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Direct support specialist skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted expert
J. Brian Atwood
Direct support specialist example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical direct support specialist skills. We ranked the top skills for direct support specialists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 14.7% of direct support specialist resumes contained direct support as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a direct support specialist needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 direct support specialist skills for your resume and career

1. Direct Support

Direct support is a one-on-one service that helps with daily life skills and tasks that strengthen one's independence. A direct support professional is responsible for a variety of tasks related to the general care of people with physical, cognitive, or developmental disabilities. The goal is to assist people to reach their full potential and to integrate and get engaged in their community.

Here's how direct support specialists use direct support:
  • Provided direct support to eight adult with developmental disabilities.
  • Provide direct support to adults with intellectual and physical disabilities

2. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how direct support specialists use mental health:
  • Provided mental health treatment including medication therapy management and teaching illness education and successful recovery techniques.
  • Assist mental health /developmental disabilities consumers with daily living.

3. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how direct support specialists use cpr:
  • Possess current CPR, First Aid, Data Privacy, Medication Administration, Physical Intervention Alternatives certifications.
  • Received Medication Certification, CPR, CPU, and first aid training.

4. Mental Illness

Here's how direct support specialists use mental illness:
  • Work with patient care team to assist patients in recovery from mental illness, traumatic injuries, and other disabilities.
  • Provided one on one support for young adults diagnosed with a Serious Mental Illness.

5. Developmental Disabilities

Here's how direct support specialists use developmental disabilities:
  • Supported individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
  • Provided care for individuals with developmental disabilities: laundry, bathing / hygiene, food preparation, outings/entertainment

6. Direct Care

Direct care is the act of identifying people with special needs and offering the necessary care for them.

Here's how direct support specialists use direct care:
  • Provided behavioral, direct care, crisis intervention, adoption-related and bereavement counseling.
  • Provided direct care to mentally challenged and/or ill individuals.

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7. Intellectual Disabilities

Here's how direct support specialists use intellectual disabilities:
  • Assist individuals with intellectual disabilities with household tasks, money management, and medication management.
  • Assist adults with intellectual disabilities to participate in community activities.

8. Money Management

Here's how direct support specialists use money management:
  • Provide personal care and medication administration assistance, as well as budget and money management advisement.
  • Assist in money management ability, socialization and relationship skills.

9. Medication Administration

Here's how direct support specialists use medication administration:
  • Teach self-medication skills according to DMR regulations, and when appropriate supervise in medication administration
  • Assisted with activities of daily living, medication administration, documentation community outing.

10. Behavioral Health

Here's how direct support specialists use behavioral health:
  • Provided behavioral health as a paraprofessional in the areas of family rehabilitation and support services to minimize client/family crisis.
  • Worked with youth and families with behavioral health challenges throughout Southern Arizona to provide wraparound behavioral health services.

11. Meal Preparation

Here's how direct support specialists use meal preparation:
  • Perform and/or assist with routine household and property tasks including meal preparation, housekeeping, outdoor maintenance and vehicle safety.
  • Assisted residents with activities of daily living: including cleaning, laundry, meal preparation, shopping and other appointments.

12. Cleanliness

Here's how direct support specialists use cleanliness:
  • Oversee maintenance of facilities by ensuring cleanliness, reporting issues of safety and facility upkeep.
  • Pass medications, assist on outings, as well as help maintain the cleanliness of the home facility and residents rooms.

13. Community Outings

Here's how direct support specialists use community outings:
  • Provided regular community outings to create opportunities to actively participate in the surrounding community and develop meaningful relationships.
  • Facilitate community outings to increase community integration.

14. Math

Here's how direct support specialists use math:
  • Assisted in the teaching of math, reading and money skills.

15. Medical Appointments

A medical appointment is a scheduled / specific day and time for a person to be examined or treated by a physician, nurse, or other licensed healthcare professional. The aim of the medical appointment is for the physician to be able to identify health problems or illnesses at an early stage.

Here's how direct support specialists use medical appointments:
  • Involved in full up-keep of monetary individual records, medical records, medical appointments and recreational activities Planning.
  • Transport service recipients to medical appointments as scheduled and bring necessary documentation and medication.
top-skills

What skills help Direct Support Specialists find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What soft skills should all direct support specialists possess?

J. Brian Atwood

Visiting Scholar in International and Public Affairs, Brown University

The most important "soft" skills are empathy, listening carefully, and interpreting what is presented accurately.
Do you want to know more?
Read more about what experts have to say about direct support specialist

List of direct support specialist skills to add to your resume

Direct support specialist skills

The most important skills for a direct support specialist resume and required skills for a direct support specialist to have include:

  • Direct Support
  • Mental Health
  • CPR
  • Mental Illness
  • Developmental Disabilities
  • Direct Care
  • Intellectual Disabilities
  • Money Management
  • Medication Administration
  • Behavioral Health
  • Meal Preparation
  • Cleanliness
  • Community Outings
  • Math
  • Medical Appointments
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Adaptive
  • Autism
  • Independent Living
  • Foster Care
  • Medication Management
  • Household Chores
  • ISP
  • ADL
  • Emotional Support
  • Community Resources
  • Doctor Appointments
  • Incident Reports
  • Physical Disabilities
  • Community Integration
  • Patient Care
  • Service Plan
  • Vital Signs
  • Support Services
  • Allergies
  • Family Support
  • Behavioral Issues
  • Infection Control Procedures
  • Hippa
  • Blood Pressure
  • Data Collection
  • Crisis Situations
  • Mental Disabilities
  • Community Involvement
  • Natural Supports
  • Food Preparation
  • Medical History
  • Accompany Clients

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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