What does a habilitation specialist do?
Habilitation specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real habilitation specialist resumes:
- Provide client with care, assist with performing ADL's, hygiene, medication, meal preparation, cleaning, transport.
- Assist patients with medication management, monitor blood sugars and accompany client to medical appointments.
- Provide direct supervision, observation, security and rehabilitation of delinquent adolescent females from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
- Complete training in first aid and CPR.
- Assist the ISP team in creating new outcomes for consumer training/ISP.
- Construct and maintain budget following NYS guidelines including purchase orders, funds distribution, and financial records.
- Provide ADL skills training and development, follow behavior treatment plans and strategies, and socialization needs of the consumers.
- Conduct and facilitate residential move-in orientations articulating residential policies, procedures and requirements to succeed in the rehabilitation programs.
- Promote continuity of care by accurately and completely communicating to other caregivers the status of patients for which care is provided.
- Assist clients with progress in their goals provide by their person centered plan (PCP).
- Assist IDD adult males in residential home with daily living needs and one on one services.
- Train and assist residents with self-help skills, daily hygiene, food preparation, and housekeeping.
- Prepare and maintain progress notes, DHS forms, therapy notes, and all filing.
- Assist the individual reach their highest level of functioning such as self-help, socialization, and any other adaptive skills.
- Train in SCIP-R: de-escalating crisis and potentially dangerous situations.
Habilitation specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Habilitation Specialists are proficient in Developmental Disabilities, CPR, and Behavioral Issues. They’re also known for soft skills such as Organizational skills, Problem-solving skills, and Time-management skills.
We break down the percentage of Habilitation Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Developmental Disabilities, 18%
Provide clinical day treatment for individuals with developmental disabilities who have multiple diagnoses with behavioral problems and who are forensically involved.
- CPR, 9%
Maintain all required certifications such as medication administration, First Aid & CPR and SCIP-R.
- Behavioral Issues, 8%
Help psychologist and psychiatric identify and find treatment for individuals with behavioral issues.
- Intellectual Disabilities, 7%
Assist individuals with brain injuries, intellectual disabilities and other neurological disabilities in achieving a stimulating and dignified life.
- Community Integration, 6%
Collaborated in a team setting to plan and organize social groups and events providing opportunities for community integration.
- OPWDD, 5%
Provided behavioral interventions when necessary following the least restrictive OPWDD approved techniques required by the situation.
"developmental disabilities," "cpr," and "behavioral issues" are among the most common skills that habilitation specialists use at work. You can find even more habilitation specialist responsibilities below, including:
Organizational skills. One of the key soft skills for a habilitation specialist to have is organizational skills. You can see how this relates to what habilitation specialists do because "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients." Additionally, a habilitation specialist resume shows how habilitation specialists use organizational skills: "help idd consumer with organizational skills, time management, and the ability to transition from one thing to the next. "
Problem-solving skills. Many habilitation specialist duties rely on problem-solving skills. "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems," so a habilitation specialist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways habilitation specialist responsibilities rely on problem-solving skills: "provide medications according to amap specifications, conflict resolution and anger management. "
Time-management skills. This is an important skill for habilitation specialists to perform their duties. For an example of how habilitation specialist responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "social and human service assistants often work with many clients." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a habilitation specialist: "completed clinical documentation duties thoroughly, accurately, and on time. ".
Compassion. For certain habilitation specialist responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "compassion." The day-to-day duties of a habilitation specialist rely on this skill, as "social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what habilitation specialists do: "plan and provide compassionate direct support to clients with developmental disabilities. "
Communication skills. Another common skill required for habilitation specialist responsibilities is "communication skills." This skill comes up in the duties of habilitation specialists all the time, as "social and human service assistants talk with clients about the challenges in their lives and assist them in getting help." An excerpt from a real habilitation specialist resume shows how this skill is central to what a habilitation specialist does: "teach activities such as socialization, communication, independent living, behavior, and speech. "
Interpersonal skills. Lastly, "interpersonal skills" is an important element of what a habilitation specialist does. Habilitation specialist responsibilities require this skill because "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." This resume example highlights how habilitation specialist duties rely on this skill: "assisted with skill development in recreation, hobbies, home management, and social/interpersonal skills. "
The three companies that hire the most habilitation specialists are:
- Acld20 habilitation specialists jobs
- The Arc Mid-Hudson19 habilitation specialists jobs
- ADAPT Community Network8 habilitation specialists jobs
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Compare different habilitation specialists
Habilitation specialist vs. Direct care professional
In healthcare facilities, a case management specialist is in charge of ensuring that patients get quality service. Their responsibilities often include handling admission and discharge procedures, preparing and processing documents, gathering and organizing patient information, and developing strategies to optimize case management operations. There are also instances where they must address patient concerns and issues, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a case management specialist, it is essential to function while adhering to the facility's policies and regulations.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, habilitation specialist responsibilities require skills like "cpr," "opwdd," "habilitation services," and "money management." Meanwhile a typical direct care professional has skills in areas such as "mental health," "autism," "social work," and "compassion." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Direct care professionals really shine in the government industry with an average salary of $29,735. Comparatively, habilitation specialists tend to make the most money in the non profits industry with an average salary of $33,867.On average, direct care professionals reach similar levels of education than habilitation specialists. Direct care professionals are 3.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Habilitation specialist vs. Case management specialist
A Social Services Specialist provides social services to children and adults in communities, facilities, institutions, or hospitals. They develop and implement specialized treatment programs.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, habilitation specialist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "behavioral issues," "intellectual disabilities," "community integration," and "opwdd." Meanwhile, a case management specialist has duties that require skills in areas such as "patients," "social work," "mental health," and "crisis intervention." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Case management specialists earn a higher average salary than habilitation specialists. But case management specialists earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $55,377. Additionally, habilitation specialists earn the highest salaries in the non profits with average pay of $33,867 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Case management specialists tend to reach higher levels of education than habilitation specialists. In fact, they're 6.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Habilitation specialist vs. Social services specialist
Youth care specialists are social experts who coordinate programs for children and young people who need care while being away from their own families for some reason. These specialists are required to maintain a safe environment in the community so that children will feel safe, cared for, and nurture. They must lead various seminars for youths about topics such as job readiness, financial literacy, and higher education. They must also communicate the concerns and other important information to a child's assigned social worker and provide back-up support to case managers if needed.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, habilitation specialists are more likely to have skills like "developmental disabilities," "cpr," "behavioral issues," and "intellectual disabilities." But a social services specialist is more likely to have skills like "social work," "patients," "substance abuse," and "discharge planning."
Social services specialists earn the best pay in the insurance industry, where they command an average salary of $64,884. Habilitation specialists earn the highest pay from the non profits industry, with an average salary of $33,867.Most social services specialists achieve a higher degree level compared to habilitation specialists. For example, they're 15.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Habilitation specialist vs. Youth care specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
