Early Intervention Specialist - Kingwood/Porter

Easter Seals of Greater Houston, a leading provider of service to people of all ages, with any type of disability is currently seeking an Early Intervention Specialist to provide in-home services out of our North Harris County/Montgomery County Early Childhood Intervention territory. The Easter Seals ECI Infant Development program is parent-driven and focuses on enhancing the development of children ages birth to 36 months with developmental delays or disabilities. It is our goal to give families the tools they need to make a significant impact on the development of their children.

EIS employees receive a $3000 increase in base pay upon completion of their credentialing. We provide our full-time employees 5 weeks' paid time off per year in addition to company holidays. We offer a flexible work schedule as well, and most employees opt to work a 4/10 schedule. We extend to our employees the option to enroll in agency-sponsored benefits: medical, dental, vision, HSA, Dependent Care FSA, Employee Assistance Program, and a 403(b) retirement savings plan with a match of 3% after service requirements are met.

Position Type: Full-time (40 hrs.)

Location: Kingwood, Porter and surrounding areas

Key responsibilities:

• Assist families through the enrollment process: (Intake, Screening, IFSP)
  • Contact families within 5 working days of recruiting a referral.
  • Collect identifying information from parent report, observations of child, medical professionals and records.
  • Administer State Screening Tool which includes: Hearing, Vision, Nutrition, Assistive Technology, Autism and VCFS.
  • Arrange and facilitate developmental assessments to determine eligibility.
  • Assist in the development of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) State Requirement: Plan must be written within 45 days of the referral.
• Assess developmental skills of assigned clients from birth to the third birthday:
  • Collect information from case history, parent report, observation of child, and other professionals.
  • Select and implement evaluation procedures: adapt procedures to meet individual client needs.
  • Interpret evaluation results, develop diagnostic impressions, and make recommendations.
• Devise and implement specific, reasonable, and necessary intervention plans for children experiencing developmental delays, atypical behaviors, and/or certain medical diagnosis based on evaluation findings and the Individual Family Service Plan:
  • Develop and implement intervention strategies for the child based on the needs of the family.
  • Plan and implement a program of periodic monitoring of children's developmental functioning through the use of appropriate data collection: interpret and use data to modify treatment plans, strategies, materials, and/or instrumentation to meet children's needs.
  • Provide counseling and supportive guidance regarding the child's developmental delay, atypical behaviors, and/or medical diagnosis to family and caregivers.
• Schedule and prioritize direct and indirect service activities within established timelines: document professional contacts and clinical reports in a timely manner. Provide direct services to children and their families at home, daycare or other "natural environment". State Requirement: Services must begin within 28 days of writing the IFSP.
• Complete all client paperwork, timesheets, expense reports, schedules, Random Moment Time Study (RMTS) and any other required paperwork; submit on time to Director/Assistant Director and/or appropriate personnel as designated in procedures. Agency expectation is that you will be proficient in our Providersoft and other agency software within 60 days.
• Insure maximum service delivery through management of a Director/Assistant Director-approved schedule (based on assigned caseload by intensity, frequency and location of services). Current staff expectation is that a minimum of 65 hours of services will be delivered monthly.
• Communicate effectively with families, physicians, other agency representatives, co-workers, and the community at large.
• Serve as the Service Coordinator for assigned clients as outlined in the Service Coordination Module.
• Coordinate and collaborate the delivery of services with other interdisciplinary team members and contact therapist.
• Assist Director/Assistant Director in training new staff when requested.
• Participate with other department staff members in the development and presentation of educational materials, in-services, and training courses.
• Identify and refer children/families for related services including, but not limited to, audiological, educational, medical, psychological, sociological, or other EASTER SEALS Programs such as the toy lending library, respite, etc., as needed.
• Maintain ethical and professional conduct. Conduct should reflect the code of ethics and standards of recognized professional licensing organizations within each discipline and of EASTER SEALS of Greater Houston.
• Serve as an ambassador for EASTER SEALS by volunteering at EASTER SEALS events. Be available for agency fairs and speaking engagements.

Required qualifications:

• Bachelors in an approved degree as listed in ECI Policy III.8a, or a Bachelors of Arts or Science from an accredited institution
  • Minimum of 18 hours of college coursework relevant to early intervention service provision, including three hours of semester course credit in early childhood development or early childhood special education.
• Continuing Education Units (preferably in topics relating to the birth to Three population)
• Successful completion of the Competency Demonstration System required for all EIS professionals.
• Willing to drive 75% in and around assigned area(s)
• Highly effective communication skills including listening, speaking, nonverbal communication, computer skills and writing skills

Physical requirements:

• Ability to frequently bend, squat, kneel, twist and reach
• Ability to sit on the floor or on a low chair for up to 30 minutes at a time
• Ability to lift up to 30 pounds

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bi-lingual fluency in English and Spanish
• Continuing Education Units (preferably in topics relating to the birth to Three population)
• Successful completion of the Competency Demonstration System required for all EIS professionals.