How to hire a learning disabilities specialist

How to hire a learning disabilities specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step learning disabilities specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a learning disabilities specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new learning disabilities specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your learning disabilities specialist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a learning disabilities specialist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

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   A learning disabilities specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, learning disabilities specialists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of learning disabilities specialists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Learning Disabilities Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Learning Disabilities Specialist	Special education teachers work with students who have a wide range of learning, mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. They adapt general education lessons and teach various subjects, such as reading, writing, and math, to students with mild and moderate disabilities... Show more	$17-30
   Visually Impaired Teacher	Visually impaired teachers are skilled professionals who are responsible for providing special education for visually impaired children. These teachers are required to collaborate with educational teams and parents to develop and implement Individualized Education Programs (EIP) that are tailored according to the needs and abilities of their students... Show more	$17-40
   Special Education Supervisor	A Special Education Supervisor is responsible for developing educational plans for students with special needs. They assist in the supervision of special education teachers and provide orientation and assistance for improvement.	$23-50

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Support Services
   • Learning Styles
   • Physical Disabilities
   • Student Learning
   • ADHD
   • Learning Disabilities
   • Study
   • Resource Room

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead strategic planning for eLearning initiatives and manage company-wide training for laboratory information system update.
   • Help students with organizational and study skills.
   • Provide consistent on-going consultation to teaching staff to support differentiate instruction for children with IEPs or with challenging behaviors.
   • Work directly with e-training manager to create training procedures in PowerPoint and convert them into interactive e-training courses in articulate storyline.
   • Collaborate with the multidisciplinary team to integrate IFSP outcomes and goals within natural environments.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your learning disabilities specialist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A learning disabilities specialist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, learning disabilities specialists' average salary in kansas is 34% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level learning disabilities specialists 44% less than senior-level learning disabilities specialists.
   • Certifications. A learning disabilities specialist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a learning disabilities specialist's salary.

   Average learning disabilities specialist salary

   $48,090yearly

   $23.12 hourly rate

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   Entry-level learning disabilities specialist salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 30, 2025

4. Writing a learning disabilities specialist job description

   A job description for a learning disabilities specialist role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a learning disabilities specialist job description:

   Learning disabilities specialist job description example

   This educational position earns a competitive wage of $20/hour . We provide excellent benefits , including medical, dental, vision, paid time off (PTO), 8 paid holidays, a 401(k) with 5% company match, paid mileage, health savings accounts (HSA), flexible spending accounts (FSA), an employee assistance program, and supplemental insurances . Our employees also receive generous discounts , such as cell phone service and YMCA membership . If this sounds like the right habilitation opportunity in social services for you, apply today to join our nonprofit!

   
   

   ABOUT OPPORTUNITY ENTERPRISES

   Founded in 1967, we are a nonprofit organization that strives to help individuals with developmental disabilities reach their greatest potential and live full, enriching lives. Our vision is to create a fully integrated community where life for persons with developmental disabilities is valuable, purposeful, and fulfilling. We believe it is possible to make a positive difference in the lives of the individuals we serve by accepting people as they are and supporting them in achieving their fullest growth and development.

   We know that well-trained and motivated staff is at the core of helping us achieve our vision. Our employees work hard to ensure that our clients are heard and given the resources they need to be self-sufficient. To show our appreciation, we strive to provide a positive work environment that encourages innovation and change to help our employees continuously learn and grow .

   
   

   A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A QUALIFIED INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES PROFESSIONAL (QIDP)

   As a Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional (QIDP) in social services, you are responsible for developing programs that support a team approach among clients while ensuring compliance with federal, state, agency, and program regulations. Using a person-centered approach, you develop individual program plans (IPPs) and tailor each of them to match the needs of clients as well as conduct monthly reviews to track the progress of each client. You maintain and update client files, including emergency information and act as a liaison with family members, case managers, and behavior specialists.

   In addition, you participate in quarterly and annual case conferences for clients with other appropriate team members. You also plan, direct, and attend program, agency, and other organizational meetings or in-services. To ensure our clients are receiving the best care possible, you review all plans of care, request the appropriate waiver reimbursements for desired client services, and provide follow-up on all documentation to ensure accuracy.

   Whenever you're on the job, you always act as a professional role model to others and make sure that our clients are satisfied with the services they're being provided. You review and track quarterly client work performance evaluations and strive to promote teamwork among both your clients and fellow employees. Being in a position where you get to help others by doing meaningful work brings you great fulfillment and encourages you to put forth your best effort each day!

   
   

   QUALIFICATIONS FOR A QUALIFIED INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES PROFESSIONAL (QIDP)

   • Bachelor's degree in a professional category
   • 1+ years of experience in educational or habilitation services for individuals with disabilities

   Do you have excellent verbal and written communication skills? Can you balance multiple tasks while demonstrating good time management? Are you able to exercise good judgment? Can you remain calm in stressful situations? Are you highly organized and attentive to detail? Do you work well both independently and as part of a team? If yes, you might just be perfect for this habilitation position with our social services nonprofit!

   
   

   WORK SCHEDULE FOR A QUALIFIED INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES PROFESSIONAL (QIDP)

   This full-time educational position with our social services nonprofit works during business hours plus 2 weekend shifts per month and rotating on-call hours .

   
   

   ARE YOU READY TO JOIN OUR SOCIAL SERVICES TEAM?

   If you feel that you would be right for this educational habilitation job with our nonprofit, please fill out our initial 3-minute, mobile-friendly application . We look forward to meeting you!

   Location: 46383

   
   
   Job Posted by ApplicantPro
   

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5. Post your job

   To find learning disabilities specialists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any learning disabilities specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level learning disabilities specialists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your learning disabilities specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit learning disabilities specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with learning disabilities specialist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new learning disabilities specialist

   Once you've decided on a perfect learning disabilities specialist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new learning disabilities specialist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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