Helena has completed her PhD in Child Studies at the Institute of Education of the University of Minho, in July 2014; she is also a Clinical Specialist in Therapy and Rehabilitation - Occupational Therapy since December 2014 and completed an MSc in Early Intervention, focusing in Special Education by the Institute of Child Studies at the University of Minho since January 2009.

Helena has also completed a Postgraduate degree course in "Sensory Integration - 1st edition" by the Cooperative of Higher Education and University Polytechnic (CESPU) in February 2015. Specialised in the area of "Sensory Integration" by USC / WPS including administration and interpretation of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT) from January to October 2009.

Helena has started teaching in 2010 at CESPU and in 2011 she was invited to teach modules of the 3rd year of the Degree of Occupational Therapy at the Higher Health Institute of Alto Ave (ISAVE).

Most of her clinical practice was based in an early intervention team specialised in Developmental and Autism Spectrum disorders, from September 2003 to February 2017. She also worked in private pediatric clinics alongside of her work in the Association for Developmental Disorders and Autism (APPDA). Helena has scientific publications in international journals.

She is currently involved in the project for the validation of the Sensory Processing Measure -Pre-school, Sensory Processing Measure - Preschool (SPM-P), in the School and Home versions by the CiTechCare Research Unit. Helena is also involved in the international project by the University of Minho: "Intervention with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Luso-Brazilian proposal" under the bilateral agreement FCT-CAPES.

Helena has reviewed a variety of peer reviewed publications including the Journal of Early Intervention and Autism and Developmental Language Impairments. She has undertaken a range of specialisation courses in Autism Spectrum Disorders and attended conferences as a guest speaker in this field.