Historically individuals with disabilities were not valued members of the community. Sometimes, special asylums were built for people who were disabled. Often conditions in these institutions were dehumanizing, filthy and crowded. There is little evidence that people in these institutions were given skills or education that would enable them to cope with the world and become members of the greater community. Much of the lack of education occurred because it was believed that these individuals were not able to learn like other people and that it would be a waste of time and money to help them learn. In recent times as early as the 1970's, prior to Public Law 94-142 (Education of All Handicapped Children Act), children with special needs often continued to be excluded from the public education system or if included, they were often segregated from their peers in separate classrooms or schools. This practice is no longer acceptable.

Today, with the reauthorization of P.L. 94-142, now called IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), students with disabilities are now an integral part of the regular school environment. This legislation emphasized the inclusion of children with disabilities into the general education classroom and community environments, and increased the need for and use of paraprofessionals. When that is not possible, children are to be educated in the "least restrictive environment" appropriate for the child. Federal law, as well as State mandated practices, have established procedures to assure that to the maximum extent appropriate, students with disabilities are educated with non-disabled students. Special classes, separate schools, or other removal of students with disabilities from the regular educational environment occur only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in general education classes, with the use of supplementary aids and services, cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

Research supports that children with disabilities benefit from inclusive instruction within the regular classroom environment. For children with moderate to severe handicaps, inclusion can increase social interaction between disabled and non-disabled children. Inclusion can increase social acceptance by peers and provide disabled students with appropriate behavior models.

It is important to note however, that the mere physical placement of children with disabilities in regular classrooms does not necessarily result in positive results. Often these children require direct intervention and support in order to be successful. Paraprofessionals play an important role in providing that intervention and support as they are often utilized to implement and reinforce teacher designed programs to increase the students' success in the classroom setting.

Paraprofessionals will need to understand the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social characteristics that are generally associated with children identified as in need of special education services. Children may exhibit one or more characteristics to varying degrees. The following are the definitions and descriptions of the state of Wyoming eligibility criteria for special education services.

Autism

Spectrum Disorder means a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communications and social interaction generally evident before age 3 that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences. The term does not apply if a child’s educational performance is adversely affected primarily because the child has an Emotional Disability.

Taken in part from "A core Curriculum & Training Program to Prepare Paraprofessionals to Work in Inclusive Classrooms Servicing School Age Students With Disabilities".

Assessment is the process of collecting and interpreting information relating to a child with a disability for the purpose of determining the child's present skills to form a base on which new learning experiences can be planned. Before a child can receive special education services a thorough evaluation is carried out. Depending on the areas of concern, it would include a comprehensive look at the child's physical, cognitive, academic, social, emotional and language development. Generally teachers and other professional staff members are responsible for conducting the assessment activities. Often, however, paraprofessionals are asked to help identify the child's functional capabilities or provide specific observations regarding the child.

Based on the evaluation data the team, made up of professionals and the parents, determine if the child meets criteria in one or more of the disability areas identified by the state of Wyoming. After a child is placed in special education, a re-evaluation is conducted at least every three years to determine if special education continues to be needed.

Paraprofessionals are often asked to provide data regarding a student they work with during the evaluation as a means of documenting progress and determining areas of need. This documentation may be in the form of anecdotal reports, checklists or formal and informal observations.

Acquiring and using objective skills of observation and keeping data are important to all paraprofessionals. Much of the information needed by the team to determine whether or not children are gaining new skills is acquired by careful observation and good record keeping. In addition, observation will keep the team posted on whether or not the individuals are learning and using the functional skills necessary to let them achieve the objectives and long-term goals that are outlined in the IEP.

The written information as to what has been observed is called "data". It serves as a more permanent record of what is seen or heard and, when done well, is an objective account of the individual's activities and skills. It is important to keep written data on all the observation activities. If this is not done, there is a risk of reporting inaccurately what has happened.

Interviewing- This is a specific kind of record keeping, one in which the team is trying to determine what the child likes or dislikes, what the child's interests are, or other feelings or beliefs that cannot be observed. When interviewing, it is extremely important to record precisely what the child says. There is no room for editorializing in this kind of record. **This is done most of the time by the teacher.