Special Education is an area that works with youths and children who have some type of disability. Professionals working on this field are Special Education Teachers and they are required to work with students having emotional, physical, or cognitive disabilities. They adapt the general education curriculum to meet individual needs of their students and provide remedial instruction for each case. These professionals may work at different school levels, including elementary, middle, and secondary.
Special Education professionals usually perform many of the following tasks:
• Coordinating plans with regular teachers.
• Communicating with parents.
• Developing curriculum.
• Teaching different subjects.
• Designing materials for students.
Skills
• Having organizational skills.
• Being creative.
• Having good communication skills.
• Being patient.
• Having time management skills.
• Being able to motivate others.
• Having problem solving skills.
• Being able to understand requirements of the children.
• Having interpersonal skills.
• Being able to perform different tasks at the same time.
Education
Applicants for Special Education jobs are required to have a Bachelor´s, Master´s, or Doctoral Degree in Special Education. Bachelor´s degree programs last four years and include specialized and general courses for this field. Many institutions demand applicants having a fifth year of other graduate preparation. Students have a training program in a classroom supervised by certified special education teachers in the last year of these programs. Professionals of this area are required to have a license in order to practice in any institution. These licenses are granted by a licensure advisory committee or a State board of education. Among associations for people working on this field are the National Association of Special Education Teachers and the National Education Association.
- Special Education Teaching
- Special Education Teacher Assistant
- Special Education Supervisor
- Special Education Director
- Special Education Coordinator
- Special Education Consultant
- Special Education Advocate
- Director Special Education Unit
- Special Markets
- Special Assets