2542 Autism Resource Specialist-BCBA

POSITION IDENTIFICATION

TITLE Autism Resource Specialist-BCBA

CLASSIFICATION NUMBER 2542

GRADE 45

CLASSIFICATION Exempt

IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR Director, Project ACCESS

GENERAL FUNCTION

The Autism Resource Specialist-BCBA (ARS-BCBA) provides a comprehensive, sustained, and intensive approach to improving school-based personnel ability to effect measurable educational progress by students with autism or a related developmental disability. This position coordinates and develops three primary activities: performing consultations with school personnel, providing professional development for school personnel, and by creating and providing resources and expertise to school personnel. This role manages all aspects of Project ACCESS programs in the field, working with a broad spectrum of public-school personnel including teachers, administrators, related service providers, and para-educators. Specifically, they develop instructional materials and plans and conducts in-person professional development workshops, asynchronous online workshops, synchronous web conferencing workshops, and provides in-classroom coaching for school-based multidisciplinary teams who serve students with autism or related developmental disabilities. The ARS-BCBA is responsible for consulting with and training school-based multidisciplinary teams in assessment of students who present with autism spectrum disorder behaviors or characteristics to determine eligibility for special education services. Additionally, this position consults with and trains school-based multidisciplinary teams to conduct assessments in areas of academics, functional skills, social skills, and language skills and helps school-based multidisciplinary teams develop appropriate programming based on these assessments, in addition to consulting and training school-based multidisciplinary teams to utilize functional behavior assessment to assess behaviors that may be interfering with a student’s learning and independence and helps school-based multidisciplinary teams develop a behavior support plan based on assessment results. The ARS-BCBA advocates for the use of research-supported autism evidence-based interventions in the development of programming and behavior support plans, as well as, assists school-based multidisciplinary teams in establishing autism programs including the design of the school environment, assessing personal professional development targets for educators, and development of Individualized Education Plans for students, creates written, graphic, and multimedia resources appropriate for use in the school environment.

MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Education: A master’s degree in education, special education, or psychology that qualifies the ARS-BCBA to sit for the Behavior Analysis Certification Board’s exam that confers the Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) credential is required. A BCBA credential is required. Experience in development of instructional content and instructional resources is preferred.

Experience: At least five years of experience in working with individuals with autism including assessment, programming, and support of these individuals is required. A minimum of two years of experience in an educational setting is required. Classroom teaching experience is preferred. Experience developing instructional materials, coordinating online content, and production of classroom resources is required. Experience presenting professional development content to a broad scope of school-based personnel is preferred. Experience managing and training support staff is preferred. An equivalent combination of years of experience and education may be considered for substitution of experience requirements.

Skills: Comprehensive knowledge of current research-based instructional and assessment practices related to facilitating educational progress of public-school students with autism, including the identified autism evidence-based practices is required. Comfort in using and the ability to effectively use technology tools is required, including but not limited to, the use of mainstream office suites (including group calendaring and appointment/meetings), learning management systems, instructional design tools (slideshow software, graphic design, video editing), social media tools (podcasting, blogging, social media apps), research and data reporting tools (survey software, forms software), marketing tools (email marketing systems, list servs, web forum), and cloud-based storage systems. Strong verbal and written communication skills including effective public speaking skills and knowledge of strategies used to teach adult learners are required. The ability to efficiently research topics relevant to autism and maintain current knowledge of best practices in autism and educator training is required. The ability to critically evaluate IEPs, program plans, behavior support plans, and research data for relevance and scientific support is required.

Other: The scope of the position requires occasional out-of-town, state-wide travel and overnight stays to attend conferences, workshops, seminars, and to provide on-site consultation in the public schools.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Provides professional development training in autism to education staff including designing instruction, development of instructional media, constructing online workshops, and presenting to school personnel in person. Manages all aspects of planning, producing, and delivering instructional content through a variety of modalities, including synchronous and asynchronous, virtual and in-person. Uses knowledge of school operations and uses data collection and feedback to modify instruction and program planning as needed to ensure optimal outcomes based on best practices.

2. Provides consulting services to schools via onsite observations and classroom coaching, evaluating school autism programs and providing best practice feedback, conducting assessments or training school teams to conduct assessment, and making programming recommendations consistent with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and derivative legislation. Problem-solving and educational programming in schools may involve working with personnel who hold differing goals and objectives specific to their field. Interactions may require considerable interpersonal skill and the ability to foster consensus among multidisciplinary teams.

3. Develops and distributes materials that support training and consulting functions including but not limited to fact sheets, podcasts, social media posts, visual supports and classroom resources, slide shows and presentations, handouts, videos, and other media useful to educators.

4. Maintains professional competence and expands the knowledge base and ability of the agency to serve local education agencies (LEA) by maintaining a personnel professional growth strategy that may include but is not limed to attending professional development opportunities, researching, reading, and summarizing research information from books and peer-reviewed journals, networking with others who are knowledgeable in the field, and participating in university course work.

5. Promotes awareness of autism spectrum disorders and Project ACCESS services by assisting the program Director in the marketing of the Project via social media, by networking with educators, presenting at conferences, moderating online discussion forums, and authoring distributable branded content.

6. Interacts with school staff and students in a manner consistent with the BACB code of ethical conduct.

7. Collects and reports data to the Project, the University, the Director, and the state department of education that can be utilized to determine efficacy of efforts, compliance with financial management, and completion of contract deliverables with fidelity. Uses data effectively to inform practice and decision-making, and makes adjustments to materials and methods as appropriate.

8. Ensures training of Project ACCESS staff and monitors progress toward goals and effective delivery of services by new Project ACCESS staff. In the Director’s absence, will plan and direct the work of Project ACCESS staff.

9. Contributes to the overall success of the Project ACCESS office by performing all other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

10. Maintains BCBA certification and good standing with the BACB and Missouri State Licensing authority. Abides by the BACB ethics code in professional conduct.

11. Remains competent and current through self-directed professional reading, developing professional contacts with colleagues, attending professional development courses, and attending training and/or courses as directed by the supervisor.

SUPERVISION

The Autism Resource Specialist assists in the supervision of staff in the absence of the Director, including graduate students and non-exempt staff.

OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES

REVISED JANUARY 2025

JOB FAMILY 4

Factor 1: Professional Knowledge, Skill, and Technical Mastery

Level 4.0 - 2300 Points: Knowledge of the principles, concepts, practices, methods and techniques of an administrative, managerial, or professional field such as accounting or auditing, financial management, business administration, human resources, engineering, social sciences, communications, education, law, or medicine. Knowledge permits the employee to complete assignments by applying established methods to recurring types of projects/problems susceptible to well-documented precedents or to schedule, plan, and carry out precedented projects. Alternatively, knowledge at this level might also permit the employee to carry out precedented projects requiring considerable experience in specific areas within higher education. Knowledge at this level is typically acquired through a combination of formal education and/or training and experience that includes a requirement for a college degree in a specific technical or professional specialty along with significant related work experience. Alternatively, equivalent knowledge requirements at this level include a non-technical or general Bachelor's degree requirement with substantial work experience or a non-specific Master's degree requirement with substantial work experience. Knowledge requirements generally also include a significant amount of related work experience and may include administrative or supervisory experience.

Factor 2: Supervisory Responsibility

Level 3.0 - 270 Points: Supervision of a limited number of (a) operative, administrative support, or paraprofessional employees who do not exercise a full range of supervisory responsibilities over other full-time employees, (b) a very small number of professional employees, or an equivalent combination of (a) and (b). The incumbent performs a full range of supervisory responsibilities including performance reviews of subordinates. The incumbent is generally responsible for training, planning, and directing the work of permanent employees, and provides major input into hiring decisions. Supervisory responsibilities consume moderate amounts of work time and may include general work planning tasks.

Factor 3: Interactions with Others

Level 4.0 - 500 Points: Interactions with others are somewhat unstructured. The purpose may be to influence or motivate others, to obtain information, or to control situations and resolve problems. Interactions may be with individuals or groups of co-workers, students, or the general public, may be moderately unstructured, and may involve persons who hold differing goals and objectives. Individuals at this level often act as a liaison between groups with a focus on solving particular unstructured problems. Interactions at this level require considerable interpersonal skill and the ability to resolve conflict.

Factor 4: Job Controls and Guidelines

Level 3.0 - 500 Points: The employee operates under general supervision expressed in terms of program goals and objectives, priorities, and deadlines. Administrative supervision is given through statements of overall program or project objectives and available resources. Administrative guidelines are relatively comprehensive and the employee need only to fill in gaps in interpretation and adapt established methods to perform recurring activities. In unforeseen situations, the employee must interpret inadequate or incomplete guidelines, develop plans, and initiate new methods to complete assignments based on those interpretations. Assignments are normally related in function, but the work requires many different processes and methods applied to an established administrative or professional field. Problems are typically the result of unusual circumstances, variations in approach, or incomplete or conflicting data. The employee must interpret and refine methods to complete assignments. Characteristic jobs at this level may involve directing single-purpose programs or performing complex, but precedented, technical or professional work.

Factor 5: Managerial Responsibility

Level 4.0 - 1500 Points: Work involves the primary accountability for a smaller department, program, or process. Work activities involve managerial decisions that directly affect the efficiency, costs, reputation, and service quality of the department, program, or process. Work affects a limited range of professional projects or administrative activities of the University. Work activities have a direct and substantial impact on the department. While work activities do have some effect on the efficiency and reputation of the cost center, departments, programs, or processes at this level represent a relatively minor function within the cost center. Employees in jobs at this level may have responsibility for developing budgets, distributing budgeted funds, and exercising the primary control over a relatively small budget.