An Inside Look at the Special Education Profession

Special education professionals work to promote students’ overall behavioral, social and academic growth. Special education professionals aide students in developing socially appropriate behavior within their family, school and community. Teachers of special education help students become more confident in their social interactions. Special education professionals administer activities that build students’ life skills.

What Does the Job Entail?

Are you interested in helping others? Can you handle and care for people who learn differently and have other behavioral problems? Do you want to make a difference in a young child’s life? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you might consider a career in special education. Below is a breakdown of the short and long-term responsibilities of a special education teacher.

First and foremost, special education teachers focus on the development and academic needs of children with disabilities. They encourage learning in disabled students by implementing educational modules and behavioral techniques. Special education teachers work alone or with general education teachers to individualize lessons, develop problem-solving techniques and integrate children into group projects with other students. Furthermore, special education teachers are responsible for ensuring that the needs of disabled children are met during assessment periods.

Did you know that special education teachers work with a team of professionals, qualified staff and family in order to fulfill their job requirements? It is true. In fact, special education teachers work in conjunction with these entities to create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each student. An IEP is designed in collaboration with a child’s parents, school principal, social worker, speech pathologist and general education teacher to ensure effective implementation. An IEP targets a student’s needs and growth areas for maximum response. The specialized goals set by the IEP are woven throughout all aspects of a child’s daily activities. Teachers of special education must monitor a child’s setbacks and progress and report back to parents and administrators. Planned goals and tasks are outlined for family members to refer to while a student is at home as well.

The types of disabilities a special education teacher might encounter are difficult to predict. For one, the qualifications for special education services vary greatly from mild disabilities to extreme cases of mental retardation or autism. Types of disabilities include, but are not limited to, the following: speech impairments, hearing disabilities, emotional disturbances, orthopedic impairments, brain trauma cases, blindness, deafness and learning disabilities.

Do You Exhibit These Qualities?

Now that you have an idea of the job’s demands, let’s see if you have the right qualities to be a special education teacher.

Recognize the symptoms and needs of special needs students

Patience

Ability to work with one or more parties to achieve short-term and long-term goals

Strong communication skills

Ability to motivate others

Ability to multi-task

Knowledge of the most recent education modules, medical research and behavioral practices

Creativity
Knowledge of the latest medical technology relevant to special education

Taking the Next Step toward a New Career

Once you have decided to enter the field of special education, you will need to follow several steps. Due to the specialization of the field, special education teachers in all 50 states must receive licensure before employment. Licensures are approved by each state’s board of education, and the requirements for certification differ between states. Nevertheless, the growing shortage of special education teachers has led institutions of higher education to offer more special education degree and certification programs. In fact, special education degrees are offered at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels throughout the nation. Not to mention, the booming field of distance learning has made certification more accessible from any location in the United States.

In many cases, hopeful special education professionals do not meet the requirements of special education licensure due to their prior completion of degree programs outside of the field of education. Therefore, several states have begun to offer alternate forms of certification. The hope of these programs is to attract new special education professionals and fill the growing need for teachers. The chance to positively impact the lives of special needs children is one of the driving motivations and benefits of entering this field.

After several years, some special education teachers look for new opportunities within their field. In the most common situations, special education professionals transfer to administrative or supervisory positions. Others, after receiving a higher degree, become college professors and educate new students in the field of special education. Experienced teachers of special needs students have also moved up to serve as mentors to incoming special education teachers.

As for the future of special education and employment, there are many changes on the horizon. Most significantly, the job market in special education, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is projected to “increase faster than the average of all occupations by 2014.” Due to the new emphasis on education and training in legislature, special education professionals will become even more valued.

Can I Make a Living as a Special Education Teacher?

As mentioned previously, the special education job market is on the rise. In 2004, the BLS reported 441,000 employed special education teachers in the nation. While only 6 percent worked within private schools, over 90 percent were employed by public schools or districts. In rare cases, special education professionals were involved in home or hospital care.

Several factors determine a special education teacher’s financial compensation. Such factors include experience, educational background, area of specialty and geographical location. In May 2004, the BLS reported the following breakdown of median annual earnings of special education teachers:

Preschool, kindergarten and elemen

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Parents, Teachers, and Special Education

At a time when budget cuts are commonplace, staff shortage, larger class size, and understanding the laws governing special education in the US, is imperative to build an inclusive learning environment for all students, from those with learning and physical disabilities, to the exceptionally gifted ones, as well as all children in between.

The National Center for Education Statistics’ numbers reveal that about 70 percent of students go to elementary and middle school. The number of children with special education needs is also on the rise.

With the focus on inclusive classrooms, both parents and teachers have to understand the legal requirements, as well as the costs involved towards special education in public schools.

What is special education?

Special education involves academic programs to help individuals who are mentally, emotionally, or physically impaired. The program may include children with severe disabilities, and those with moderate or mild language difficulties, emotional or cognitive disabilities, or other impairment that hinder learning. In some schools, educators use top educational apps for kindergartners to impart education to kids.

What is least-restrictive learning environment?

Least-restrictive environment means schools receiving public funding, must give students an opportunity to attend regular classrooms as much as possible. Schools must allow special students to participate in standard learning environment along with the neuro-typical students.

In some cases, special children with severe impairment may have to spend time in a special classroom designed to accommodate their particular disability, with the help of some top educational apps for kindergartners. But most of their time, as much as 80 percent, is usually spent in a regular classroom environment alongside the neuro-typical students.

Special education inclusion

Giving all students the opportunity to attend regular classrooms, instructions and learning, is what is known as inclusion. The term “inclusive classrooms” is rather new. It complies with the Rehabilitation Act (1973) and also the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1975). The latter act was amended in 2012, to measure the success of special education programs.

Identification of special education students

Studies have revealed that after the age of seven, it’s usually difficult to bring up special children to a grade-level performance. Kids with mild to extreme mental and physical disabilities have wide-ranging special needs. It requires educators to focus on setting up a consistent classroom environment along with paced instructions, behavior management, and individualized lesson plans. Top educational apps for kindergartners can be much helpful in this regard. Research has suggested that the sooner special needs children are exposed to these apps, the faster they can adapt to regular classrooms.

Special needs children who receive no early intervention, often drop out of school at a much higher rate, which can be twice that of neuro-typical students. It ultimately costs the society far more than properly educating them.

The role doctors play

The family physician can play a major role to help identify kids with c

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