Exploring the Professional Development Needs of Early Childhood Paraeducators and Supervising Teachers

2020 ◽  
pp. 027112142092123
Author(s):  
Rebecca Frantz ◽  
Sarah Douglas ◽  
Hedda Meadan ◽  
Michelle Sands ◽  
Naima Bhana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Group Method ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Professional Development Needs ◽  
Supervising Teachers ◽  
Early Childhood Settings ◽  
Focus Group Method ◽  
Children With Developmental Disabilities

Paraeducators play an important role supporting children with developmental disabilities in early childhood settings, and the current educational system has come to rely heavily on paraeducator supports. Unfortunately, most paraeducators receive limited training prior to engaging in their classroom roles and responsibilities, and teachers receive limited training related to supervising paraeducator staff. This study examined the roles and responsibilities, professional development experiences, perceived professional development needs, suggestions for professional development, and perceived barriers to professional development among early childhood paraeducators working with children with developmental disabilities and their supervising teachers using focus group method and a questionnaire. Implications for improving professional development practices among early childhood staff, remediating barriers to effective professional development, and future directions for research are discussed.

Changing mindsets: the benefits of implementing a professional development model in early childhood settings in Ireland

2012 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy J. McMillan ◽  
Glenda Walsh ◽  
Colette Gray ◽  
Karen Hanna ◽  
Sheelagh Carville ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Development Model ◽  
Professional Development Model ◽  
Early Childhood Settings

A Survey of the Experiences of Paraprofessionals With Roles, Training, and Communication When Working With Students With Autism

2022 ◽  
pp. 108835762110668
Author(s):  
Kristi L. Morin ◽  
Sallie Nowell ◽  
Jessica Steinbrenner ◽  
Ann Sam ◽  
Victoria Waters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Perceived Barriers ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
School Settings ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Job Preparation ◽  
Professional Development Needs ◽  
Students With Autism ◽  
Applied Knowledge

Paraprofessionals are critical members of instructional teams for students with autism; however, little is known about their job preparation and professional development needs. This study addressed the gap in the literature by surveying 325 paraprofessionals in public school settings in the United States and Guam who reported working with students with autism. Data were gathered on paraprofessionals’ (a) roles and responsibilities, (b) applied knowledge from different types of professional development, (c) perceived barriers to professional development, and (d) types and timing of communication with their supervising teachers. The results of this study have direct implications for individuals interested in developing a model of professional development that will meet the unique needs of paraprofessionals who work with students with autism.

scholarly journals Interprofessional research on the inclusion of young children with developmental disabilities as they transition from preschool to elementary school

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Villeneuve ◽  
Celine Chatenoud ◽  
Patricia Minnes ◽  
Adrienne Perry ◽  
Nancy L. Hutchinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Interprofessional Collaboration ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Learning Partnerships ◽  
Canadian Research ◽  
Children With Developmental Disabilities

This paper is submitted in response to the call for papers on inclusion. Despite recognition of the importance of parent and interprofessional collaboration to enable meaningful inclusion outcomes for young children with developmental disabilities in education contexts, limited research has investigated how parents, educators and healthcare providers actually collaborate to support inclusion goals. Moreover, research has not examined inclusion from the diverse perspectives of stakeholders across early childhood, healthcare, and education sectors. This paper describes the work of HELPS Inc, a Canadian research project describing Health, Education, and Learning Partnerships Promoting Social Inclusion of young children with developmental disabilities.

scholarly journals Interprofessional research on the inclusion of young children with developmental disabilities as they transition from preschool to elementary school

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Villeneuve ◽  
Celine Chatenoud ◽  
Patricia Minnes ◽  
Adrienne Perry ◽  
Nancy L. Hutchinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Interprofessional Collaboration ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Learning Partnerships ◽  
Canadian Research ◽  
Children With Developmental Disabilities

This paper is submitted in response to the call for papers on inclusion. Despite recognition of the importance of parent and interprofessional collaboration to enable meaningful inclusion outcomes for young children with developmental disabilities in education contexts, limited research has investigated how parents, educators and healthcare providers actually collaborate to support inclusion goals. Moreover, research has not examined inclusion from the diverse perspectives of stakeholders across early childhood, healthcare, and education sectors. This paper describes the work of HELPS Inc, a Canadian research project describing Health, Education, and Learning Partnerships Promoting Social Inclusion of young children with developmental disabilities.

Partner Sensitivity to Communication Behavior of Young Children with Developmental Disabilities

1990 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 679-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Jeanne Wilcox ◽  
Theresa A. Kouri ◽  
Susan Caswell
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Communication Behavior ◽  
Communication Behaviors ◽  
Communication Partners ◽  
Cue Recognition ◽  
Children With Developmental Disabilities

Aspects of partner sensitivity to communication behaviors of 24 presymbolic children with developmental disabilities were examined. The children were grouped according to their movement abilities (normal vs. abnormal patterns) and communication status (intentional vs. preintentional). Participating communication partners were those with whom the children interacted on a regular basis and included their mothers, early childhood special educators, and speech-language pathologists. Procedures were developed whereby the partners served as informants in order to provide information regarding (a) recognition of the children's communicative cues and (b) consistency of cue recognition and descriptions across partners. Results indicated wide individual variability in the partners' basic recognition abilities as well as their consistency with each other. Further, the observed variations could not be attributed to the children's movement and communication abilities. It was concluded that sensitivity, as measured in the present investigation, was highly partner-child specific, with some children likely to be exposed to more optimal interactions than others.

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