Ordinary People doing Extra Ordinary things!
Nature of the Work
An assistive technology (AT) practitioner or specialist evaluates students with disabilities in order to help them become more independent and productive with the use of appropriate assistive or adaptive technology. They conduct assessment evaluations to determine a student's needs, recommend hardware and software, suggest products to address a particular functional need, assist in procuring the technology needed for trials, provide professional development and training on the product, collect data, and provide telephone and classroom technology support to students, teaching staff, and families. Their expertise helps them assist in accommodating the physical and cognitive limitations of students with disabilities.
Work Environment
School-based AT specialists are often district-wide positions requiring travel from school to school in order to meet with individual students and teachers. In addition, they may be required to prepare professional development for afternoons/evenings, weekends, or summer trainings to help teachers and families successfully implement AT. Depending on the case load, number of members on the AT team, and size of the district, the position can be a stressful one. Strong organizational skills are a must.
Education and Training
Some states require a teaching license to be employed as an assistive technology specialist, but others do not. Generally speaking, job applicants who have strong computer skills combined with experience in special education or teaching are most likely to be hired in entry-level jobs.
Colleges and universities increasingly offer undergraduate and graduate classes in special education technology. Entrance to a master's degree program generally requires a strong background in teaching, curriculum and instruction, special education, or a related service field. A typical sampling of courses includes strategies for integrating technology into early childhood, elementary, and secondary education; technology for educating students with multiple disabilities or pervasive developmental disorders; computer applications; and transdisciplinary approach to rehabilitation.
High school students considering this profession should take classes in science, math, and English, as well as courses in business or industrial arts. Excellent computer skills in both software and hardware will be required in all courses of study beyond secondary school. Teenagers can gain valuable experience toward becoming technology specialists by working with children who are learning how to use computers. They can gain valuable experience working with children and youth with disabilities by volunteering for organizations such as the Special Olympics.
Licensure
While licensure in assistive technology is not currently offered, there are a number of certificate programs offered through universities as well as the Assistive Technology Practitioner (ATP) certificate offered by the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA). The ATP certificate encompasses those working in industry as well as schools, including clinicians, manufacturers, and suppliers. AT certification programs offered through universities are more focused on the effective provision of school-based AT services for students with disabilities.
Other Qualifications
AT practitioners and specialists are resourceful, persistent, patient, and creative. They are problem solvers who work well with both children and adults and can juggle a variety of tasks at the same time. Excellent observation and communication skills are needed as they are required to analyze complex information to make sound decisions. They need to combine technical expertise with insight into how to help others become confident users of technology, particularly when working with students, teachers, and families who may be intimidated by technology.
For More Information:
CEC's Technology and Media Division
1110 N. Glebe Road, Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22201-5704
Nature of the Work
Teacher assistants provide instructional and clerical support for classroom teachers, allowing teachers more time for lesson planning and teaching. They support and assist children in learning class material using the teacher's lesson plans, providing students with individualized attention. Other responsibilities may include supervision of students in the cafeteria, schoolyard, and hallways, or on field trips; recording grades; setting up equipment; and helping prepare materials for instruction. Teacher assistants also are called teacher aides or instructional aides. Some assistants refer to themselves as paraeducators or paraprofessionals.
As schools become more inclusive and integrate special education students into general education classrooms, many teacher assistants in both general education and special education classrooms increasingly assist students with disabilities. They attend to the physical needs of students with disabilities, including feeding, reinforcing the learning of functional skills such as good grooming habits, or providing physical assistance in special area classes, in therapy, or on the school bus.
Teacher assistants also provide personal attention to students with other special needs, such as those who speak English as a second language or those who need remedial education. Some work with young adults to help them obtain a job or apply for community services to support them after schooling. Teacher assistants help assess a student's progress by observing performance and recording relevant data.
Work Environment
Teacher assistants work in a variety of settings—including preschools, child care centers, and religious and community centers, where they work with young adults—but most work in classrooms in elementary, middle, and secondary schools. They also work outdoors supervising recess when weather allows, and they spend much of their time standing, walking, or kneeling.
Those who work in general education classrooms may provide remediation lessons to students with high-incidence disabilities, monitor behavior, and assist with attention and motivation while working with individual students or small groups. In special education classrooms, they often have these responsibilities in addition to offering support in learning basic communication, literacy, and functional life skills.
Approximately 4 in 10 teacher assistants work part time. However, even among full-time workers, about 17 percent work fewer than 40 hours per week. Most assistants who provide educational instruction work the traditional 10-month school year.
Education and Training
Requirements for teacher assistant positions vary by state and district. In some areas, they may need only a high school diploma and on-the-job training, while other areas require an associate's degree at an accredited community college.
Teacher assistants who work in Title 1 schools—those with a large proportion of students from low-income households—must have college training or proven academic skills. They face new federal requirements as of 2006: assistants must hold a two-year or higher degree, have a minimum of two years of postsecondary education, or pass a rigorous state or local assessment.
For those areas that only require a high school diploma, having a college degree or related coursework in child development improves job opportunities.
Licensure
Some states or districts require teaching assistants to pass the ParaPro Assessment of the Educational Testing Services (ETS) Praxis evaluation. Others follow the guidelines discussed under the Education and Training section.
Advancement Opportunities
Advancement for teacher assistants—usually in the form of higher earnings or increased responsibility—comes primarily with experience or additional education. Specifically, teaching assistants may increase their advancement opportunities in special education by pursuing assistive technology training in order to better support students with disabilities. Some districts offer financial incentives for qualified teaching assistants to work with students who have more significant needs and require high-tech supports to succeed in school.
Some school districts provide time away from the job or tuition reimbursement so that teacher assistants can earn their bachelor's degrees and pursue licensed teaching positions. In return for tuition reimbursement, assistants are often required to teach for a certain length of time in the school district.
Job Outlook
Many job openings are expected for teacher assistants due to turnover and average employment growth in this large occupation, resulting in favorable job prospects. Opportunities should be best for those with at least two years of formal postsecondary education, those with experience in helping special education students, or those who can speak a foreign language.
Demand is expected to vary by region of the country. Regions in which the population and school enrollments are expected to grow quickly, such as many communities in the South and West, should consequently have rapid growth in the demand for teacher assistants.
Special education teachers who work with students in high-incidence disability areas (learning disabilities, behavioral disorders, and speech-language disorders) may work in either an inclusive or resource environment.
In an inclusive environment they co-teach with a general education teacher, allowing students with disabilities to stay in the general education classroom throughout the school day. There are a variety of co-teaching models available so that teamed teachers can find and use the model that works best for them and meets the needs of the students with disabilities in the classroom.
Resource environments allow the special education teacher to pull students out of the general classroom and teach them in a quieter, more structured location. In some cases, special education teachers may participate in both types of environments within the same school day—co-teaching in one classroom in an inclusion model and pulling students out of another classroom later in the day in a resource model.
Special education teachers who work with students who have more significant cognitive or physical needs often work in a self-contained classroom with the support of a teaching assistant. Low-incidence classrooms typically serve students who are working on communication, basic literacy, and functional skills for daily life. While the general course study is used to guide curriculum, the curriculum is often subject to modifications (as opposed to adaptations) in order to merge standard objectives with functional skills.
Nature of Work
Occupational therapists help individuals improve their ability to perform tasks in living and working environments. In an educational setting, they work with students with cognitive, physical, developmental, or emotional disabilities. Occupational therapists use treatments to develop, recover, or maintain daily living and work skills. The therapist helps students not only improve their basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, but also compensate for permanent loss of function. The goal is to help these individuals have independent, productive, and satisfying lives.
Occupational therapists help students perform all types of activities, from using a computer to caring for daily needs such as dressing, cooking, and eating. Physical exercises may be used to increase strength and dexterity, while other activities may be chosen to improve visual acuity or the ability to discern patterns. For example, someone with short-term memory loss might be encouraged to make lists to aid recall, and a person with coordination problems might be assigned exercises to improve hand-eye coordination.
Occupational therapists also use computer programs to help students improve decision-making, abstract-reasoning, problem-solving, and perceptual skills, as well as memory, sequencing, and coordination—all of which are important for independent living.
Work Environment
In large rehabilitation centers, therapists may work in spacious rooms equipped with machines, tools, and other devices that generate noise. In school environments, therapists may work directly with students in the classroom or use a pull-out model to work with them in a more structured environment.
The work can be tiring because therapists are on their feet much of the time. Those providing home health care services or serving multiple schools may spend time driving from appointment to appointment. Therapists also face hazards such as back strain from lifting and moving people and equipment.
Education and Training
A master's degree or higher in occupational therapy is the minimum requirement for entry into the field. In 2007, 124 master's degree programs offered entry-level education, 66 programs offered a combined bachelor's and master's degree, and 5 offered an entry-level doctoral degree. Most schools have full-time programs, although a growing number are offering weekend or part-time programs as well. Coursework in occupational therapy programs includes the physical, biological, and behavioral sciences as well as the application of occupational therapy theory and skills. Programs also require the completion of six months of supervised fieldwork.
People considering this profession should take high school courses in biology, chemistry, physics, health, art, and the social sciences. College admissions offices also look favorably on paid or volunteer experience in the health care field. Relevant undergraduate majors include biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, liberal arts, and anatomy.
Licensure
All states regulate the practice of occupational therapy. To obtain a license, applicants must graduate from an accredited educational program and pass a national certification examination. Those who pass the exam are awarded the title "Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR)." Specific eligibility requirements for licensure vary by state.
Other Qualifications
In school environments, therapists are typically part of a planning team for each child that they serve. Therefore, strong communication and collaboration skills are a must.
Advancement Opportunities
Occupational therapists are expected to continue their professional development by participating in continuing education courses and workshops. In fact, a number of states require continuing education as a condition of maintaining licensure.
Job Outlook and Earnings
Employment of occupational therapists is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations, and job opportunities should be good.
I believe each child brings something very special with them into the classroom. I believe that each child needs/wants a safe, secure, warm, caring, classroom with well established rules in order for them to succeed, to safely participate in risk-taking activities, which enable them to reach their full potential in the classroom and then that success spreads out into the world. I believe that each child is an integral part of the classroom, which creates the classroom dynamics. I believe that a classroom that provides safe environments allows each student to grow socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually. I believe that a teacher guides their students; however, I also believe there is a time to sit back and let the expert student guide you; I enjoy learning from my students. I believe in building student perceptions of competence. I believe that the student learning to embrace differences is a start in changing how the world respects, and accepts the differences between everyone. Isn’t the difference what makes life so enjoyable?
Teach a child to fish and you feed him for years…
I embrace the unique learning community each year brings. Each student comes with their own learning style, expert areas to be built upon, and variety of abilities socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually. It is my role as a teacher to provide my students with a variety of tools that will help them grow as students. In accomplishing this goal I will collaborate with the team in creating accurate annual goals and objective by looking over the data provided to ensure we are working to increase the skills deficit. Creating Individual Education Programs that will teach to the individual. I will teach a curriculum that represents the student’s interest and is relevant to life. I will provide opportunities for a variety of learning styles in my classroom. I will create a risk taking environment that will enable students to try new things and know its ok to keep trying until they get the answer. I will make use of role plays in my program to demonstrate lessons that need to be taught about social interactions. Finally, I will tie all of these things together in order to help children become productive, caring, active members of their community and in society.
My classroom will be a safe, caring environment where each child is encouraged to mature and grow. I will encourage student to become responsible members of our classroom community through classroom routines and expectations, teaching vocational jobs in the classroom that will transfer into the real world of work, team concepts; such as when the student is absent, they call in and let us know and have a backup plan for their classroom job in place before being absent, being on time, following directions the first time, and getting along with others. I am teaching them the tools to become successful in life, to believe in themselves, and to make educated decisions.
Teaching like learning is a lifelong process which provides an opportunity for learning. Learning about new philosophies, new strategies, and learning from the parents, community members, county agencies, and colleagues and most important learning daily from the students. It is my hope and desire to instill my love of learning in my students. I feel that it takes a special person to work with students, to demonstrate an understanding of the student and who recognizes and is sensitive to their individual needs. I believe that the students need a teacher who models what they want done and works with each students individuality and needs. A teacher who is willing to take suggestions and make needed changes. I am that type of person and I will continue to ask questions and my education to ensure I am always innovative in my teaching.
Nature of Work
Educational, vocational, and school counselors provide individuals and groups with career and educational counseling. They assist students of all levels, from elementary school to postsecondary education, and advocate for students by working with organizations to promote the academic, career, personal, and social development of children and youth.
School counselors help students evaluate their abilities, interests, talents, and personalities to develop realistic academic and career goals. They use interviews, counseling sessions, interest and aptitude assessment tests, and other methods to evaluate and advise students. They also operate career information centers and career education programs. Often, counselors work with students who have academic and social development problems or other special needs.
Elementary school counselors observe children during classroom and play activities and confer with their teachers and parents to evaluate the children's strengths, problems, or special needs. In conjunction with teachers and administrators, they make sure that the curriculum addresses both the academic and the developmental needs of students, particularly in the areas of social interaction and behavior. Elementary school counselors do less vocational and academic counseling than high school counselors.
High school counselors advise students regarding college majors, college and university admission requirements, entrance exams, financial aid, trade or technical schools, and apprenticeship programs. They help students develop job search skills such as resume writing and interviewing techniques. College career planning and placement counselors assist alumni or students with career development and job-hunting techniques. They assist with transition planning for students with disabilities, focusing on postsecondary education and job training for students with mild disabilities and job training and life skills for students with significant disabilities.
Vocational counselors, also called employment or career counselors, provide mainly career counseling outside the school setting. Their chief focus is helping individuals with career decisions. Vocational counselors explore and evaluate a person's education, training, work history, interests, skills, and personality traits. They may arrange for aptitude and achievement tests to help the individual make career decisions. They also work with individuals to develop their job-search skills and assist them in locating and applying for jobs. In addition, career counselors provide support to people experiencing job loss, job stress, or other career transition issues. In regard to special education, vocational counselors are often members of the transition planning teams for students with disabilities, providing school personnel and families with information and support for transition plans.
Rehabilitation counselors help people deal with the personal, social, and vocational effects of a variety of disabilities. They evaluate the strengths and limitations of the individuals, provide personal and vocational counseling, and arrange for medical care, vocational training, and job placement. Rehabilitation counselors interview both individuals with disabilities and their families, evaluate school and medical reports, and confer with physicians, psychologists, occupational therapists, and employers to determine the capabilities and skills of the individual. They develop rehabilitation programs by conferring with clients; these programs often include training to help clients develop job skills. Rehabilitation counselors also work toward increasing the client's capacity to live independently.
Work Environment
Work environment can vary greatly depending on occupational specialty. School counselors work predominantly in schools, where they usually have an office but may also work in classrooms. Other counselors may work in a private practice, community health organization, or hospital. Many counselors work in an office where they see clients throughout the day. Because privacy is essential for confidential and frank discussions, counselors usually have private offices.
The work schedules of counselors depend on occupational specialty and work setting. Some school counselors work the traditional 10-month school year with a summer vacation, but increasing numbers are employed on 11-month or full-year contracts, particularly those working in middle and high schools. They usually work the same hours as teachers, but they may travel more frequently to attend conferences and conventions. College career planning and placement counselors work long and irregular hours during student recruitment periods.
Education and Training
Education requirements vary based on occupational specialty and state licensure and certification requirements. A master's degree is usually required to be licensed as a counselor. Some states require counselors in public employment to have a master's degree; others accept a bachelor's degree with appropriate counseling courses.
Counselor education programs in colleges and universities are often found in departments of education or psychology. Fields of study include college student affairs, elementary or secondary school counseling, education, gerontological counseling, marriage and family therapy, substance abuse counseling, rehabilitation counseling, agency or community counseling, clinical mental health counseling, career counseling, and related fields. Courses are often grouped into eight core areas: human growth and development, social and cultural diversity, relationships, group work, career development, assessment, research and program evaluation, and professional identity. In an accredited master's degree program, 48 to 60 semester hours of graduate study, including a period of supervised clinical experience in counseling, are required.
Licensure
Find licensure information in your statee.
Other Qualifications
People interested in counseling should have a strong desire to help others and should be able to inspire respect, trust, and confidence. They should be able to work independently and as part of a team. Counselors must follow the code of ethics associated with their respective certifications and licenses.
Counselors must possess high physical and emotional energy to handle the array of problems that they address. Dealing daily with these problems can cause stress.
Job Outlook and Earnings
Employment for counselors is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2016. However, job growth will vary by location and occupational specialty. Job prospects should be good due to growth and the need to replace people leaving the field.
Social Story
Anxiety around transitioning from Elementary School to Jr/Sr High School
Going into seventh grade is what we do after we finish sixth grade.
Everyone feels nervous about starting a new school year and getting new teachers.
I will still see peers I know and Ms. Babe Brown will be my teacher. I will see my Life Skills Teacher every day.
I will go to the Jr/Sr High School for seventh grade. I will like being a seventh grader.
I will like my Life Skills Classroom and will be happy to come to school.
Since this is written for a student coming into a new school. I will take a photo of the school, one of the classrooms and paste them into the social story. Also my photo will be included. She is now familiar with me and the classrooms after a visit to the program.
Nature of Work
Speech-language pathologists (sometimes called speech therapists) assess, diagnose, treat, and help to prevent disorders related to speech, language, cognitive-communication, voice, swallowing, and fluency.
Work Environment
Speech-language pathologists (SLP) usually work at a desk or table in clean comfortable surroundings. In schools, they may work with students within their classroom or pull them out to an office or resource room. Some work in the client's home.
School-based SLPs typically serve students with both high-incidence and low-incidence disabilities. In high-incidence populations, they work primarily with language and articulation problems, while in low-incidence populations they may work with nonverbal students who are in need of augmented communication through communication icons or boards or a voice output system.
Education and Training
Most speech-language pathologist jobs require a master's degree. In 2007, more than 230 colleges and universities offered graduate programs in speech-language pathology accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. While graduation from an accredited program is not always required to become a speech-language pathologist, it may be helpful in obtaining a license or may be required to obtain a license in some states. In some work situations, additional training in augmentative and alternative communication may be necessary to effectively serve students with significant communication disabilities.
Licensure and Certification
In 2007, 47 states regulated speech-language pathologists through licensure or registration. A passing score on the national examination on speech-language pathology, offered through the Praxis Series of the Educational Testing Service, is required. Other usual requirements include 300 to 375 hours of supervised clinical experience and nine months of postgraduate professional clinical experience. Forty-one states have continuing education requirements for licensure renewal. Medicaid, Medicare, and private health insurers generally require a practitioner to be licensed to qualify for reimbursement.
Only 12 states require this same license to practice in public schools. The other states issue a teaching license or certificate that typically requires a master's degree from an approved college or university. Some states will grant a provisional teaching license or certificate to applicants with a bachelor's degree, but a master's degree must be earned within three to five years. A few states grant a full teacher's certificate or license to bachelor's degree applicants.
In some states, the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP) offered by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association meets some or all of the requirements for licensure. To earn a CCC, a person must have a graduate degree from an accredited university, complete 400 hours of supervised clinical experience, complete a 36-week postgraduate clinical fellowship, and pass the Praxis Series examination in speech-language pathology administered by the Educational Testing Service. Contact your state's licensing board for details on your state's requirements. Find licensure information for your state.
Other Qualifications
Speech-language pathologists should be able to effectively communicate diagnostic test results, diagnoses, and proposed treatment in a manner easily understood by students and their families. They must be able to approach problems objectively and be supportive. Collaboration skills are integral, as the SLP often works closely with the teachers (general education and special education) to further address student needs within the school day. Because a student's progress may be slow—particularly with students in low-incidence populations—patience, compassion, and good listening skills are necessary.
Advancement Opportunities
As speech-language pathologists gain clinical experience and engage in continuing professional education, many develop expertise with certain populations, such as preschoolers and adolescents, or disorders, such as aphasia and learning disabilities. Some may obtain board recognition in a specialty area, such as child language, fluency, or feeding and swallowing. Experienced clinicians may become mentors or supervisors of other therapists or be promoted to administrative positions.
For More Information:
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
10801 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
CEC's Division for Communicative Disabilities and Deafness (DCDD)
1110 N. Glebe Road, Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22201-5704
Teacher Assistant
Nature of the Work
Teacher assistants provide instructional and clerical support for classroom teachers, allowing teachers more time for lesson planning and teaching. They support and assist children in learning class material using the teacher's lesson plans, providing students with individualized attention. Other responsibilities may include supervision of students in the cafeteria, schoolyard, and hallways, or on field trips; recording grades; setting up equipment; and helping prepare materials for instruction. Teacher assistants also are called teacher aides or instructional aides. Some assistants refer to themselves as paraeducators or paraprofessionals.
As schools become more inclusive and integrate special education students into general education classrooms, many teacher assistants in both general education and special education classrooms increasingly assist students with disabilities. They attend to the physical needs of students with disabilities, including feeding, reinforcing the learning of functional skills such as good grooming habits, or providing physical assistance in special area classes, in therapy, or on the school bus.
Teacher assistants also provide personal attention to students with other special needs, such as those who speak English as a second language or those who need remedial education. Some work with young adults to help them obtain a job or apply for community services to support them after schooling. Teacher assistants help assess a student's progress by observing performance and recording relevant data.
Work Environment
Teacher assistants work in a variety of settings—including preschools, child care centers, and religious and community centers, where they work with young adults—but most work in classrooms in elementary, middle, and secondary schools. They also work outdoors supervising recess when weather allows, and they spend much of their time standing, walking, or kneeling.
Those who work in general education classrooms may provide remediation lessons to students with high-incidence disabilities, monitor behavior, and assist with attention and motivation while working with individual students or small groups. In special education classrooms, they often have these responsibilities in addition to offering support in learning basic communication, literacy, and functional life skills.
Approximately 4 in 10 teacher assistants work part time. However, even among full-time workers, about 17 percent work fewer than 40 hours per week. Most assistants who provide educational instruction work the traditional 10-month school year.
Education and Training
Requirements for teacher assistant positions vary by state and district. In some areas, they may need only a high school diploma and on-the-job training, while other areas require an associate's degree at an accredited community college.
Teacher assistants who work in Title 1 schools—those with a large proportion of students from low-income households—must have college training or proven academic skills. They face new federal requirements as of 2006: assistants must hold a two-year or higher degree, have a minimum of two years of postsecondary education, or pass a rigorous state or local assessment.
For those areas that only require a high school diploma, having a college degree or related coursework in child development improves job opportunities.
Licensure
Some states or districts require teaching assistants to pass the ParaPro Assessment of the Educational Testing Services (ETS) Praxis evaluation. Others follow the guidelines discussed under the Education and Training section.
Advancement Opportunities
Advancement for teacher assistants—usually in the form of higher earnings or increased responsibility—comes primarily with experience or additional education. Specifically, teaching assistants may increase their advancement opportunities in special education by pursuing assistive technology training in order to better support students with disabilities. Some districts offer financial incentives for qualified teaching assistants to work with students who have more significant needs and require high-tech supports to succeed in school.
Some school districts provide time away from the job or tuition reimbursement so that teacher assistants can earn their bachelor's degrees and pursue licensed teaching positions. In return for tuition reimbursement, assistants are often required to teach for a certain length of time in the school district.
Job Outlook
Many job openings are expected for teacher assistants due to turnover and average employment growth in this large occupation, resulting in favorable job prospects. Opportunities should be best for those with at least two years of formal postsecondary education, those with experience in helping special education students, or those who can speak a foreign language.
