Behavior Specialist Long Term Substitute

Behavior Specialist

Position: Behavior Specialist

Reports to: Principal, Special Education Coordinator, BCBA, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services

Evaluated by: BCBA

Qualifications: Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, Education or related area. Experience working with elementary age children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and/or social/emotional/behavioral disabilities. Formal training in and practical knowledge of Applied Behavior Analysis and intervention strategies, including social skills/social thinking curriculum. Current/active in-depth training/certification in Crisis Prevention and Intervention Strategies. Good organization and communication skills; knowledge of Excel for data entry and graphing.

Job Responsibilities: In collaboration with pertinent team members and taking into consideration various disability impact features for individual students, to develop and write behavior intervention plans/programs, including the collection methods/frequency and provide specific strategies for school staff and parents to facilitate understanding and implementation. To collect, record and analyze data across multiple data points; to assist psychologists and BCBA in conducting and writing up findings of FBAs. To model various strategies and techniques to assist others in the implementation of behavior intervention plans and social skills facilitation across various school settings. To record and analyze data to provide feedback to school staff and parents regarding interventions success and/or discuss changes to BIPs based on data and discussion. To provide crisis intervention, as needed, including but not limited to verbal discussion/processing of events with students and staff, and the application of physical intervention methods to reduce risk of injury to students or staff.

Specific Job Tasks: Participate in consultation meetings with program staff regarding specific students and behavior needs; to consider behaviors that should increase in frequency/duration as well as those that should decrease. Develop data collection systems for use by school staff and parents. Record data collected into Excel spreadsheets and provide graphs to visually display student progress on multiple data points, accompanied by brief narrative reports synthesizing key information related to data. In conjunction with other school staff, is responsible to collect information for FBAs, analyze data, and make recommendations regarding strategies implementation/changes. Communication with families regarding behavior intervention plans/strategies/and progress monitoring; both during interim progress meetings and annual IEP meetings, as directed by Principal or Special Education Coordinator. Observe students in school settings, consult with pertinent school staff to ensure coordination of strategies/goals and to facilitate communication between school and home regarding behavior intervention and support plans. Work directly with students to model strategies, provide direct teaching of various skills, and assess current performance and progress towards BIP/BSP and other goals targeted for data collection/analysis/progress monitoring. In conjunction with school staff, plan and implement social skills activities designed to target specific social skill deficit areas identified by students' IEP teams. Prepare well-written reports as may be requested by special education/administrative personnel and/or to reflect progress towards goals/objectives (at least 3 x annually per student.) Participate in Team meetings to offer insights into student progress and needs; may also be required to write/contribute to IEP development. Other duties/responsibilities related to the behavioral needs of students as may be assigned by Principal or Special Education Administrator/designee.

Work Schedule: School Year, with additional days as may be designated for training and/or program preparation during the summer months.

Physical Demands of the Job: Able to physically restrain children weighing up to 120 pounds. Able to lift/carry children weighing up to 120 pounds. Able to sit on floor and/or in chairs sized for young children for up to 45-60 consecutive minutes. Able to reach above head in order to assist or lift children on play equipment. Able to run/sprint for distances up to 1/8 of a mile.

Work Environment: Be able to work in a close environment Be able to work in moderately noisy environment Be able to handle frequent interruptions

Physical Requirements: Be physically and emotionally capable of carrying-out responsibilities and duties in a busy, computerized environment. This position requires hand/wrist movement as in writing or using a computer keyboard/mouse and moderate to frequent exertion in body movements such as reaching, bending and twisting. Vision requirements include the ability to read routine and complex documents and to use a computer.

Boxford, Middleton, and Topsfield Public Schools are an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer It is the policy of the Boxford, Middleton, and Topsfield Public Schools not to discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, color, homelessness, age, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity in its education programs, services, activities or employment practices. Every available opportunity will be taken in order to assure that each applicant is selected on the basis of qualifications, merit and ability.