Eskin, N. & Caron, J. (2018, March). Experiences of paraeducators supporting individuals who use AAC. Poster Presentation at the 2018 Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association (PSHA) Convention in Pittsburgh, PA.
- Paraeducators are defined as adults who support children with disabilities in the educational setting (No Child Left Behind, 2001). While children encounter many communication partners throughout the day, paraeducators are often the most frequent communication partner for children who require AAC in the school environment (Meuller, 2012).
- Paraeducators provide one-on- one instruction for the students with whom they work. However, despite often working with children with the most severe disabilities (Mueller, 2002) they receive limited training (Giangreco, Broer, & Edelman, 2002).
- Given the importance of paraeducators in the lives of individuals who use AAC in the educational environment and the limited research to date, this study solicited the views and experiences of paraeducators in regards to job responsibilities, current training provided, and recommendations for training.