Being an early childhood intervention specialist, my responsibilities include using evidence-based practices to teach and assess children with developmental, learning, and intellectual disabilities, inculcating in them mainstream school readiness skills. As a special education professional in this role, my duties also include developing and monitoring progress on students' individualized educational programs.

During this placement, I worked closely with a child with developmental delays. I used and improved my skills in IEP goal development, instruction, and assessment. I also worked collaboratively with the interdisciplinary team at the school, which included a speech and language pathologist, a social worker, and an occupational therapist. In addition to collaborating with professionals, I was in constant communication with the parents in my classroom, especially my target student's family, working collaboratively to support the child's uniform learning both in school and at home.I also expanded my skillset by managing the entire classroom, which included making a classroom schedule, including an activity matrix for all the adults (teachers + TAs) in the room to follow, and rearranging the physical environment, keeping in mind each child's needs.

I worked under a special education teacher with over 15 years of experience. During this experience, I taught in a blended classroom of 15 + 15 (morning and afternoon classes) and got hands-on experience working with children with disabilities, delays, and challenging behavior. I also got to practically work with individualized educational programs (IEPs), and create and monitor goals for students' IEPs. Additionally, I used trauma-informed practices and helped students with social-emotional learning, which was important for children starting school for the first time, especially after the COVID-19 lockdown