Behavior Specialist

May Center School for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Western MA have openings for our West Springfield campus for a Behavior Specialist to work in a classroom setting providing educational and behavioral services to children and adolescents with autism or other developmental disabilities.

Just a few of the aMAYzing opportunities that would be available to you include...

• Comprehensive benefits package
• Generous paid time off and paid holidays (including your birthday as a holiday).
• Fully paid in-house training and free continuing education seminars.
• Mentorship and supervision from doctoral-level behavior analysts 
• Participation in applied research projects with opportunities to publish and present.
• Funding to attend regional and international conferences (e.g., BABAT, ABAI, APBA)
• Tuition discounts for graduate studies in Special Education and ABA. Discounts are with local universities (e.g., Regis University, UMass Lowell, Endicott) and online programs (e.g., SUNY Empire, Purdue Global).
  

Who are we?

May Institute offers a continuum of care that begins with applied behavioral analysis (ABA) services for toddlers newly diagnosed with an ASD, and continues with school consultation, residential placement, special education schools, and adult services to meet the needs of our many clients and their families.

Part of what sets May Institute apart from other organizations is our uncompromising commitment to professionalism and excellence. Our work is grounded in evidence-based ABA practice. Our mission and vision drive us to understand each person's unique needs and find effective means to help each individual reach his or her potential and live as independently as possible. 

Our May Center Schools for Autism and Developmental Disabilities offer full-day, year-round educational services to children and adolescents. Our schools focus on building communication, social, behavioral, vocational, and academic skills.

Who are you?

As the Behavior Specialist you will receive training, supervision, and ongoing support from Master's and PhD level supervisors within the program and the organization. You will be responsible for developing and supervising the daily implementation of behavior support plans and classroom wide interventions in a classroom typically consisting of 6 students and 6-7 staff. The Behavior Specialist works collaboratively with the classroom special education teacher and other specialists in a fast-paced educational environment as part of the classroom's 1:1 student to staff ratio. The teacher and Behavior Specialist share time off students when staffing permits. This is a full-time, year round position, and the schedule is a flexible start between 7 AM - 8:10 AM with once per week required clinical meetings at 7 AM or 7:40 AM once per week.

Responsibilities:

• Deliver student individualized and group instruction and other educational objectives    
• Conduct behavior assessments as needed to identify functions of problem behavior; develop appropriate support plans to remediate problem behaviors and teach replacement skills.
• Train school staff to implement behavior support plans with integrity.
• Participate in home consultation as needed
• Provide student case management
• Manage behavioral crisis
• Collect and analyze IOA, treatment integrity, crisis intervention, and problem behavior data.
• Modify behavior support plans based on data collected.
• Provide staff training and feedback based on behavior support plans.
• Ensure appropriate contact with parents regarding behavioral issues.
• Liaise with educational, rehabilitation, administrative, and support service departments.
• Develop and monitor the implementation of programming for areas including, but not limited to, communication, activities of daily living, and functional living skills. 

Qualifications:

• Master's degree in a related field preferred, current enrollment in a program working toward BCBA licensure considered 
• Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and/or Licensed Applied Behavior Analyst (LABA) preferred, Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst considered
• Previous experience conducting behavior assessments and developing behavior intervention plans to reduce problematic behaviors and teach replacement behavior.
• Demonstrated effective supervisory skills and ability to work as part of a collaborative team.
• Management of boundaries in high stress situations.
• Experience instructing, implementing, and coaching others through crisis intervention strategies (e.g., Safety Care).
• Experience with working with children and/or adults with developmental disabilities required 
• Valid driver's license required