Student Support Specialist

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Mission Statement

The iHOPE school community strives to provide comprehensive services for our students, who present with a variety of diagnoses including Traumatic Brain Injury, Acquired Brain Injury, and other brain-based disorders. Our students participate in academic instruction with appropriate modification and adaptation, as well as therapeutic services, based upon a collaborative, researched-based model that integrates current technology. iHOPE is committed to learners with complex needs and to their social, emotional, adaptive and educational advancement. Accessibility and integration into the larger community are at the core of our belief system.

Key/Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Serves as the primary resource to iHOPE staff and to individual students regarding social-emotional health including assessment, evaluation and supports for students and the design, implementation and monitoring of multi-disciplinary student support plans and related interventions, as authorized in New York State in professional discipline.

• Creates systems to identify and monitor current and potential future needs of the school to appropriately support students using a multi-disciplinary and collaborative model to address their social and emotional needs, which includes adapting, adjusting and diversifying methodologies to account for complex needs such as multiple and severe disabilities and communication challenges.

• Uses a variety of strategies, tools and methods to gather information on students’ social-emotional needs, identifying strengths and areas for support to enhance participation during the school day.

• Collects data from multiple sources, including intakes, formal assessments, evaluations, observations, IEPs, iHOPE staff, providers and families to inform design, implementation and evaluation of multi-tiered interventions and support plans and accommodations that are responsive to the social-emotional needs of identified students in all school settings and activities, in accordance with all applicable rules and regulations.

• Coordinates and collaborates with iHOPE directors and student teams to elicit information and updates needed to create and modify neuro-affirming, student-centered plans that address all interdisciplinary needs of the student including educational, medical, vision, hearing, assistive technology and related services and address physical, schedule or other environmental factors. 

• Establishes measurable outcomes that address identified areas for growth and development of students on support plans and ensures appropriate collection of data to support assessment of effectiveness of interventions, plans and supports.

• Participates in new student intakes to assess social-emotional needs of potential students, as requested, reviewing all relevant documentation in order to provide insights regarding whether iHOPE can appropriately support students’ needs and to determine potential supports, strategies and/or plans new students may require if enrolled.

• Creates and provides education and professional development for student support teams relating to social-emotional needs to improve overall quality of learning and understanding for students in the classroom, including but not limited to small-group and one-on-one trainings/coaching sessions to create strategies and interventions to address specific social-emotional needs, actions and/or behaviors and to implement, document, track and troubleshoot plans.

• Regularly interacts with and observes iHOPE students to assess potential strategies for classroom staff to improve effectiveness of learning for all students, providing support and guidance, coordinating with applicable staff and communicating with parents as needed. 

• Creates plans for targeting social-emotional, trauma-based and/or behavioral issues using a strength-based support model through ongoing observations of students in groups and one-on-one sessions, meetings with staff members and teams to brainstorm strategies and ideas for improving educational outcomes and social-emotional wellbeing.

• Provides neuro-affirming care for students through short-term plans that support students with understanding and interpreting emotions by developing strategies such as social stories and educating on medical, social and/or emotional sources of stress, anxiety and fear including natural developmental, medical, physical or environmental changes and other challenging life situations.

• Organizes and facilitates regularly recurring student support meetings with applicable support teams to monitor and ensure effectiveness of plans, gather information and discuss progress, issues and concerns for students, using information to modify plans accordingly, as needed.

• Regularly collaborates with school social workers to identify social issues and concerns for specific students, including those raised by their parents or external medical providers, to determine potential interventions and provides training/coaching for parents to support generalizing skills addressed in support plans, providing updates, referrals to additional resources and/or soliciting information from social worker and/or family, as needed. 

• Maintains an awareness of underlying medical conditions of students and works with nursing and student support teams to ensure preparedness for emergency situations including establishing processes to monitor signs, symptoms and behaviors that may precede an emergency, actions to take and contacts to make when warnings are shown and appropriate follow-ups needed based on severity.

• Provides support and leadership during crisis situations, making appropriate notifications and applying applicable interventions and strategies to deescalate situations; develops and implements programs to address related needs or concerns following an emergency and debriefs applicable parties.

• Complies with and ensures that staff complies with all Federal, State, Local and other relevant regulatory agency requirements, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

• Performs all other duties, as assigned.

Minimum Qualification Requirements including education, experience, licensure/certification, etc. and essential physical capabilities (e.g. lifting, assisting lifting, standing, etc.)

• Valid and current professional license, national certification or other clinical credential in a professional discipline which allows provision of counseling or assessment in New York State such as: Psychologist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker or Mental Health Counselor, issued by the NYSED Office of Professions and/or School Psychologist certificate issued by the NYS Education Department Office of Teaching Initiatives; and

• Three (3) years of experience working with individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) including experience with individuals in crisis, with co-occurring diagnoses or mental health conditions and/or with severe or multiple disabilities and complex communication needs; or

• Satisfactory equivalent combination of education, experience and education; however, all incumbents must hold at least a Master’s degree in a related clinical field.

• Possesses knowledge on a variety of intervention skills and trauma-informed practices to respond effectively to the needs of individuals and groups experiencing crises or other adverse events.

• Working knowledge of instructional strategies, activities and resources to promote students' acquisition of appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities in the social-emotional domain.

• Solid understanding of signs and symptoms of mental health and trauma related responses in children, adolescents and young adults with multiple disabilities.

• Familiarity with a variety of medical diagnoses, specifically neurological disorders.

• Familiarity with people who do not communicate verbally, including an understanding of how to communicate effectively with this population.

• Ability to provide a trusting, open, kindhearted atmosphere that encourages learning and participation and enthusiasm for implementing strength-based neurodivergent philosophy. 

• Exceptional interpersonal skills, including the ability to build effective working relationships and collaborate with individuals at varying levels, both internal and external. 

• Excellent oral and written communication and presentation/training skills.

• Flexible, cooperative, highly organized team player with the ability to manage time and successfully handle multiple priorities to meet deadlines.

• Proficiency with computers and electronic systems to complete essential tasks, including basic understanding of Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Word, Excel and Outlook.

Preferred Qualification Requirements (desired requirements beyond MQRs above)

• Previous experience providing related supports and/or neuro-affirming care to school-aged students with severe and multiple disabilities.  

Compensation: $75,000-$85,000 Annually

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or status as a Vietnam or disabled veteran. YAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer.