A research based remedy for 1:1 management aides
Deborah Whitman BCBA
City School District of New Rochelle, NY
More and more requests for 1:1 aides from
parents and teachers as well as private
consultants.
Fewer resources
Increased pressure to incorporate RTI/PBIS
Increased emphasis on research based best
practice across all areas
Pressure on building and district-wide
administrators to control referrals and increase
instructional time and student performance due
to APPR.
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Teachers- requesting additional aide support
because:
◦ They are concerned about disruption to
instructional time
◦ Scores of individual children placed in their class
◦ Perceived less time to work on non-instructional
student goals
◦ Influenced by parent and provider concerns
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Concerned for the safety of their vulnerable
children
Wanting to maintain control over their
children’s school day
Influenced by the recommendations of
outside consultants
Want their children in more the least
restrictive environment
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Parents often rely on the recommendations of
private consultants or experts and trust their
opinions more than the team in the school
Outside consultants are not necessarily
current on research based best practice
Focus on placement in general education
environment at all costs.
Districts concerned with litigation often
concede to requests without data based
information or research.
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Parents upset with districts when their
students graduate from high school but don’t
have basic living skills to be functional in the
community.
Students who do not acquire the skills they
need to be independent in their communities.
Underutilized staff members who do not have
appropriate goals and strategies to help their
students meet their objectives towards
independence.
Learned helplessness on the part of students
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Students with aides do not develop
independent school skills but rather remain
over reliant on adult support. (Giangreco,
Luiselli & MacFarland, 1997)
Students with aides actually get significantly
less direct teacher instruction. (Giangreco,
Boer & Edelman, 2001; Young et. al. 1997)
Students with aides are often isolated from
their general education peers. (Angelides,
Constantinou, & Leigh 2009)
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Research indicates that students with aides
get significantly less direct instruction from
their teachers.
Aides tend to over prompt and correct
student work before the teacher can see it
resulting in less teacher observation of error
patterns in students.
Student’s turn to aide instead of teacher for
instructional support.
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Without clear end points and goals teachers
often become over dependent on the aide
and become fearful of any attempt to fade the
support seeing it as necessary.
Teachers’ can incorrectly see the aide as the
“expert” on the student with disabilities which
can hinder appropriate research based
interventions from being used.
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Parents become reliant on the aide to give
them daily feedback on their child’s behavior
often circumventing teacher communication.
Parents see the aide as providing safety for
their child without providing the child with
instruction on managing their own personal
safety.
Parents often see the aide as the ticket to a
mainstream environment regardless of their
child’s readiness skills.
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Independence Skills Plans for all students
with management aides or enhanced staffing.
Separate Independence plan data collection
daily towards determined goals
Specific time limits on aide support
Daily schedule of when aide is used
Monthly review of data
Fading plan in place
District-wide supervision of independence
plans
Parent training and support
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Formal separate document for all students
with shared or 1:1 aides.
Outlines when exactly
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When the aide is needed
What the long term goal is
What the short term objective is
Specific instructions for aides
Accompanying data collection sheet
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Through the use of independence plans the
student’s skill deficits in independence are
specifically addressed and instructional goals
set rather than simply covering up the issue
with an aide.
Helps to foster peer relationships rather than
isolate
Increases executive functioning repertoires
for students who are weak in this area
Helps prepare students for LRE through skill
building.
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Independence Plans are also an important
tool in the transition process even for
students who don’t have management aides.
Independence plans can help to outline long
and short term goals for students in post
secondary planning as well as part of their
organized set of transition activities.
Independence plans are easy for parents and
staff to follow.
Time
/activity or
subject for
which aide
or skill
instruction
is required
Goal for independent skill
for this activity
Current STO for this
goal include start
date.
Current prompt levels
and intervention steps
as well as fading
procedures
Weekly
Staff
progress initials
data
Time /activity or
subject for which aide
or skill instruction is
required
Goal for independent skill for this
activity
Current STO for this goal include start
date.
Current prompt levels and intervention steps as well as
fading procedures
Weekly
progres
s data
Staff
initials
Science Class
Student will independently attend to
instruction and complete all class
assignments with <3 prompts from
teachers.
Student will attend to instruction,
complete classroom assignments and
follow teacher directions with < 1
prompt per 5 minute period from aide
or teacher.
Aide will make sure that Student gets set up with his materials and
then give him direction to attend to class. Aide will then walk away
and assist any other students coming back to Student every minute
to redirect him and check that he is on task.
Aide will repeat any directions given by the teacher to Student
individually and then move away. Aide should not sit next to
Student but rather prompt him once and then walk way coming
back once a minute to check in.
Data to
be
entered
each
Friday.
DW
Social Studies Class
Student will independently attend to
instruction and complete all class
assignments with <3 prompts from
teachers.
Student will attend to instruction,
complete classroom assignments and
follow teacher directions with < 1
prompt per 5 minute period from aide
or teacher
Aide will make sure that student gets set up with his materials and
then give him direction to attend to class. Aide will then walk away
and assist any other students coming back to student every minute
to redirect him and check that he is on task.
Aide will repeat any directions given by the teacher to Student
individually and then move away. Aide should not sit next to
Student but rather prompt him once and then walk way coming
back once a minute to check in.
Data to
be
entered
each
Friday.
DW
Lunch and recess
Student will independently enter the
lunch room and sit at a table with peers.
Student will enter the lunchroom and
sit either at the table with the PAT
students or near the table with PAT TA
keeping visual contact with him.
Transition Class
ELA,Math
Study Skills
NO AIDE REQUIRED
Exit Classes
NO AIDE REQUIRED
TA will keep visual contact with Student who will either sit at Pat
table or nearby and TA will make sure that student eats his lunch
and remains in the lunchroom sitting appropriately with peers.
Time and
activity or
subject for
which aide
is required
Goal for independent skill
for this activity
Current STO for this
goal include start
date.
Current prompt levels
and intervention steps
as well as fading
procedures
Arrival and
morning
work
8:309:00am
L will independently come
into the room, put his
things away, put down his
chair, take out his
notebook and start work.
L will perform all
steps in morning
arrival with <2 verbal
prompts and start his
morning work <2
verb prompts
Aide will give L verbal
directions and stay at
least 4 feet from him
while he carries them
out. If he stops aide
will ask him to repeat
the directions. Do not
do it for him, use
verbal prompts
whenever possible.
9:00-9:40
FLAMPEL
L will independently
transition to classes,
follow teacher directions
and participate in all
activities.
L will transition to
class with <2 verbal
prompts from staff. L
will follow teacher
directions with <3
prompts from staff
and participate in all
activities with < 4
prompts.
Aide will remind L to keep
his hands and feet to
himself and walk in line
before leaving, aide will
repeat directions given to
the group to L and check
for understanding, aide will
verbally prompt and then
step at least 4 feet away. If
in a classroom the aide will
prompt L and then circle
around to other students
before returning to him.
ELA-part 1
9:4510:00
Read aloud
L will sit on the carpet
staying in his space, raise
his hand, wait to be called
on and attend to the
teacher independently.
Lwill sit on the carpet,
raise hand, wait to be
called on and attend
to the teacher with <2
prompts from aide
who will remain at
least 6-8 feet away.
Aide will sit in a chair at
least 6-8 feet away but near
L on carpet so that she can
prompt him if necessary.
Aide should prompt using a
gentle touch on the
shoulder paired with a
verbal prompt as needed.
Then move back to chair.
Weekly
Staff
progress initials
data
Activity or time
Prompt level via STO
for this activity
Number of verbal
prompts needed
Number of
Physical prompts
or assistance
needed
Total prompts
(indicate P for
physical and v for
verbal)
Was the STO met
for this activity
today?
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The supervisor or CSE chair reviews the
independence plan and sets aide support very
specifically including:
◦ Specific number of hours based on the plan not just
full days
◦ Specific start and end dates for review typically at
least once midway through the school year
◦ This helps to limit the effect of “taking something
away from the student”
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Aides are trained in how to keep data on the
short term objective in the independence plan
and this data is submitted to the case
manager or supervisor on a bi-weekly basis
and reviewed at least monthly.
New short term objectives can be set and the
independence plan revised throughout the
year.
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Whenever an aide is assigned to a student a
fading plan is part of the independence plan
with prompt levels dictated in order to ensure
that the student is gaining independence in
the areas of need.
This is not just true for students with
behavioral issues but also for students with
physical disabilities as learning to manage
their environment is critical to their success
after graduation.
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The cornerstone of successful
implementation of independence plans is
supervision.
The supervisor is responsible for:
◦ Collecting the data and reviewing
◦ Observing the students and checking in with aides
and teachers to make sure plans are followed
◦ Collaborating with teachers, teams and parents to
review progress and set new objectives
◦ Participate in CSE meetings to review and update
plans and facilitate fading procedures.
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Parents need to be active members of the
team
Parent collaboration on goals both short term
and long term for independence
Developing relationships of trust and
collaboration towards successful independent
skills for the student rather than a combative
“giving up services” approach.
Collaborate with private providers and
consultants rather than take sides.
Total Number of Management Aides by Year
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2009
2010
2011
2012
Blue=Total Full time aides Red= total part time hourly aides
2009-2010- 31 full time management aides
Serving 47 students, 2 part time hourly aides
2010-2011- 26 full time management aides
Serving 42 students, 6 part time hourly aides
2011-2012- 23 full time management aides
Serving 38 students, 6 part time hourly aides
2012-2013- 17 full time management aides
Serving 34 students, 6 part time hourly aides
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These significant reductions in management
aides have allowed staff resources to be
spent on qualified teachers and on research
based interventions and support that better
serve the students by providing them with
real opportunities to reach their goals both in
academics and functional skills.