What do I do if my child's aide controls their communication technology?

It's important to get good paraprofessional training. There's a great class called Para-Bytes that districts can pay for. We want paras attached to teachers who understand what the teacher wants and their instruction, instead of being attached to the kid. Paras should be independence facilitators; "aide" implies the kid needs help all the time.

Have a conversation with the aide, and talk with your school team about an independence plan to fade away the support. You may want to have a checklist of your child's supports and then discuss each area and how it can be faded out, especially aide support.

Have technology provide what the aide is doing now, i.e. give the child notes and then have them actively engage in the notes instead of having the aide do it. Have the child learn how to have the computer read the page to them instead of having the aide read it.

For more information, see our articles about 1:1 aides and paraeducators.