ED PARA,INTENSIVE DISAB,NC,NT I (ESE)

Orange County Public Schools•Winter Park, FL

About The Position

Under direct supervision, provides assistance in the education, care, and development of students with severe disabilities. The position includes instructional, clerical, and behavioral management duties performed under the direction of a certified teacher, guidance counselor, or administrator. Duties are tailored to the exceptional needs of assigned students, and related work may be assigned as directed. Employees provide instructional, behavioral, developmental, and personal-care support; assist with positive behavioral supports and crisis intervention; and help students participate in learning and daily activities. They also assist teachers with instructional planning, materials, behavior intervention plans, accommodations, and student progress data. The position requires keeping job-related information timely and accurate and staying current with technology used by OCPS through district-supported training. New hires must successfully complete ESE Training within 45 days of hire. The work involves substantial physical effort, including assisting with transfers and lifting, and may involve exposure to adverse conditions such as violence when working with severely disabled or emotionally disturbed children. The Orange County School District provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
At least two years of experience working with exceptional-needs school-age children (Pre-K through grade 12) in an educational environment, with broad familiarity with and understanding of the physical and emotional behaviors and challenges of children with severe disabilities; equivalent combinations of education, training, and experience may be considered.
Stress management skills.
Ability to meet the dexterity and physical requirements of the work and effectively attend to special needs.
New hires must successfully complete ESE Training within 45 days of hire.
Ability to assist with specialized therapeutic or physical care plans and procedures.
Ability to operate, maneuver, or control special-needs equipment and devices.
Ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness, and creativity in evaluating information and resolving problems.
Ability to exert very heavy physical effort, including climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, and lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling heavy items up to 100 pounds and occasionally heavier items.
Visual perception and discrimination; some tasks require oral communication and the ability to perceive and discriminate sounds.

Responsibilities

Provide instructional, behavioral, and developmental assistance to students with severe disabilities as directed by a supervising teacher or other certified professional.
Apply basic positive behavioral support practices and assist students in learning problem-solving skills.
Assist with behavior interventions, including monitoring and charting student behaviors.
Use crisis-intervention principles with students who display aggressive behavior and may require physical restraint.
Assist students arriving on buses, transfer students from wheelchairs, and monitor their medical and social-emotional needs.
Provide support and follow-up for students with severe disabilities assigned to in-school suspension.
Reinforce school and classroom rules, encourage appropriate behavior, and identify inappropriate behavior using positive behavioral support approaches.
Escort and provide one-on-one assistance during meals, restroom visits, and other activities throughout the school day.
Assist with gross motor activities, including grasping, holding objects, posture, crawling, walking, and running, as appropriate to each student's development.
Assist with fine motor activities, including use of assistive devices, job skills, and leisure skills, as appropriate to each student's development.
Assist students with daily living skills, including dressing, eating, toileting and diapering, grooming, and personal hygiene.
Assist teachers with lesson plans, behavior intervention plans, accommodations, learning activities, and preparation of instructional materials.
Assist teachers in collecting and reporting data for progress monitoring, progress reports, and IEP development and review.
Perform assigned monitoring duties, such as hallway, lunchroom, restroom, and bus duty, and escort students to designated activities and locations.
When assigned to labs, assist teachers and provide instruction or information to students; may translate lesson plans and other information for student understanding.
Stay current on job-appropriate technology used by OCPS and attend district-supported training as needed.
Maintain timely and accurate information related to job responsibilities.
Perform related duties as directed.