Dybwad had previously worked as a case worker and at correctional facilities before she joined the National Association for Retarded Children in 1957.
[1] For her post-secondary education, Dybwad began her studies at the Western College for Women before completing a two-year fellowship at the University of Leipzig in 1933.
[3] While completing her education in the 1930s, Dybwad was a caseworker at a school before working at correctional facilities in Northeastern United States.
Between 1964 and 1967, Dybwad worked at the International Union of Child Welfare and co-directed a project on intellectual disabilities with her husband.
[6] During this time period, Dybwad joined the board of directors for the International League of Societies for Persons with Mental Handicaps in 1966.