How To Become A Developmental Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a developmental specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Szu-Ping Lee PT, PhD

Some children need a little extra support in order to thrive like their peers. The job of the developmental specialist is to make sure that kids with developmental and psychological disorders receive the care that they need in order to live full lives and thrive.

The developmental specialist spends a lot of time playing with kids in order to evaluate their needs and record their progress. However, just like it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to support one. The developmental specialist also works with parents to develop a treatment plan, organize referrals, and educate teachers about the child's needs.

The field of developmental specialists is expected to grow by 13%, which is hopefully a sign that more and more kids will get access to this level of support. Most developmental specialists have bachelor's or master's degrees in applied psychology or a similar field and a passion for working with children.

What general advice would you give to a developmental specialist?

Szu-Ping Lee PT, PhD

Associate Professor, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

Most people like the job because they enjoy working with people and helping them. There is a high level of satisfaction that comes from improving other people's lives. In fact, healthcare workers consistently report some of the highest levels of career satisfaction. However, caring for people is hard work. Doing a good job as a rehabilitation specialist takes a lot of mental and physical energy. Therefore, burnout is fairly common.

ScoreDevelopmental SpecialistUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $42,829

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.85%

Asian 6.96%

Black or African American 10.35%

Hispanic or Latino 17.03%

Unknown 4.88%

White 58.92%

Gender

female 80.87%

male 19.13%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a developmental specialist

Explore developmental specialist education requirements

Most common developmental specialist degrees

Bachelor's

60.6 %

Master's

14.6 %

Associate

13.4 %

Start to develop specific developmental specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Social Work	13.06%
Developmental Disabilities	11.50%
Autism	8.19%
Intellectual Disabilities	7.44%
Developmental Delays	6.14%

Complete relevant developmental specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New developmental specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a developmental specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real developmental specialist resumes.

Research developmental specialist duties and responsibilities

Provide PSR services to clients with mental illness in order to help them achieve the highest standard of living possible.
Team leader in charge of receiving referrals make for children on the autism spectrum, communication delays and/or behavioral challenges.
Participate in weekly individual therapy sessions with young children and adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder.
Facilitate positive consumer and personal relationships base on positive consumer and personal relationships base on courtesy, compassion, and respect.

Prepare your developmental specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your developmental specialist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a developmental specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable developmental specialist resume templates

Build a professional developmental specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your developmental specialist resume.