Job coach
Last updated
A job coach is a person who teaches a worker with a disability the tasks and routines of a job on site, then gradually reduces support.
Topic: Transition and adult life
In plain terms
Job coaches analyze the job, break tasks into steps, teach them in the workplace, and help with social expectations like breaks and greetings. They also work with employers on natural supports, such as a coworker who can answer questions. The goal is independence, so coaching plans include fading.
How it shows up in an IEP
In school, job coaches may support work-based learning. Data often uses task analysis, rates of work completed, or the level of prompting needed, and should show fading over time.
Example
A job coach teaches a student to stock shelves using a picture checklist, records prompts per task, and moves from standing beside the student to checking in hourly.
Related terms
- Supported employmentSupported employment is paid work in a typical workplace, with ongoing support such as a job coach, for people with significant disabilities.
- Task analysisA task analysis breaks a complex skill into a sequence of smaller, teachable steps that can be taught and tracked one at a time.
- Prompt fadingPrompt fading is the planned, gradual reduction of help so that a student performs a skill independently and does not come to depend on adult prompts.
- Work-based learningWork-based learning gives students real work experiences, such as job shadowing, internships or paid work, connected to what they learn in school.
- ParaprofessionalA paraprofessional is a school employee who supports students under the direction of a teacher or provider, sometimes called an aide or educational assistant.
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