Pediatric CDA or Communication Specialist For Day Program

About The Role

We are seeking a confident, experienced CDA or pediatric communication specialist to join our colourful multi-disciplinary therapeutic children's team, supervised by social workers, supporting our full day program for children with Autism and/or developmental differences (PowerUp), and this demographic in general within the wider clinic. A neurodivergence-affirming approach to communication is a must! PowerUp is not an ABA-based program; we offer an alternative relationship-driven, attachment-based wraparound model of care that is not behavioural, but developmental and individualized to each child, and driven by input from SLP, OT, psychotherapy, and experiential learning. We are seeking a team member who is aligned with these values and has a passion for this direction.

This role involves hands-on frontline support in very low ratio groups (usually 1:1 or 2:1), collaborative team planning, as well as individual coaching and intervention with children (approximately 3-12yrs, elementary age). The role requires a level of physical fitness and mobility, involving regular stairs, visits to the park/yard, playing on the floor, and keeping up with speedy feet as they explore - as well as comfort with bigger behaviours and proficiency in co-regulating with little humans.

The role is full time, salaried (with benefits!) and in-person, with occasional in-home and in-community work . The days and hours of work are Monday-Friday, roughly 8.30-4.30pm. The PowerUp program runs Mon-Thurs from 9am to 3pm with 4-8 clients, and Fridays are for team meetings, PD, planning, prep, admin and limited individual sessions.

About Us

NowWhat is a flexible, supportive, and joyful working environment, in a beautiful clinic and a lovely community. We are a nature-loving, out-of-the-box clinic that provides holistic and creative clinical, social, and educational support to children and youth across a range of domains, including ADHD & executive function, social communication, emotional regulation, anxiety, and behavioural challenges. We’re truly collaborative - consulting regularly across disciplines to build effective support plans that consider the whole person and their family context. Each professional is valued for their expertise and contribution, and enjoys a good balance of autonomy and team support.

We are committed to holding inclusive, affirming, and non-judgmental space for both staff and clients. We value radical honesty and epic bravery. We have a particular focus on removing the barriers that can hinder access to therapeutic services for neurodiverse folk, and our passion is helping people build the skills they need to act effectively so they can enjoy a rich and meaningful life - whatever that looks like for them.

We will often offer candidates who feel like a possible fit a 'working interview' opportunity to participate and observe the program they are being primarily interviewed for to help everyone assess the fit of the position for alignment of the role with their skills, passions and values.

About You

Our ideal candidate is a relaxed, unshakeable, 'cool, calm and collected' human with at least 3 years experience in pediatric communication support, a passion for seeing all behaviour as communication, and a solid sense of humour (dry humour more than welcome). This would be the perfect position for a CDA, SLP-A, or an educator with strong experience supporting diverse methods of communication in Autistic children, & neurodivergent kids in general.

Resume highlights should hit:

• Neurodivergence experience (particularly Autism)
• Confidence working with children with high support needs in both group and individual settings
• Flexible and willing to learn, grow and adapt with new information
• Knowledge of and experience with programming and supporting various AAC systems and softwares (such as Proloquo2go, Textchat etc)
• Excellent communication skills, resilience, and exceptional team collaboration skills - the team of 5 you would be joining is tight-knit and must be able to enjoy and rely on each other
• Knowledge and experience with a wide range of communication techniques and approaches (low and high tech)
• Bonus points for Special Interests & Secret Skills you'd be excited to share with your young clients (personal passions like cooking/baking, sewing, gardening, anime, collecting, dungeons & dragons, music, art, dancing, woodcraft etc)
• If you're our person, you're looking for a long-term in-person position where you feel valued as a human, confident in your ability to contribute to a team, and challenged to grow and learn. You're patient and unshockable, and you're not afraid of rolling up your sleeves and getting dirty - you're up for slime and sand, glitter and glue, and outdoor adventures all year round!
• You truly enjoy kids and have a soft spot for those who struggle to interpret or follow social norms, or to communicate traditionally. You’re quick to laugh and willing to work through conflict and challenges with humour and positivity. You’re equally ready to try new things, and toss them out if they’re not working. You can work to a deadline and pick up new processes quickly. You're willing to consider and learn from other disciplines' perspectives in order to offer holistic, wraparound care to your clients. You can present professionally, and you are confident when it comes to speaking with parents and families, and you communicate clearly both verbally and in writing.
• You feel you have a gift when it comes to understanding and decoding behaviour as communication. You have a passion for seeing the person before the problem, and for helping kids to gain functional skills and relational safety that will serve them well their whole lives.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary ($70,000 annually) depending on both your qualifications and your experience (bonus points for lived, parenting, or extensive pediatric developmental experience)
• Full time hours and guaranteed steady income - no short term contracts or uncertainty
• Benefits package with a flexible Health Care Spending Account
• Ongoing opportunities for internal and external professional development and training
• Flexibility for Life Stuff within your team's schedule
• Free parking (5 min walk from main site)
• Fantastic team environment with lots of opportunity to contribute to decision making & direction

Think you’re a good fit for the position, but it might not be immediately obvious to us from your resume? Send us a cover letter telling us why we should consider you for this role.

Check us out at: www.nowwhatsupports.ca

Application Process

• Submit your resume and cover letter
• HINT - Applications with a personalized cover letter (that was not obviously written by Chat GPT) get bumped to the top of the pile!
• If you’re selected for review, we’ll invite you to a short virtual interview
• The best matches will be invited to an in-person interview

Anticipated Application Deadline: Friday January 8, 2026

Thanks for taking the time to submit your application; however we’ll only be reaching out to those selected for an interview.