Utah Special Education Paraeducator Handbook - Granite School ...

Basic appropriate social skills help a student make and keep friends, get and keep a job, and be
successful in life. While a student may be lacking several important social skills, your supervisor may
identify only one or two to work on first. Make sure you understand which specific social skills your
supervisor needs you to model and support so there is no misunderstanding.
One example of assisting in teaching children and youth socials skills is saying, "Thank you" when given
something tangible. When given a compliment, a student needs to learn to thank that person
graciously. You can model saying "Thank you" as you interact with students. When students see you
doing this regularly, they are positively reinforced and will start doing it, too.
F. Assist learners in using self control and self management strategies
Self-control and self-management strategies are important skills needed to live a productive and
independent life. Without self-control, students may be at risk of hurting themselves or others. Many
students have difficulty organizing, problem solving, and asking for help. This can impact their
performance and interpersonal relationships at school, work and home.
Learning self-control and self-management skills is difficult for some students because of their disability.
Students have to learn perseverance and develop the discipline necessary to make ongoing progress. It
is important for you to follow the plan outlined by your supervisor as you help students take the lead in
their education.
Here are some examples your supervisor may want you to use as you assist students in using selfmanagement
strategies:
Allow the student time to think and respond before prompting or providing them with the
answer.
Rehearse with the student about how they could respond to a specific situation before class
begins or immediately after class ends.
Model self-management skills at all times because students are always watching!
Use pre-teaching; prepare the student for activities that in the past have triggered inappropriate
behaviors.
Encourage the student to identify several appropriate choices he may use in a problem
situation.
Praise the student when he makes a good choice.
Caution: Occasionally, we unwittingly are overprotective as we try to make things easier for students.
We end up teaching them to depend on us for too much. Over time, students learn to depend on
parents, teachers, paraeducators, and others to solve problems for them. They are reluctant to try new
things on their own, whether it is physical, social, or academic. Instead, students will wait for prompting
or assistance from others. This student behavior is detrimental and is called "learned-helplessness." Our
goal is to teach students to be independent, acting on their own using self-management skills.
Utah Paraeducator Handbook Page 42