VIDBE-Q Volume 67 Issue 4
Jodi Anderson, Wisconsin
Having an intervener for my son has been the best thing to assist him in
reaching his full potential. Before he had access to communication with tactile sign
language, braille, and information about his environment, he was easily frustrated,
and this frustration came out in challenging behaviors. When his intervener
implemented a calendar system early in his schooling, he was able to anticipate his
day, and that really made a difference in his behavior and comfort level. He is
happier being able to connect more with his peers and has made friends. His
intervener has been very instrumental in his success in band. She has worked on
adapting the materials and providing him with the music in a manner which is
appropriate for him and his skill level. Her ability to connect him to fellow students
is amazing. Everywhere we go, students greet Liam and fist bump him, which is
his preferred method of saying "hello". There is no longer isolation at school.
In 2012, I had the opportunity to go to a conference in Texas, where I met so
many moms whose children had interveners, and I really learned this was exactly
what my son Liam needed. The process to obtain an intervener for my son began in
Early Intervention 4K, but it was not easy. After I brought up the request for
intervener services, his team was very skeptical. No other student in his class had a
one-on-one paraprofessional, so they didn't see why Liam needed one. I don't
think they really understood the difference between a paraprofessional and an
