Easterseals Academy is a therapeutic school that provides schooling for children with an autism spectrum disorder, emotional disability, developmental delay, or intellectual disability. School districts refer students to Easterseals Academy where the schools provide an alternative school placement for these students to help them to achieve independence. Easterseals Academy has three campuses, located in Chicago, Machesney Park, and Tinley Park.

For more information about our organization, please visit us online at www.eastersealschicago.org.

Easterseals Academy is seeking a motivated and skilled Speech/Language Pathologist to join our team on a temporary basis to cover maternity leave. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to gain experience in a dynamic environment while supporting our team during this transition.  

The primary responsibility of the Speech/Language Pathologist is to deliver speech/language services as mandated on student IEPs in accordance with the Illinois State Board of Education requirements.

Please see the benefits of working at Easterseals Academy here!

This position is located at the Easterseals Academy - Chicago Campus at 1939 W. 13th Street, Chicago 60608.

MAJOR FUNCTIONS/ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Adhere to all mandated reporters and OIG guidelines at all times
• Develop, in collaboration with team members, appropriate IEP goals based on formal and informal assessment results and place them in the back of the student's main file one week prior to the annual review
• Submit quarterly progress reports to the clinical coordinator in a timely manner for distribution to parents/guardians via classroom teacher
• Update quarterly benchmarks related to IEP goals at designated times
• Interact with the School Administrator/Program Coordinator/Clinical Coordinator and classroom staff regarding recommendations throughout the school year
• Participate in all classroom team meetings on caseload throughout the school year
• Participate in at least 2 outside training per school year directly related to serving students with special needs, particularly those diagnosed with autism
• Participate in all scheduled in-house training throughout the school year
• Update and provide progress reports quarterly and for EDCs and 30-day IEP meetings throughout the school year
• Participate in all scheduled clinical meetings throughout the school year
• Assist classrooms during extracurricular activities and field trips as needed throughout the school year
• Complete required in-house and district-mandated documentation and/or billing requirements
• Participate in IEP/FIE meetings as needed throughout the school year
• Complete progress/contact notes on the appropriate form and maintain them in specified locations throughout the school year
• Complete required in-house and district-mandated documentation and/or billing requirements
• Complete formal referrals for students on caseload for alternative augmentative communication devices, swallowing studies, and other relevant communication assessments as needed throughout the school year
• Train staff and students in the use of AAC devices and other communication strategies as needed throughout the school year
• In collaboration with the classroom teams, arrange for and perform activities, materials, and prompting hierarchies that relate to the IEP goals throughout the school year
• Provide 2-3 in-services, either individually or in conjunction with another clinical area, for the entire staff throughout the school year
• Establish and maintain a consistent form of communication with the parents/guardians of students as needed on caseload throughout the school year
• Participate in all scheduled medical case reviews on caseload throughout the school year
• Provide and document directly/consult therapy minutes as required on each student’s IEP on caseload throughout the school year
• Provide support, resources, and recommendations for all classrooms on caseload as needed throughout the school year
• Provide supervision to interns as needed throughout the school year

Education/Certification:

• Master’s Degree in speech/language pathology, Certificate of Clinical Competency
• Illinois State license
• Completion of required clinical hours for degree/license

Experience Required:

• Experience working with special needs populations necessary

Skills/Abilities:

• Ability to multi-task in a high stress environment
• Ability to interact with diverse personalities

ADA: Easterseals will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disability Act of 1990. Unless exempted by the Americans with Disabilities Act, all persons hired for this position are required to possess the ability to perform the physical tasks necessary to treat clients, i.e., bending, floor-sitting, etc., as well as to have the ability to lift up to 50 pounds frequently.