Developmental Specialist: R.O.A.R.S. Coordinator

Catherine Cook School•Chicago, IL

1d•$58,000 - $76,800•Onsite

About The Position

Catherine Cook School seeks a vibrant and innovative Behavior and Neurodiversity Specialist: R.O.A.R.S. Coordinator. This position serves as a dedicated resource from Early Childhood through Middle School, reporting to the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and working in close partnership with the Program Team and Student Support Services (SSS) Team. The specialist acts as a bridge between therapeutic insights for differentiation in daily instruction through a primary 'coach the teacher' model and is a champion for the R.O.A.R.S. core values by fostering a school culture rooted in Respect, Ownership, Appreciation, Responsibility, and Safety. While the role supports the whole school, the Specialist is anchored in Early Childhood and Lower School for daily operations, where behavioral foundational work is most intensive. In the Middle School, this role functions primarily as a consultant to the existing support team. They do not hold a standard caseload of MS students but are available to provide expert second-look observations or strategy sessions for faculty. While working alongside the SSS Team, which consists of Learning Specialists and School Counselors, this role focuses on teacher empowerment, leading teacher training workshops, leading parent/caregiver education workshops, providing regular student progress updates to families, and the design of neuro-inclusive environments that support every student's ability to be a learner and a community member.

Requirements

Master’s degree: Special Education -Learning Behavior Specialist; School Psychology; Applied Behavior Analysis; or related degree or experience
3+ years in a school or related field

Responsibilities

Provide hands-on coaching and "push-in" support to help teachers implement behavioral strategies and neuro-inclusive modifications in real-time.
Design and lead workshops for faculty on understanding neurodiversity (ADHD, ASD, sensory processing) and managing challenging behaviors.
Demonstrate and model specific de-escalation techniques and Social Emotional Learning (SEL)-based interventions within the classroom setting.
Provide teachers with practical toolkits, visual schedules, and sensory tools tailored to the specific needs of their current student cohort.
Serve as the behavioral lead within the Student Support Services (SSS) team.
Partner with Learning Specialists and School Counselors to ensure that behavioral intervention plans (BIPs) are seamlessly integrated with academic accommodations and social-emotional goals.
Provide expert consultation and "second-look" observations to support the existing Dean and SSS teams with complex cases in Middle School.
Lead the process of observing and analyzing behavior to help the team understand the "function" of a student's challenge.
Serve as the secondary responder for both students and teachers during high-intensity behavioral crises, providing push-in de-escalation within the classroom to maintain the learning environment.
Coach teachers in the moment of crisis by modeling regulation strategies and helping implement Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) in real time.
Facilitate 1:1 and small-group sessions for neurodivergent learners to develop specific behavioral, self-regulation, and executive functioning skills identified through Functional Behavior skill-building sessions.
Lead the process of Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBA), utilize the FBA data to create and oversee the implementation of formal Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs).
Oversee the behavioral data collection and plan development for a specific caseload of students with intensive needs.
Act as the primary advocate for neurodiverse learners, ensuring their school experience is built on strengths rather than just deficit-correction.
Work in partnership with the Learning Specialists to help families of neurodiverse students understand their child's profile and navigate the transition between Early Childhood to Lower School, and Lower School to Middle School expectations.
Design and facilitate parent education workshops and support groups focused on neurodiversity, behavioral strategies, and home to school consistency.
Provide proactive and regular updates to parents regarding their child’s behavioral goals, intervention progress, and strategy implementation.
Coordinate with outside providers (Speech Therapists, OT, etc.) to ensure that therapeutic goals are being reinforced and practiced within the natural school environment.
Schedule and lead "wrap-around" meetings involving parents, teachers, and specialists to ensure everyone is using a consistent playbook.
Maintain consistent communication channels with families to ensure behavioral plans are understood and supported across both home and school environments.
Manage the logistical complexity of students meeting with outside providers during the school day to minimize disruption to core instruction.
Connect with and care for students and colleagues.
Grow as a life-long learner through active participation in meetings and professional development opportunities.
Apply skills as supported by training and protocols for proactive and responsive community building.
Proactively and reflectively communicate through various platforms the vision, goals, and progress of your work with both internal and external collaborators.
Grow our culture of belonging and wellness through active participation in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and social-emotional learning (SEL) efforts.
Serve as an Ambassador for our Enrollment Management and Development efforts.
Employ Google and Outlook Applications for individual and team collaboration and communication.