Some of the duties of a child development professional is to assess a child's mental and physical development. You will have to watch the child and play with him or her to get a better understanding of their behavior and disability. Monitoring the parents and seeing whether they have comprehension of how to use the therapeutic methods is also necessary. In some cases, you may be working with other child development specialists to ensure that the child is receiving the right direction. The plan you develop should include the development of their cognitive, motor skills, social skills, language skills and self-help abilities. Teaching activities and exercises to the parents of the child is also included within the plan.
In order to become a child development specialist, you will have to obtain a master's degree in a childhood education related field, such as psychology, child development or social work. On the other hand if you are being trained by a professional specialist, then you will not need to acquire a master's. If you would like to be self-employed, you will have to acquire more formal post-master's education. There are some employers that want professionals to have a license in early childhood development.
In this field, you can expect a median annual salary around $43,000. The amount you make depends on where you're employed, what region you work in and your level of education and experience.
