What does a great paraprofessional need to know and do? Find out in this handy survival guide, equally useful for the brand-new paraprofessional or the 20-year classroom veteran. Packed with friendly guidance, practical tips, and relatable first-person stories, this book reveals the best ways to provide effective, respectful services to students in inclusive classrooms.

Julie Causton-Theoharis, a teacher, professor, and educational consultant with more than 10 years of experience as a paraprofessional instructor, knows exactly how to help readers stop feeling overwhelmed so they can start making a difference. She answers all the urgent questions paraprofessionals have as they navigate their complex job in the inclusive classroom, showing readers how to:

• provide skillful and subtle support to students while encouraging their independence
• resolve challenging behavior in gentle and positive ways
• find students' strengths and match support practices to them
• fade their support
• make informed decisions about content-specific accommodations, modifications, and adaptations
• presume competence and keep expectations high
• facilitate peer supports and friendships
• partner with teachers, SLPs, psychologists, families, and other members of the educational team
• relieve their own stress and avoid burnout

To help them master the daily ups and downs of the inclusive classroom, paraprofessionals will get ready-to-use practical content: tips for supporting students with specific disabilities, helpful question-and-answer sections, examples of successful problem-solving, a quick-guide to acronyms in education, easy ideas for improving teamwork, and more.

The essential guide for every paraprofessional--and a must-have for the educators and other professionals who support them--this empowering book takes the guesswork out of a critical classroom role and helps students with disabilities reach their full potential.

Get more from Julie Causton:

Click here to watch a recording of Dr. Causton's webinar - The Role of the Paraprofessional in the Inclusive Class

Julie Causton, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Inclusive Special Education Program at Syracuse University. She teaches courses on inclusion, differentiation, Adaptations, and collaboration. Her published works have appeared in such journals as Exceptional Children, TEACHING Exceptional Children, Journal of Research in Childhood Education, International Journal of Inclusive Education, Behavioral Disorders, Studies in Art Education, and Equity and Excellence in Education. Dr. Causton also works as an educational consultant in schools and districts nationwide. To keep up-to-date with her, you can listen to her podcast, The Inclusive Podcast.

Paula Kluth, Ph.D., is one of today's most popular and respected experts on autism and inclusive education. Through her work as an independent consultant and the high-energy presentations she gives to professionals across the country, Dr. Kluth helps educators and families create responsive, engaging schooling experiences for students with disabilities and their peers, too. An internationally respected scholar and author, Dr. Kluth has written or cowritten several books for Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., including "You're Going to Love This Kid!": Teaching Students with Autism in the Inclusive Classroom, Second Edition (2010); Pedro's Whale (2010); From Tutor Scripts to Talking Sticks: 100 Ways to Differentiate Instruction in K-12 Classrooms (2010); "A Is for All Aboard!" (2010); "A Land We Can Share": Teaching Literacy to Students with Autism (2008); and "Just Give Him the Whale!": 20 Ways to Use Fascinations, Areas of Expertise, and Strengths to Support Students with Autism (2008).