How To Become An Early Intervention Occupational Therapist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an early intervention occupational therapist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Nicole Scheiman DrOT, MHS, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, CES, CKTP, CEES-Advanced, CSST, CDCS, CORE

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an early intervention occupational therapist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $37.16 an hour? That's $77,291 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 14% and produce 18,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an early intervention occupational therapist?

Nicole Scheiman DrOT, MHS, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, CES, CKTP, CEES-Advanced, CSST, CDCS, CORE

Department Chair/Program Director/ Professor, Huntington University

Likes: 1. Impactful Work, 2. Holistic Approach, 3. Diverse Opportunities, 4. Client-Centered Care, 5. Creative Interventions. Dislikes: 1. Administrative Burden, 2. Limited Resources, 3. High Stress Environments, 4. Complex Cases, 5. Scope of Practice.

ScoreEarly Intervention Occupational TherapistUS Average

Salary

6.0

Avg. Salary $77,291

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 14%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.30%

Asian 8.54%

Black or African American 5.18%

Hispanic or Latino 6.75%

Unknown 3.75%

White 75.48%

Gender

female 92.00%

male 8.00%

Age - 38

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 - 38

Stress level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an early intervention occupational therapist

Explore early intervention occupational therapist education requirements

Most common early intervention occupational therapist degrees

Master's

48.0 %

Bachelor's

44.7 %

Associate

4.0 %

Start to develop specific early intervention occupational therapist skills

Skills	Percentages
Early Intervention	21.98%
Natural Environment	11.99%
Occupational Therapy	10.79%
IFSP	9.11%
Intervention Services	7.89%

Complete relevant early intervention occupational therapist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New early intervention occupational therapists 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 an early intervention occupational therapist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real early intervention occupational therapist resumes.

Research early intervention occupational therapist duties and responsibilities

Achieve advance clinical competency in UE splinting.
Utilize connections with community resources and previous ABA training to provide exceptional therapeutic methodologies.
Update and write goals for IFSP.
Follow careful programs and IEP's design for each child.

Prepare your early intervention occupational therapist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your early intervention occupational therapist resume.

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