Early Childhood Special Education Diagnostic Specialist, Family Center

The School District of Clayton is seeking anEarly Childhood Special Education Diagnostic Specialist is a specialized educational professional responsible for coordinating and conducting comprehensive evaluations for young children to support special education eligibility service planning and early intervention programming. This position plays a key role in identifying developmental academic behavioral and social-emotional needs in early learners through assessment observation data analysis and multidisciplinary collaboration.

The Early Childhood Special Education Diagnostic Specialist ensures district compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Section 504 and Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requirements related to evaluation eligibility determination documentation and service planning. As a core member of multidisciplinary teams this position provides expertise in diagnostics early childhood development regulatory compliance and intervention planning to support students staff and families. The role may also support K12 evaluations as needed and serve as an integral contributor to the districts K12 Section 504 referral and eligibility process.

REPORTS TO: Director of Family Center

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES

• Early Childhood Assessment: Conducts comprehensive psychoeducational assessments including cognitive and social-emotional evaluations specifically for early childhood eligibility.
• Diagnostic & Regulatory Oversight: Manages extensive and complex DESE reporting caseload documentation and the professional paperwork of evaluations (eligibility criteria testing and permissions) to ensure district funding and compliance
• Intervention & Play Therapy: Provides individual and group support for students with identified social or behavioral concerns utilizing specialized techniques such as play therapy to meet the needs of early learners
• Behavioral Strategy: Conducts observations of students exhibiting Tier 3 behaviors and gathers data to help parents and teachers develop effective intervention strategies
• In-House Consultation: Serves as the internal expert on building Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) providing families with resources and strategies while maintaining institutional knowledge of the District
• SEL System Building: Collaborates with administrators and committees to implement Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and collect SEL data points
• Professional Development: Leads staff training as needed
• Liaison Services: Acts as a liaison between the early childhood program and community mental health resources as well as coordinating the transition of students from MIssouri First Steps and into K-12 supporting services
• Coalition and Partnership Coordination: Regularly attends coalition and partnership meetings representing The School District of Clayton.
• Family and Staff Communication: Responsible for facilitation and coordination of meetings including over the summer months.

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES May be representative but not all-inclusive of those knowledge skills and abilities commonly associated with the job.

• Requires deep understanding of early childhood human development and behavior management.
• Requires proficiency in administering and interpreting diverse assessment measures for young children.
• Requires strong interpersonal skills to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and diverse stakeholders.
• Requires an SEL lens to provide professional insight into building systemic student supports.
• Requires strong organizational skills to manage extensive regulatory paperwork and DESE reporting.

PHYSICAL ABILITIES Activities commonly associated with the performance of the functions of this job. The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Required to perform largely sedentary work with occasional walking and standing.
• Required to occasionally move objects weighing up to 10-30 pounds.
• Requires travel to multiple work sites within the District using reliable personal transportation.

WORK ENVIRONMENT Environmental or atmospheric conditions commonly associated with the performance of the functions of this job.

• General office and classroom conditions within an early childhood or elementary campus.
• Exposed to moderate noise levels

Disclaimer: This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees may be required to follow other job-related instructions and to perform other job-related duties as requested subject to all applicable state and federal laws. Certain job duties described herein may be subject to possible modification in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS Required qualifications to effectively perform job. An equivalent combination of education training and experience will be considered.

• Masters or Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology.
• Or Valid Missouri School Psychologist certification.
• Experience or specialized training in early childhood development and early intervention preferred

Compensation: Highly-competitive salary.

Benefits:Comprehensive benefits package.

FLSA Status:Exempt Professional Exemption-Teacher.

Work Calendar: 192 day calendar.

Required Experience:

IC