Behavior Specialist

LEAPS Services; Palm Desert (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Training & development

401(k)

Competitive salary

Employee discounts

Flexible schedule

Job summary

LEAPS Services seeks a Behavior Specialist to deliver direct behavioral support and consultation across community and hub settings. You will manage an assigned caseload, collaborate with Neuroaffirming Program Specialists, and provide training and coaching to staff to implement practical strategies.

The role emphasizes a neuroaffirming, person-centered approach, focusing on understanding behavior function, communication, and independence, with strong teamwork and documentation responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Experience supporting neurodivergent individuals and/or individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct behavioral support and services to self-advocates.
• Manage an assigned caseload and coordinate with the Neuroaffirming Program Specialists.
• Offer behavioral consultation, staff coaching, and team training.
• Perform program observation, documentation, and progress reporting.
• Collaborate with families, caregivers, and support team for consistent strategies.
• Develop and facilitate practical behavioral strategies tailored to each self-advocate.

Job description

Benefits

• Paid time off
• Training & development
• 401(k)
• Competitive salary
• Employee discounts
• Flexible schedule

Behavior Specialist

Classification: Full-Time, Salaried

Professional Level: Behavior Specialist – Advanced Program Support

This is a professional-level position responsible for direct behavioral services, assigned caseload management, behavioral consultation, staff coaching, team training, program observation, documentation, and collaboration with Neuroaffirming Program Specialists. Candidates are expected to enter the position with demonstrated experience supporting neurodivergent individuals and/or individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including individuals with more complex behavioral support needs. Compensation within the established range will be determined by relevant education, years of experience, specialized behavioral training, leadership and staff-development experience, and applicable professional credentials.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Behavior Specialist is responsible for providing direct behavioral support, consultation, staff development, and program guidance to strengthen the quality of services provided by LEAPS Services. This is a hands‑on position. The Behavior Specialist will maintain an assigned caseload and is expected to work directly with self‑advocates across the LEAPS Hub, community settings, vocational programming, social programming, camps, and other service environments as appropriate.

The Behavior Specialist works collaboratively with Neuroaffirming Program Specialists, Inclusion Assistants, Program Leadership, families, caregivers, and other members of the support team. The position is designed to strengthen the newly restructured Specialist model by providing additional expertise in understanding behavior, identifying support needs, developing practical strategies, and helping team members implement those strategies consistently. The Behavior Specialist is also responsible for developing and facilitating team training. Training should be based on the actual needs observed within LEAPS programs and should provide staff with practical strategies they can apply during everyday interactions with self‑advocates.

LEAPS uses a neuroaffirming, person-centered approach. Behavioral support should focus on understanding the function and context of behavior, strengthening communication and self‑advocacy, teaching meaningful replacement skills, increasing independence, and creating supportive environments rather than relying solely on compliance-based approaches.

ASSIGNED CASELOAD

The Behavior Specialist will maintain an assigned caseload of self‑advocates requiring behavioral support, consultation, skill development, or additional program oversight. Caseload responsibilities include becoming familiar with each self‑advocate's goals, strengths, communication style, support needs, known triggers, environmental considerations, and current strategies.

The Behavior Specialist will be expected to:

• Work directly with assigned self‑advocates on a consistent basis.
• Conduct observations within natural environments, including the Hub and community.
• Identify behavioral patterns and potential contributing factors.
• Assess environmental, communication, sensory, social, and skill‑based needs that may influence behavior.
• Develop individualized behavioral strategies and support recommendations.
• Model strategies directly with the self‑advocate before expecting staff to independently implement them.
• Monitor whether strategies are effective and make adjustments when necessary.
• Maintain appropriate documentation regarding observations, interventions, recommendations, and progress.
• Participate in family/caregiver communication when behavioral consultation or collaboration is necessary.
• Coordinate with the assigned Neuroaffirming Program Specialist regarding progress, concerns, and changes in support needs.

DIRECT SUPPORT WITH SELF‑ADVOCATES

Direct work with self‑advocates is an essential function of this position. The Behavior Specialist must be comfortable entering programming, working alongside the team, and demonstrating strategies in real situations.

Direct support may include working on:

Emotional regulation and coping skills

Supporting self‑advocates in identifying emotions, recognizing escalation, requesting support, taking appropriate breaks, and developing individualized regulation strategies.

Communication and self‑advocacy

Teaching ways to communicate wants, needs, boundaries, discomfort, frustration, and requests for assistance.

Social understanding and boundaries

Teaching appropriate greetings, personal space, consent, social boundaries, conflict resolution, and understanding expectations across different environments.

Transitions and flexibility

Developing strategies for changes in routine, unexpected events, transitions between activities, waiting, and navigating less‑preferred tasks.

Community safety and participation

Supporting safe decision‑making, community navigation, appropriate interactions, problem solving, and participation in community‑based activities.

Vocational behavior and workplace readiness

Addressing behaviors that may interfere with employment readiness while teaching workplace communication, accepting feedback, task persistence, requesting assistance, professional boundaries, and problem solving.

Independent living and functional skills

Supporting routines, organization, task completion, decision‑making, and other functional skills that contribute to greater independence.

SUPPORT OF THE NEUROAFFIRMING PROGRAM SPECIALIST ROLE

A primary responsibility of the Behavior Specialist is supporting the effectiveness of LEAPS' Neuroaffirming Program Specialists. The Behavior Specialist will serve as a behavioral resource to Specialists while maintaining clear role boundaries. Neuroaffirming Program Specialists remain responsible for overseeing their assigned self‑advocates, monitoring goals, coordinating programming, communicating with families, and ensuring overall service implementation. The Behavior Specialist provides additional behavioral expertise when a self‑advocate requires more individualized behavioral assessment, intervention, staff coaching, or support planning.

This collaboration may include:

• Reviewing behavioral concerns brought forward by Specialists.
• Observing self‑advocates during programming.
• Helping Specialists identify what may be contributing to a behavior.
• Developing practical strategies that can be incorporated into daily programming.
• Modeling interventions and support approaches.
• Coaching Specialists through difficult or unfamiliar situations.
• Helping determine when environmental modifications may be appropriate.
• Supporting Specialists with behavioral goal development.
• Reviewing patterns and progress over time.
• Participating in collaborative case discussions.
• Providing guidance when existing strategies are no longer effective.

BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT & SUPPORT PLANNING

The Behavior Specialist will assist LEAPS in developing proactive, individualized behavioral support strategies. When behavioral concerns arise, the Behavior Specialist should examine the full context surrounding the behavior rather than focusing exclusively on stopping the behavior.

Areas considered may include:

• Communication needs
• Sensory needs
• Environmental conditions
• Task difficulty
• Social demands
• Changes in routine
• Access to preferred activities or items
• Escape or avoidance
• Attention or connection
• Emotional regulation
• Medical or physiological factors when relevant and appropriately referred
• Skill deficits