JOB DESCRIPTION

A Residential Instructor must possess a basic understanding of the principles of rehabilitation and education of children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The students enrolled at the Boston Higashi School typically have already failed in their previous public or private school placement / programs and turn to the more intensive rehabilitation programming at Boston Higashi School to help them deal with having a severe disability.
The Boston Higashi School follows the educational philosophy of Daily Life Therapy®, which looks at the child over the 24-hour period and implements teaching and therapeutic techniques to help students better cope with their autism spectrum disorder. The objective is for the student to function better throughout the 24-hour day. That includes developing highly structured programming and daily routines that keeps them active and productive all day, to help the student develop better nutritional eating habits and make them sleep throughout the night. The long term objective is to help them reach their potential, develop vocational skills, and live as independently as possible given their disability.
For each student an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is prepared and updated on an annual basis and is the guiding roadmap of what the student needs to make progress in all areas including their behaviors, academics and vocational training, social skills, and be able to comprehend and follow health and safety guidelines.
The Residential Instructor is a beginning level position and will be primarily responsible for assisting in the process of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and implementing those plans by providing individual and group education and guidance in academics, helping the student control extreme behaviors and obsessions; to develop or improve daily living skills, as well as social, recreational and community skills. The Residential Instructor must help create a safe and secure educational and living environment, which is challenging due to the compulsive nature of students with severe Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The Residential Instructor will work in the school’s Residential Program that operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Working under the supervision and guidance of more senior employees including the Residential Division Leaders, and under the guidance of Residential Instructors II, the Residential Instructor will receive specific instructions on required tasks and results expected, and one’s work will be monitored and reviewed accordingly. The Residential Instructor will perform moderately complex duties including:

• Confer with staff psychologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, and other professionals to implement the individualized rehabilitation programming.
• Provide intensive instruction and modeling to students’ daily living, social, recreational, occupational and community skills, and participate in daily student activities that increase students’ capacity to care for themselves and live more independently, and integrate them into their community, to assist with academic assignments, and then evaluate student progress, and report to Residential Division Leaders on the students’ progress, needed improvements and concerns. Then discuss options and goals for the upcoming quarter and year. These findings will contribute to the Quarterly Progress Reports as required by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education regulations.
• Please note that given the level of students’ disabilities, rehabilitation for our residential students includes all academic, social, vocational and daily living skills instruction. Such skills can include teaching the students about personal hygiene, dressing and undressing, eating and mealtime routines, safety awareness, understanding personal space, expressing needs and emotions, understanding basic social rules, engaging in physical activities, following rules of simple games, navigating public spaces, participating in community programs, and understanding community safety rules as well as how to behave in the community.

• Develop and implement sections of an IEP by crafting clear, measurable, individualized goals that align with the students’ assessed needs; balancing short-term achievable objectives with long-term outcomes for independence, communication, and functional life skills, and ensuring the goals are educationally relevant, developmentally appropriate, and legally compliant with IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).

• • To perform this duty, the Residential Instructor I will need to be able to differentiate educational needs from medical or emotional needs and interpret behavior through a developmental lens.
• Participate in vocational training and job development programs. Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder need to improve in these areas because they are generally barriers to possible on location vocational training and future employment.
• Implement therapeutic techniques, through proper practice and techniques of Daily Life Therapy, to improve students’ anxiety, obsessions, and teach students techniques to help them control their sometimes-violent outbursts and behavior.
• 
  
  
  
• Please note, the school employs the restraint training program WELLE, formerly known as non-abusive psychological and physical intervention (NAPPI), a program to learn techniques to de-escalate dangerous and self-injurious behaviors, and to provide professional physical restraint as a last resort. It is mandatory that all staff receive the training at the beginning of their employment, and then be updated annually. The Residential Instructor I will need to recognize signs of distress and intervene in a way that supports emotional regulation and psychological safety while building positive, trusting relationships that reduce the frequency and intensity of behavioral incidents over time. [WELLE: Copyright ® 2024 Welle Training Inc. d.b.a. NAPPI International, Inc. USA. All rights reserved.]

• Conduct physical, behavioral, and academic evaluations to assess students’ needs, and develop parts of the Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in collaboration with Day Program staff and Supervisors with well-defined short-term and long-term objectives designed to enhance student progress.
• Assess students’ home environment and counsel parents on the use and implementation of Daily Life Therapy to ensure that home visits occur frequently and provide both students and their families with safe and positive experiences.
• Collaborate with Day Program staff to design and implement the essence of activities according to the student age.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must have a Bachelor’s Degree in Education or closely related field. Or, Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology/Behavioral Sciences or closely related field.
• Must be able to work in a multicultural environment and possess good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Possess a positive and professional attitude and be able to communicate well with co-workers.
• Maintain a valid Driver’s license.
• Must possess computer skills
  Incredible Benefit Package Including: Health/Dental Insurance, Tuition Reiumbursement, 403b with matching program, life insurance, on site daycare, and more.

PROFESSIONAL DUTIES

Qualifications: Must have a Bachelor’s Degree in Education or closely related field. Or, Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology/Behavioral Sciences or closely related field.

PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Attend to the personal needs of the students while teaching daily living and social skills and maintain a safe educational environment for the students.
• Develop a positive rapport with students within a group setting.
• Document students’ daily performance.
• Communicate effectively with Division Directors and other staff regarding student issues.
• Assist in the development of educational assessments and Individual Educational Pprograms (IEP), including goals and objectives.
• Maintain on-going communication with residential program staff and day program staff.
• Participate in division meetings.
• Perform as an educational role model for students.
• Participate in all student activities, including extensive physical exercise and other various activities.
• Strive to maintain an open and positive atmosphere within the organization. This includes respect for the decisions of the administration and following directions, guidance and supervision of the Residential Program Director, Assistant Residential Directors, and Division Directors.
• Attend all daily staff meetings and monthly in-service meetings
• Develop knowledge of the day program and communicate with day program staff about student issues.
• Familiarize oneself and adhere to policies and procedures of the Boston Higashi School.
• Maintain professionalism and confidentiality with parents and staff.
• Manage and oversee care of students’ personal belongings.
• Create and maintain teaching materials as needed.
• It is the expectation of the Boston Higashi School that all employees cooperate fully with all investigations and/or audits conducted internally or by other approved organizations and States.
• Perform additional duties as assigned by the Residential Director, Assistant Directors, and Division Directors.

The Residential Instructor will work in the school’s Residential Program that operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Working under the supervision and guidance of more senior employees including the Residential Division Leaders, and under the guidance of Residential Instructors II, the Residential Instructor will receive specific instructions on required tasks and results expected, and one’s work will be monitored and reviewed accordingly. The Residential Instructor will perform moderately complex duties including:

• Confer with staff psychologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, and other professionals to implement the individualized rehabilitation programming.
• Provide intensive instruction and modeling to students’ daily living, social, recreational, occupational and community skills, and participate in daily student activities that increase students’ capacity to care for themselves and live more independently, and integrate them into their community, to assist with academic assignments, and then evaluate student progress, and report to Residential Division Leaders on the students’ progress, needed improvements and concerns. Then discuss options and goals for the upcoming quarter and year. These findings will contribute to the Quarterly Progress Reports as required by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education regulations.
• Please note that given the level of students’ disabilities, rehabilitation for our residential students includes all academic, social, vocational and daily living skills instruction. Such skills can include teaching the students about personal hygiene, dressing and undressing, eating and mealtime routines, safety awareness, understanding personal space, expressing needs and emotions, understanding basic social rules, engaging in physical activities, following rules of simple games, navigating public spaces, participating in community programs, and understanding community safety rules as well as how to behave in the community.
• Develop and implement sections of an IEP by crafting clear, measurable, individualized goals that align with the students’ assessed needs; balancing short-term achievable objectives with long-term outcomes for independence, communication, and functional life skills, and ensuring the goals are educationally relevant, developmentally appropriate, and legally compliant with IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)