Becoming an Early Intervention Specialist (Part 1)

A Personal Journey, and Practical Advice for Those Considering this Path

Over the years, I’ve been asked many times how I became an Early Intervention Specialist. People often want to know about my background, what training is needed, and whether this is a career they could move into themselves.

I wanted to write this blog for anyone curious about early intervention as a profession. I’ll share a bit about my own journey, how the role has developed in Ireland, and what I believe really matters if you’re considering working in this field.

This isn’t a step-by-step guide, but a personal reflection after many years working with babies, young children, families, and multidisciplinary teams, combined with my own experience as a mum of a child with additional needs.

My Journey into Early Intervention

I was always interested in education, but I wasn’t originally planning a career in special education.

I studied Social Studies and later Educational Psychology in Barcelona. At the time, my focus was on environmental education, teaching children about nature, respect for the environment, and sustainability. During my college years, I worked in a wildlife park, and disability and early years were not part of my original plan.

When I moved to Ireland, an opportunity came up to join an early intervention team as a home visitor. Having grown up with a friend who had Down syndrome, I immediately thought of her, and my heart wanted to say yes to this job and career path. The idea of working with children with Down syndrome felt exciting and meaningful to me.

I had the qualifications and a strong willingness to learn, but very little direct experience in this field.

Those first two years were completely formative for me.

I worked alongside a very experienced multidisciplinary team. I attended training and conferences and read as much as I could. While my college studies gave me a solid foundation, I quickly realised that early intervention is a very specific approach. I learned the most important skills on the job through observation, specialised training, and hands-on experience with children and families.

After those two years and a steep learning curve, I joined St Michael’s House in Dublin, where I worked as part of the Early Intervention team for almost 20 years.

St Michael’s House had a strong culture of learning and professional development. There were opportunities for training, research, and innovation. Working in a large organisation also meant learning from colleagues with very different professional backgrounds. Once again, the biggest learning happened while being hands-on, supporting children and families day to day.

Alongside this, the more entrepreneurial part of me led me to develop my own practice part-time, focusing on training, writing, and speaking. Teaching others has always helped me consolidate my learning and reflect more deeply on my work.

Becoming a parent to an autistic child added another layer to my professional journey. Parenting an autistic boy didn’t replace my professional training, but it deepened my understanding and shaped how I work. It also gave me the confidence to work more closely with autistic children, an area I hadn’t focused on before.

Early Intervention in Ireland: Some Context

I certainly don’t have the full historical picture, but I can share what I know from my own experience, so please take this for what it is.

Early intervention home teaching programmes in Ireland began several decades ago. At a time when many children with disabilities were educated in separate settings, or had little or no access to education at all, professionals and families began to recognise the importance of helping children grow up within their own communities and local schools.

Some professionals gradually shifted their roles from therapists to educators. They began supporting children’s early development through home-visiting programmes, with a strong belief that parents were central to their children’s learning and development.

The aim was not to “treat” the child, but to equip families and communities with the knowledge and confidence to support children in everyday life.

I often describe myself as part of the “second generation” of home visitors within St Michael’s House. The “first generation” were incredibly innovative and progressive people. They believed deeply in the potential of children with disabilities. They believed in parents as the main educators. And they believed in true inclusion.

They challenged the status quo at the time, and I feel very fortunate to have learned from them and witnessed their passion and commitment.

The backgrounds of Early Intervention Specialists varied widely. People came from psychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, early childhood education, and related fields. There was no single training route. Learning was continuous and shared within teams.

St Michael’s House viewed the role of the home visitor as requiring senior clinicians, given the responsibilities involved: visiting families at home, offering guidance, monitoring development, and helping to design individualised educational programmes.

We used developmental frameworks, most commonly the Hawaii Early Learning Profile (HELP), to monitor progress and plan intervention. Supporting communication was always central to the work, and many of us trained as Lámh tutors.

We also ran baby and toddler groups to support families and help parents connect with one another. Being family-centred was at the heart of everything we did, respecting each family’s values, priorities, and circumstances.

Today, there are a small number of Early Intervention Specialists working across Ireland, and we are currently in the process of creating a national professional body, which is an exciting and important step for the profession.

What Does an Early Intervention Specialist Actually Do?

While roles can vary, Early Intervention Specialists typically:

• Support babies and young children with developmental delays or disabilities through direct and indirect intervention
• Develop and guide individualised developmental programmes
• Work closely with parents, recognising them as the child’s primary educators
• Carry out home visits and support children in their natural environments
• Use developmental frameworks to monitor progress and inform intervention
• Collaborate with therapists, educators, and other professionals
• Support transitions into preschool and school
• Focus on play, daily routines, communication, and meaningful interactions
• Deliver training and guidance for families and early years educators
• Support communities to become more inclusive of children with disabilities

Early intervention is about supporting a child’s development, but it is also about supporting families and communities to understand the child’s needs, make appropriate accommodations, and include them in all aspects of everyday life.

Coming Next

In Part 2, I’ll share practical advice for anyone considering this career path – the skills, experience, and training that really matter if you want to work in early intervention.