant performs related work as directed.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Student Support:
   1. Provide one-on-one or small group assistance to students with special needs, helping them with academic, organization, and communication skills.
   2. Assists students in achieving their goals that require physical and emotional support with successfully navigating classroom, cafeteria and school-related experiences as outlined by their IEP and teacher direction.
   3. Participate in community based instruction, supporting school and community jobs and skill development.
2. Behavioral Support and Safety & Health:
   1. Implement behavior management strategies, following Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), to support students' emotional and behavioral development.
   2. Ensure the safety and well-being of students at all times, following established protocols for medical and emergency situations.
   3. Receives NCI training in order to promote de-escalation and safety.
   4. Assists students with daily living skills, such as dressing, eating, lavatory needs, grooming, medical needs, and personal hygiene as appropriate to individual development. Complies with personal hygiene rules and standard sanitation procedures.
3. Assistive Technology: Familiarize students with assistive technology tools and aid them in using these devices to enhance their learning and/or communication needs.
4. Classroom Preparation: Collaborate with the teacher to prepare instructional materials, adapt curriculum, and create a supportive classroom environment.
5. Data Tracking:
   1. Collect and record data on student progress and behavior, ensuring accurate documentation for IEP progress reports and meetings.
   2. Reinforce behaviors that demonstrate student's successful achievement and growth of identified goals.
6. Inclusion: Facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities into general education classroom activities, ensuring they have equal access to the curriculum.
7. Communication: Maintain open and effective communication with the teachers and other specialists involved in the students' education.
8. Professional Development: Stay informed about best practices in special education and participate in training opportunities to improve your skills and knowledge.
9. Performs other duties as assigned by the supervisor or designee.

NON-ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

While the following tasks are necessary for the work of the unit, they are not an essential part of the purpose of this position and may also be performed by other unit members.

1. Performs related duties as directed.

ENTRY-LEVEL REQUIREMENTS:

1. EDUCATION/TRAINING: High School diploma or GED is required; an Associate's degree or higher, or at least sixty (60) semester hours from an accredited institution of higher education is preferred. (Official transcripts are required to validate education.)

2. EXPERIENCE: Previous vocational training or work experience with school-age children with special needs is preferred.

4. OTHER: Ability to perform the essential functions, meet the performance aptitudes, and fulfill the physical/sensory/environmental requirements of the job (with or without reasonable accommodations) is required. Understanding of the developmental, physical and emotional behaviors and challenges of students with moderate-to-profound intellectual, physical, and/or emotional disabilities; with demonstrated stress management skills; ability to fulfill the dexterity and physical requirements of the work, and effectively attend to special needs of school age children.

• Patience, empathy, and strong communication skills.
• Ability to follow IEPs and adapt instructional strategies accordingly.
• Physical ability to assist students with mobility and personal care needs if necessary.
• Flexibility.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the position and is not an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, or responsibilities associated with it. The school may revise this job description as needed.

PERFORMANCE APTITUDES:

1. Data Utilization: Requires the ability to evaluate, audit, deduce, and/or assess data and/or information using established criteria. Includes exercise of discretion in determining actual or probable consequences, and in referencing such evaluation to identify and select alternatives.
2. Human Interaction: Requires the ability to assist students and staff by action or interaction in carrying out specialized therapeutic or physical care plans and procedures.
3. Equipment, Machinery, Tools, and Materials Utilization: Requires the ability to operate, maneuver and/or control the actions of special needs equipment and devices.
4. Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize a wide variety of reference, descriptive, and advisory data and information.
5. Mathematical Aptitude: Depending on the school grade classroom of assignment, may require the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; may require ability to calculate decimals and percentages; may require ability to utilize principles of fractions and/or interpret graphs.
6. Functional Reasoning: Requires the ability to apply principles of influence systems, such as motivation, incentive, and leadership. Ability to exercise independent judgment to apply facts and principles for developing approaches and techniques to problem resolution.
7. Situational Reasoning: Requires the ability to exercise the judgment, decisiveness and creativity required in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory, judgmental, or subjective criteria, as opposed to that which is clearly measurable or verifiable.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Tasks involve the ability to exert very heavy physical effort in very heavy work, typically involving some combination of climbing and balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, and crawling, and the lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling of heavy objects and materials (up to 100 pounds) and occasionally heavier items (100 pounds or over).

SENSORY REQUIREMENTS: Most tasks require visual perception and discrimination. Some tasks require oral communications ability. Some tasks require the ability to perceive and discriminate sounds.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS: Tasks are regularly performed with exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as violence when working with children with severe emotional or intellectual disabilities.