To begin with, a paraprofessional is similar to an aid or a teacher's assistant. Often times, they work with individual students or in small groups with students who have special needs (legally, those who have an IEP).
While not always the most reliable source for information, Wikipedia has a pretty good description of the typical duties of a paraprofessional (or "para" for short):
Paraprofessional educators generally assist teachers in the classroom, supervise students outside of the classroom, or provide administrative support for teaching.[2] Job duties range from filling teaching positions to supplementing regular classroom curriculum with additional enrichment activities for students. Other positions include classroom aides, special education aides, school library technical assistants, and tutors.
Some paraprofessionals work directly with students, in which case they may listen to students practice reading aloud, help students understand and complete their assignments, or assist students with special needs.[2]
Many paraprofessionals are assigned to supervise groups of students who are eating, playing outside, or on field trips. They may be assigned to perform clerical work for a teacher, in which case they may grade assignments, type up records for attendance or grades, set up equipment, and help prepare materials for instruction, e.g., by making photocopies of worksheets.[2]
Many teacher assistants work primarily or exclusively with students who have special educational needs. Their duties vary according to the needs of the student, and may include physical care for students who are unable to care for themselves (such as feeding, lifting, moving, or cleaning), behavioral management, or academic assistance.[2]
The role of the Paraprofessional Educator is constantly evolving. Today, more than ever, paraprofessionals are teaching lessons, working with small groups for remediation, leading extracurricular clubs/sports and are no longer simply the "Teacher's Aide" of the past.
As for students with Behavior Disorders, there are a couple of ways to look at it. First, there is the official definition of IDEA (the official federal law outlining what special education is). It is technically called "Emotional Disturbances":
"(i) The term means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance:
(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors(ii) The term includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance" (CFR §300.7 (a) 9).
(B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.
(C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
Secondly, there is the broader version of students who have "behavior disorders". To the best of my understanding, I will be working with more than just students who fall under the legal definition under IDEA. They can have any other disability (or multiple disabilities) outlined in IDEA, but they have difficulty functioning in a regular classroom. For more information on Behavior Disorders, I found education.com has a solid and thorough overview.
By the way, if you stumble across this blog and find that I misstated something about the nature of behavior disorders (or paraprofessionals for that matter), or that I should add something, please don't hesitate to comment or contact me on Twitter. I want to make sure I am as accurate as possible. In addition, I will let you know more specific details of my job in the next couple of days once I have actually started working. I'm ready to go!
