1

1R

1a

1aR

1b

1bR

2

2R

2a

2aR

2b

2bR

3

3R

Working Effectively with Other Educational Professionals

You may remember from Core Competency Area 7: Communication and Collaborative Partnerships that you will be working as part of a team that includes students, teachers, parents, family members, school personnel, healthcare professionals, and other community members. You will have the opportunity to form partnerships and relationships with the members of the student’s educational team. As with any relationship or team, communication plays a key role in the effectiveness of the team’s work. Communicating effectively with all team members is essential for good relationships. Another aspect of a good relationship is that it is collaborative, with shared, two-way relationships that involve working together. To have this type of relationship, each member must understand his/her role on the team. In education, a lack of effective communication can have serious consequences for all team members and nonmembers. Students may not understand important material, paraprofessionals may not understand directions given to them, and teachers may not understand that a gap in communication is forming. In poor communication, ideas, directions, and thoughts will be lost or misunderstood. In order to be understood in the intended manner, paraprofessionals must learn to communicate effectively.

Another important concept you learned in Core Competency Area 7 is that while the skills and attitudes needed as a paraprofessional vary greatly, the most important skill in most situations is teamwork. This skill is especially important in educational settings because teams will typically work in collaboration to support students in working toward their educational goals. Each team member provides a different perspective on the development of an Individualized Educational Program (IEP). These perspectives allow for a comprehensive program to be implemented for the student. The more effectively a team can work together, the better it can provide programming and services for individuals and their families.

A team works together to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities. The team may work together:

• to develop initial planning with an individual and his/her family;
• to solve problems when they arise;
• to meet goals;
• to define strategies to meet goals; and
• to provide support and services to individuals and their families.

One of the most important functions and top priorities of a multidisciplinary team for students with OHD is to clearly define the roles of its members. The following guideline is an overview of essential team roles adapted from a presentation at the 1987 Arc Minnesota Conference.

Roles of Essential Team Members

Individual with a disability

• Presents personal values and priorities.
• Advocates for personal accommodations and modifications.
• Provides insight into personal goals and future planning.

Parent/family member

• Presents family values and priorities for the individual.
• Provides insight into the individual's interests, preferences, skills, and needed supports.
• Provides a vision of the individual's future.

General education teacher

• Sees and includes the individual as a member of the class rather than a visitor.
• Seeks and uses others to adapt learning activities to include the individual in meaningful ways.
• Incorporates IEP goals in typical activities and interactions.

Special education teacher

• Provides consultation and collaboration.
• Adapts curriculum, materials, and equipment.
• Incorporates IEP goals in typical activities and interactions.

School nurse

• Provides consultation and collaboration in areas of health and medical-related issues and concerns.
• Provides direct care for medications, first aid, and other health situations.
• Provides health care recommendations with all regular and adapted curriculum, materials, equipment, and activities.

Paraprofessional

• Facilitates the individual's direct participation with peers and adults.
• Incorporates IEP goals in typical activities and interactions.

Therapist (physical, occupational, or speech/language)

• Insures functional approaches to addressing therapy needs in typical activities and interactions such as self-care, getting on the bus, finding the bathroom, etc.
• Adapts the curriculum, materials, and equipment.
• Incorporates IEP goals in typical activities and interactions.

Administrator

• Draws together general and special education resources.
• Insures staff training and team consultative support.
• Assists in problem-solving, logistics, and program issues.

References  

Information for this unit was used with permission from:

The Para eLink is sponsored by the Minnesota Paraprofessional Consortium, in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Education, located at the Institute on Community Integration in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota.

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