Parents may come to an IEP meeting asking for a “1:1 aide” for their child, when they really are describing “continuous support” for their student. Here are the basic differences.
Continuous special education support suggests that the student requires supervision at all times or most times. This can be achieved through different staff members such as a special education teacher or special education aide/paraprofessional working closely with a student. This could look like an adult always being next to a student during school, including to and from the bus, lunch, recess, academics, etc. It could also look like an adult being present with your student and one or two other special education students throughout the day or only at specific high-need times.
Continuous support is tailored to the student’s need for support or supervision. Some students need an adult to assist with lunch, some need to have independent time out on the playground, others might need self-advocacy guidance during academics, etc.
On the other hand, a “1:1 (1 on 1) aide” is one, single person, specifically hired to be with the student at all times during the day. This situation is considered a very restrictive environment due to the fact that the student is only experiencing one staff member with them at all times as opposed to being exposed to different people, transitions, or having time to work independently without supervision.
1:1 aide situations may be so restrictive as to impede the progress of a student’s ability to learn to be with other people, work independently, transition smoothly from one situation to another, overcome challenges, etc. However, a 1:1 aide situation may be necessary for a more intensely disabled student experiencing safety issues such as choking risks (saliva, small objects), breathing issues, frequent seizures, etc.
We want our students to be successful with the least amount of support necessary in the classroom – we don’t want to carry a child if they can walk on their own with the help of crutches.
We also want our students to have enough support in place to optimize their success in the classroom – we don’t want to let a child fall when climbing stairs, if we can hold their hand to catch them.
It is a delicate balance and a team discussion when matching the aide service to a student’s needs. If a student progresses well in science class with minimal prompts and reminders to stay on task, it may be best to have them without direct support in that class in order for them to work toward independent success. At the same time, the same student may also require direct assistance in less structured environments like recess, lunch and electives to follow through on a behavior plan or guidance with peer interactions.
If you have questions about your child’s need for aide supports in school, I am here to help with your understanding and managment of your child’s situatiopn. Give me a call and we can talk about it!
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