Intervention Specialist

Are you passionate about working with individuals with disabilities? Do you prefer to work one-to-one with students? Are you looking for a meaningful career that includes working in homes and community placements?

The Intervention Specialist undergraduate certificate prepares students to work directly with individuals with disabilities in a variety of settings including the home and community. Once students have completed this certificate they will have met the state Medicaid requirements to work as an Intervention Specialist through Health and Welfare. Supervised hours required for this position can be completed with a designated agency once coursework is complete. Students who either complete the Intervention Specialist Certificate and have a degree in a human services field OR complete the Intervention Specialist Certificate and have a bachelor’s degree in any field will complete the certificate coursework requirements to work for a developmental disability agency as an ages 3-17 Intervention Specialist.

Department Name: Department of Early and Special Education

Official Certificate Name: Intervention Specialist Certificate

Certificate Type: Undergraduate Certificate

Scholarship available for students with ECE background

What can I do with this certificate?

Intervention Specialists teach adaptive skills and support the development of pro-social behaviors for people with disabilities. Interventionists work in the home and community setting focused on individual client goals including communication, social skills, self-management, self-help, and independence. In order to become a Intervention Specialist, students will need a minimum of one year supervised experience working with children with developmental disabilities, typically provided by the hiring agency.

Certificate Requirements and Advising Resources

Admission to Upper-division Early and Special Education Standing for Certificate Programs

The Department of Early and Special Education requires all early and special education certificate students to apply for admission to upper-division early and special education standing. To be admitted to upper-division early and special education standing, a student must meet the following criteria prior to enrolling in 300-level and 400-level early and special education courses with the prerequisite of “upper-division early and special education standing.” Early and special education certificate students enrolling in these upper-division early and special education courses without approved upper-division standing will be withdrawn administratively from the courses. Students enrolled in a degree seeking program in Teacher Education will be required to follow procedures to be admitted to Teacher Education prior to enrolling in upper-division courses.

Application to Upper Division ESP Standing

Minimum Criteria for Admission to Upper-division Early and Special Education Standing

Admission to Boise State.
Completion of the following lower-division courses with a C or better in each course

- - CIFS 203 or PSYC 441
  - ESP 223 or PSYC 309
  - ESP 250 or ESP 350

Minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher across required lower-division courses.
At least 36 credits (including coursework in progress at the time of application).

Course Number and Title	Credits
Required coursework:
ED-ESP 321 Family and Community Relations: ECE/ECSE	3
ED-ESP 330 Assessment for Instructional Decision-Making	3
ED-ESP 345 Positive Behavior Intervention and Support	3
ED-ESP 358 Students with Significant Disabilities	3
ED-ESP 458 Autism Spectrum Disorder	3
Take at least one of the following:
ED-CIFS 203 Child and Educational Psychology	3
PSYC 309 Child Development	3
Take at least one of the following:
ED-ESP 223 Child Growth and	3
PSYC 309 Child Development	3
Take at least one of the following:
ED-ESP 250 Exceptionality in the Schools	3
ED-ESP 350 Teaching Students with Exceptional Needs at the Secondary Level	3
Total	24
*The certificate will be awarded following completion of an associate or baccalaureate degree