Evaluating the Effects of a Paraprofessional Mediated Intervention to Teach Soft Skills to High School Students with Disabilities

Abstract

In this study, a paraprofessional delivered video modeling intervention to teach soft skills was evaluated using a multiple probe across behaviors design. Three soft skills were targeted that were required for successful future employment of high school students with disabilities. The three dependent variables consisted of sending a work related email, leaving a voice message, and creating work related calendar entry. Five paraprofessionals and four high school students with disabilities participated in this study. We evaluated the degree to which the intervention was successful, the degree of procedural fidelity by the paraprofessionals, and the social validity of the study. The results supported the intervention. All four students showed improvements in their soft skills. A functional relation was established for two out of four student participants. The paraprofessionals maintained a high level of procedural fidelity. Paraprofessional and student participants reported high level of satisfaction with the goals, procedures, and outcomes of the study. Maintenance data collected demonstrated that participants maintained their skills following the conclusion of the video modeling intervention. There were limitations related to the implementation of the research design, partially due to constraints of the Covid-19 pandemic.