1:1 Aide in Special Education

A 1:1 aide, known as a paraprofessional in MCAS, may be needed if your child with a disability is unable to receive a free appropriate public
education (FAPE) without additional support, beyond the classroom teacher. A paraprofessional is an adult who supports a child with an IEP during school. The paraprofessional can be present all day or only be needed for certain times during the day.

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) team makes the decision on whether to provide a paraprofessional and there is often disagreement among IEP team members. As an equal IEP team member, if you feel your child requires a paraprofessional, you will need to present a good case on why a paraprofessional is required for your child to receive FAPE.

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), cost cannot be a factor in a decision regarding FAPE.

This is not a decision that should be made lightly. Parents may think it is obvious their child needs extra support to be successful and that may very well be true. But remember, the goal of school is to make your child as independent as possible and to have them blend in with peers to the maximum extent possible. Having another adult follow your child around from class to class, wherever they go in the school, can be stigmatizing and may stunt peer relationships. Sometimes paraprofessionals in trying to be helpful, stick like glue to the student and may even do the student’s work rather than encouraging independence.

Remember, a paraprofessional does not replace a teacher and should not be used in place of a teacher. For example, if your child is in 7th grade science, you want the science teacher to feel responsible for all their students. Sometimes having a paraprofessional can blur the lines of responsibility and the teacher doesn’t take “ownership” of the student with an IEP.

That’s not to say a paraprofessional should not be pursued. If you have a child with a significant disability who receives services in the general education classroom for all or part of the day, a paraprofessional may be needed to help the student stay on track with assignments, assist with a modified curriculum or even provide direct instruction, as appropriate. Paraprofessionals can help students who have difficulty transitioning from one classroom to another; they can support communication and social interaction for students who have challenges in these areas.

There are also ways to get paraprofessional support without having a 1:1 paraprofessional specified in the IEP. If the IEP team is reluctant to assign an aide to your child, you can request that the IEP include a provision that your child receive direct 1:1 assistance as needed throughout the school day. That doesn’t specify who will provide the support, however it does require the school to provide it.

You may want to discuss whether the paraprofessional can support the entire classroom. So instead of just being there for your child, if other children (with or without disabilities) need assistance, the paraprofessional can help them too. This way, the paraprofessional is not hovering over your child all the time and the teacher and class benefit from having extra support. The ultimate goal is to be able to reduce the services of the paraprofessional as your child develops more skills and independence.

Some students will need a paraprofessional who serves as a personal care attendant (PCA) to help with eating, toileting, providing physical support or assistance with other activities of daily living. This is a different situation and one more likely to be recognized and approved by the IEP team as necessary for the student to benefit from their education.