- Pay
- $30–36/hr
- Where
- San Jose, CA, United States
- Level
- Mid
Behavior Specialist
About Morgan Autism Center
Morgan Autism Center provides a safe, nurturing, and joyful environment where individuals impacted by autism or other developmental disabilities are accepted and celebrated for who they are. Founded in 1969, the focus is on creating respectful and positive interactions to maximize the potential of each student and client. Morgan Autism Center offers school and adult day programs and is an important resource for families and professional service providers throughout the Bay Area. Our flexible, comprehensive, and highly individualized approach has evolved into a model successfully adopted and implemented in located school districts. The updated Morgan Autism Center Adaptive Skills Trainer Program will serve adults ages 22 – 60 years old with autism and other developmental disabilities in a 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 ratio.
Our mission is to help children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities maximize their potential in a dignified, positive, and loving environment. Our innovative model is grounded in strong, trust-based relationships, a unique rotational instructional structure, deeply embedded communication supports, and a consistently positive approach to behavior. We prioritize each student’s comfort, emotional stability, and overall well-being so they feel safe, valued, and ready to learn.
At Morgan Autism Center, we believe behavior is a form of communication . Our approach focuses on understanding the function of behavior, building trusting relationships, and creating supportive environments that promote communication, emotional regulation, independence, and meaningful participation. Students learn best when they feel safe, respected, understood, and connected to the people supporting them.
Staff prioritize prevention over reaction through proactive environmental supports, visual systems, predictable routines, positive reinforcement, skill building, and relationship-based interventions. In keeping with our commitment to a least restrictive, hands-off approach , physical intervention is used only when necessary to protect the immediate safety of the student or others. Every interaction should preserve student dignity while teaching meaningful replacement skills that support greater independence and long-term success.
For more information, please visit www.morgancenter.org
Position Overview
The Behavior Specialist is a student-centered, hands-on position responsible for providing direct behavioral support across classrooms and programs. Working collaboratively with Program Directors, the Behavior Support Team, and classroom staff, this role provides real-time support to students and staff while promoting consistent implementation of Morgan Autism Center’s behavior philosophy and positive behavior support practices.
Primary responsibilities include providing proactive classroom support, responding to behavioral support calls, assisting with crisis prevention and stabilization, modeling effective intervention and de-escalation strategies, and coaching Instructional Aides (IAs) and teaching staff using an “I Do, We Do, You Do” framework. The Behavior Specialist supports teams in implementing Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs), collecting and reviewing behavioral data, identifying behavioral patterns, and strengthening staff confidence and consistency in the use of proactive and positive behavior strategies.
The Behavior Specialist is expected to model MAC’s prevention-focused, relationship-based, and hands-off approach in daily practice. This includes helping teams strengthen environmental supports, teach replacement skills, promote communication and regulation, and respond to challenging behavior in ways that maintain student dignity and safety. Physical intervention is reserved for situations in which it is necessary to protect the immediate safety of the student or others.
In addition to direct behavioral support and staff coaching, the Behavior Specialist…