Autism Specialist | $22.00 - $25.00 / hour

Easterseals Midwest is expanding its team in Missouri, seeking an Autism Specialist to support families in their homes. This is a full-time, onsite position based in Tuscumbia, MO, focused on children with autism and their families. If you want to help unlock more life opportunities for kids on the spectrum, this is a role where hands-on work makes a real impact.

The organization emphasizes equity, inclusion, and access for people with disabilities and their families, backing that mission with training, opportunities for raises based on experience, paid time off, healthcare, and retirement contributions. It’s a place for someone who wants a structured path to grow as a practitioner in autism support.

For those who want a career in autism services, Easterseals Midwest offers training to become a specialized practitioner. You would partner with families to implement practical strategies that fit daily life, with a focus on in-home support for children on the spectrum.

In-home support that makes a difference

The Autism Specialist works directly in families’ homes, delivering customized support for children with autism and coaching parents on how to apply effective strategies in everyday routines. You’ll assess needs with families, help design practical plans, and keep progress notes to share with the broader care team. Collaboration with other professionals may be part of the job to ensure consistency across settings.

Daily work centers on delivering consistent, family-oriented support, translating training into real-world actions inside the home, and adjusting approaches as a child grows or as family needs shift. The focus is practical and collaborative, aimed at helping families build skills that endure beyond each visit.

What you’ll need to bring

A bachelor’s degree in human services or a related field is required. Experience in social services is preferred, ideally with at least one year in the field, and familiarity with autism or other developmental disabilities is advantageous.

Nice-to-haves include some hands-on experience supporting families in home settings and comfort working with children who are on the autism spectrum, as these can help you hit the ground running.

Pay, perks and the practical details

The role is full-time and onsite in Tuscumbia, Missouri, with an hourly rate of $22. The listing also mentions a yearly salary range of $44,000 to $50,000, but the pay in this posting is shown as an hourly figure. Benefits highlighted include comprehensive job training, yearly opportunities for raises, paid time off, healthcare, and retirement contributions.

In addition to the compensation, the position is built around direct work with families in their homes, with the stated aim of delivering structured support and measurable progress for children with autism.

Advice for applicants

Lead your resume with the degree that the role requires and any social services experience you have, especially if it involved working with families or children. If you have experience in in-home support or with autism, place concrete examples upfront that show how you’ve applied strategies in real settings.

When you describe your must-have skills, give specific stories: the types of autism-related strategies you’ve used, how you assessed a family’s needs, and the outcomes you helped families achieve. Numbers or brief outcomes make a strong impression.

Be ready to talk about your approach to working in a family’s home and coordinating with other professionals. You may be asked to sketch a simple plan for supporting a child with autism in daily routines, have a concise example ready that demonstrates how you adapt to changing needs.

Ask a thoughtful question that ties back to the role’s in-home focus, such as how the team supports ongoing training or how progress is tracked across visits, and what a typical first few weeks on caseload look like for new hires.