special education teacher facts

Special Education Teacher: Education, Career Paths and Job Outlook

BestColleges.com is committed to delivering content that is objective and actionable. To that end, we have built a network of industry professionals across higher education to review our content and ensure we are providing the most helpful information to our readers.

Drawing on their firsthand industry expertise, our Integrity Network members serve as an additional step in our editing process, helping us confirm our content is accurate and up to date. These contributors:

• Suggest changes to inaccurate or misleading information.
• Provide specific, corrective feedback.
• Identify critical information that writers may have missed.

Integrity Network members typically work full time in their industry profession and review content for BestColleges.com as a side project. All Integrity Network members are paid members of the Red Ventures Education Integrity Network.

Explore our full list of Integrity Network members.

Research shows approximately 7.3 million students with disabilities attend public K-12 schools. They make up about 15% of the total enrollment, increasing from 13% (6.4 million) over the past decade.

Special education teachers play a crucial role in today’s education system. They create inclusive learning environments and empower students to succeed.

A special education teacher works with students with disabilities who require specialized accommodations. These students may experience physical, emotional, behavioral, or learning difficulties, such as:

• Disorders involving intellectual disabilities, such as Down syndrome
• Learning disabilities like dyslexia, dyscalculia, or dysgraphia
• Emotional and behavioral disorders, including social withdrawal, anxiety, depression, and more

This guide discusses special education teachers’ education, training and career paths.

Popular Online Programs

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

What Is a Special Education Teacher?

A special education teacher specializes in instruction and support for students with disabilities. Special education teachers create inclusive learning environments, address social and behavioral skills, and assess student progress. Their primary goal is to empower students with disabilities to succeed academically and socially.

Special education teachers also collaborate with students, parents, and educators to create individualized education plans (IEPs). Each plan modifies curriculum materials to suit each student’s specific requirements. This effort requires advocating for disabled students and coordinating with related service providers to ensure comprehensive support.

How to Become a Special Education Teacher

There are a few ways to start a career as a special education teacher, depending on the type of career you want. Typically, to become a teacher assistant or work on the support staff, you need a two-year degree. To become a teacher, you need a four-year degree and teacher certification.

People with associate degrees in special education often work as teacher assistants or support staff in schools. A bachelor’s degree in special education prepares you for many different careers. Besides teaching, you can also be a director at a preschool or childcare center. Administrative or curriculum development roles often require a master’s degree.

Specific education requirements vary by state and public and private schools. Some states require teachers to earn a degree in special education. Others allow you to major in education or another subject, like math or science, and minor in special education.

Public school teachers usually need at least a bachelor’s degree and state certification or licensing. Private schools usually require a bachelor’s degree, but not do not always require a licensing or certification.

Associate Degree in Special Education

Associate programs in special education usually require 60 credits and two years of full-time study. These programs typically focus on understanding disability populations and developing strategies to support their learning and development.

The coursework may cover topics such as inclusive education, behavior management, assessment techniques, and how to collaborate with families. You may also study legal and ethical considerations in special education.

Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education

A bachelor’s degree in special education usually requires 120-180 credits and takes four years of full-time study. These degree programs provide comprehensive education. Students learn about different disabilities, like learning disabilities, autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional/behavioral disorders.

They learn about inclusive education, IEPs, behavior management, assistive technology, and differentiated instruction. Practical experiences and field placements are often included to provide hands-on training.

Master’s Degree in Special Education

Earning a master’s degree in special education can help you qualify for a promotion or salary increase. You can go after higher positions like instructional coordinator or school principal. It also gives you the power to pursue more specific roles, such as academic counselor.

Master’s programs in special education may include topics such as teaching strategies for students with disabilities, integrating exceptional learners into regular classrooms, and evaluating special education behavior.

Students in master’s programs may also take a series of classes in research design and analysis, preparing them to incorporate research into their practice or continue their education at the doctoral level.

Certifications and/or Licensure

The requirements for becoming a certified teacher vary by state . Most teachers begin their careers with an apprentice or provisional teaching license, which is valid for 1-3 years.

Some states may allow educators to renew their beginner license once. After that, they must qualify for a professional teaching license.

A professional license may require graduate courses in special education. It may also require professional development programs.

The American Academy of Special Education Professionals offers board certification in special education. This voluntary professional credential recognizes your commitment to education for exceptional children. This certification requires a relevant master’s degree and five advanced professional development courses.

The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards offers an autism certificate for educators. The certificate specializes in autism spectrum disorder. Applicants need to finish 14 credits for autism education. They also have to pass a competency exam and pay a fee. Renewal requires ongoing education.

Special Education Teacher Career Paths

Special education degree programs usually offer several study options for students. These options can lead to the career path that aligns with your personal. For example, you can choose to work with certain age groups. Or, you could work in support areas that enhance student education.

Early Intervention

An early intervention concentration focuses on helping children with developmental delays or disabilities from birth to age five. These professionals help children with communication, motor skills, thinking, and emotions. They can assess, make personalized education plans, teach parents, and collaborate with other education professionals.

Elementary Education

An elementary education specialization focuses on teaching and supporting children with disabilities in elementary school settings. They provide personalized instruction, accommodations, and support for students with disabilities.

These disabilities may include learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, or intellectual disabilities. Elementary special education teachers learn about inclusive classrooms, behavior management, and adaptive instruction.

Secondary Education

A secondary education concentration teaches students with disabilities in grades 6-12. This concentration prepares students to teach specific subjects like English, math, science, social studies, or foreign languages. It may also emphasize the importance of inclusive classrooms.

Special Education Technology

Teachers in this concentration use technology to assist students with disabilities. Different tools and programs can make learning easier. These include software programs, mobile applications, and communication devices.

A special education technology concentration teaches you how to choose and adapt tools to meet the needs of students. For example, some students may perform better when presented with information on screens instead of in books.

Gifted Education

Special education also encompasses instruction provided to gifted learners. Students who select this focus can learn about fast-paced curricula, condensed lessons, and identifying and evaluating gifted students. They can also learn about opportunities for gifted students, like advanced classes and enrichment programs.

Career Outlook for Special Education Teachers

The career outlook for teachers in special education is generally positive. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), special education teachers earned a median annual wage of $62,950 in May 2022 . Although employment rates are not expected to rise, there are about 33,500 job openings each year for special education teachers.

Frequently Asked Questions About Special Education Teachers

What challenges do special education teachers face.

Special education teachers face several unique challenges in their field. Some teachers struggle adapting to students who need individualized attention or specialized instruction. Managing behavior can be tough when students exhibit challenging behaviors. These behaviors may result from difficulties in communication or self-regulation.

What skills do special education teachers need?

Patience, creativity, and empathy are key for working with children with disabilities. Special education teachers must know behavior intervention, positive reinforcement, and de-escalation. These strategies address challenging behaviors. Special education teachers must also understand the Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and other relevant laws and regulations that govern special education.

What else can I do with a special education degree?

A special education degree gives you career options outside of the classroom. You can pursue curriculum development, education administration, or early intervention. Also, special education graduates find work with state and federal agencies. They may also work for residential care facilities, rehabilitation hospitals, and nonprofit organizations.

Note: The insights on this page — excluding school descriptions — were reviewed by an independent third party compensated for their time by BestColleges. Page last reviewed December 13, 2023.

Explore More College Resources

Best Online Special Education Undergraduate Programs of 2024

by Genevieve Carlton, Ph.D.

Updated September 13, 2024

Online Master’s in Special Education Programs

by James M. Tobin

Updated May 2, 2024

Most Affordable Online Master’s in Special Education Programs 2024

by Margaret Attridge

Updated September 17, 2024

View the most relevant schools for your interests and compare them by tuition, programs, acceptance rate, and other factors important to finding your college home.

What does a special education teacher do?

Would you make a good special education teacher? Take our career test and find your match with over 800 careers.

What is a Special Education Teacher?

A special education teacher works with students who have a wide range of disabilities and special needs. Their primary role is to provide specialized instruction and support to help students with disabilities overcome learning barriers and achieve academic, social, and emotional success. Special education teachers assess students' individual needs, develop tailored education plans, and implement effective teaching strategies and accommodations to meet each student's unique learning goals.

In addition to academic instruction, special education teachers also foster a supportive and inclusive learning environment for their students. They collaborate closely with other educators, administrators, parents, and support staff to create Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and ensure that students with disabilities receive the necessary accommodations, services, and resources to thrive in school.

What does a Special Education Teacher do?

Duties and Responsibilities Special education teachers have a range of duties and responsibilities that are vital in ensuring that students with disabilities receive the support they need to succeed. Some of these responsibilities include:

• Assessment and Individualized Education Planning: Special education teachers assess students' individual needs, strengths, and challenges to determine eligibility for special education services. They collaborate with other professionals, such as psychologists, speech therapists, and occupational therapists, to conduct evaluations and develop Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) tailored to each student's unique learning goals and needs.
• Instruction and Differentiated Teaching: Special education teachers design and implement specialized instruction and teaching strategies to accommodate diverse learning styles and abilities. They adapt curriculum materials, modify instructional approaches, and provide individualized support to help students with disabilities access the general education curriculum and make academic progress. Special education teachers may also provide small-group instruction, one-on-one tutoring, or co-teaching support in inclusive classroom settings.
• Behavior Management and Support: Special education teachers help students develop social skills, self-regulation, and positive behavior management strategies to succeed in school and community settings. They establish clear expectations, reinforce positive behaviors, and provide targeted interventions and supports to address challenging behaviors and promote a positive learning environment. Special education teachers collaborate with behavior specialists, counselors, and support staff to implement behavior intervention plans and support students' social-emotional development.
• Collaboration and Communication: Special education teachers collaborate closely with general education teachers, administrators, parents, and other professionals to support students' academic and developmental needs. They attend team meetings, participate in IEP meetings, and communicate regularly with parents to discuss students' progress, set goals, and coordinate services. Special education teachers advocate for students with disabilities, ensuring that they receive appropriate accommodations, services, and resources to succeed in school and beyond.
• Professional Development and Continued Learning: Special education teachers engage in ongoing professional development and training to stay updated on best practices, research-based interventions, and legal requirements related to special education. They participate in workshops, conferences, and seminars, pursue advanced degrees or certifications, and collaborate with colleagues to share expertise and resources. Special education teachers continuously strive to improve their teaching practices and support the diverse needs of students with disabilities.

Types of Special Education Teachers There are various types of special education teachers, each specializing in a specific area of need or disability. Some of the most common types of special education teachers include:

• Autism Teacher: These teachers work with students who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They may use specialized techniques such as applied behavior analysis (ABA) to help students develop social skills, communication skills, and independence.
• Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Teacher: These teachers work with students who have emotional or behavioral disorders that may impact their ability to learn and interact with others. They may help students develop coping skills, build positive relationships, and manage their behavior in the classroom.
• Learning Disabilities Teacher: These teachers specialize in working with students who have difficulties with reading, writing, or math. They may use specialized techniques to help students overcome these challenges and develop their skills in these areas.
• Occupational Therapist : Occupational therapists work with students who have physical disabilities or challenges with fine motor skills. They may help students develop skills such as handwriting, dressing, or eating independently.
• Physical Therapist : Physical therapists work with students who have physical disabilities or challenges with gross motor skills. They may help students develop skills such as walking, climbing stairs, or participating in physical education activities.
• Speech and Language Pathologist : These professionals work with students who have communication disorders such as stuttering, language delays, or articulation disorders. They may work with students one-on-one or in small groups to help them develop their communication skills.

Are you suited to be a special education teacher?

Special education teachers have distinct personalities . They tend to be social individuals, which means they’re kind, generous, cooperative, patient, caring, helpful, empathetic, tactful, and friendly. They excel at socializing, helping others, and teaching. Some of them are also investigative, meaning they’re intellectual, introspective, and inquisitive.

Does this sound like you? Take our free career test to find out if special education teacher is one of your top career matches.

What is the workplace of a Special Education Teacher like?

Special education teachers may work in a variety of environments, including public and private schools, specialized special education schools, inclusive classrooms, resource rooms, or self-contained classrooms dedicated to students with disabilities. These settings may range from elementary, middle, or high schools to specialized programs or alternative education centers.

Inclusive classrooms, where students with disabilities are integrated into general education classrooms alongside their peers without disabilities, are becoming increasingly common. In these settings, special education teachers collaborate closely with general education teachers to provide differentiated instruction, accommodations, and support to meet the diverse learning needs of all students. They may co-teach with general education teachers, provide push-in or pull-out support, or work in small groups to provide targeted interventions and assistance to students with disabilities.

Additionally, special education teachers may also spend time outside of the classroom attending meetings, collaborating with other professionals, and conducting assessments and evaluations. They work closely with parents, administrators, counselors, therapists, and support staff to develop and implement Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), monitor student progress, and ensure that students with disabilities receive the necessary services and supports to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally.

Frequently Asked Questions

Teaching/school related careers and degrees.

• Adult Education Teacher
• Art Teacher
• Career Counselor
• CTE Teacher
• Dance Teacher
• Distance Learning Coordinator
• Elementary Teacher
• ESL Teacher
• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• High School Teacher
• Kindergarten Teacher
• Middle School Teacher
• Music Teacher
• Physical Education Teacher
• Preschool Teacher
• Private Tutor
• School Counselor
• School Principal
• Special Education Teacher
• STEM Teacher
• Substitute Teacher
• Teacher Assistant
• Virtual Teacher
• Bilingual Education
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Early Childhood Education
• Educational Administration
• Elementary Education
• School Psychology
• Special Education Teaching

Continue reading

Special Education Teachers are also known as: Special Education Resource Teacher Inclusion Teacher

NASET.org Home Page

Exceptional teachers teaching exceptional children.

• Overview of NASET
• NASET Leadership
• Directors' Message
• Books by the Executive Directors
• Mission Statement
• NASET Apps for iPhone and iPad
• NASET Store
• NASET Sponsors
• Marketing Opportunities
• Contact NASET
• Renew Your Membership
• Membership Benefits
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Membership Categories
• School / District Membership Information
• Gift Membership
• Membership Benefit for Professors Only
• NASET's Privacy Policy
• Forgot Your User Name or Password?
• Contact Membership Department
• Resources for Special Education Teachers
• Advocacy (Board Certification for Advocacy in Special Education) BCASE
• Board Certification in Special Education
• Inclusion - Board Certification in Inclusion in Special Education (BCISE) Program
• Paraprofessional Skills Preparation Program - PSPP
• Professional Development Program (PDP) Free to NASET Members
• Courses - Professional Development Courses (Free With Membership)
• Forms, Tables, Checklists, and Procedures for Special Education Teachers
• Video and Power Point Library
• IEP Development
• Exceptional Students and Disability Information
• Special Education and the Law
• Transition Services
• Literacy - Teaching Literacy in English to K-5 English Learners
• Facebook - Special Education Teacher Group
• NASET Sponsor's Products and Services
• ADHD Series
• Assessment in Special Education Series
• Autism Spectrum Disorders Series
• Back to School - Special Review
• Bullying of Children
• Classroom Management Series
• Diagnosis of Students with Disabilities and Disorders Series
• Treatment of Disabilities and Disorders for Students Receiving Special Education and Related Services
• Discipline of Students in Special Education Series
• Early Intervention Series
• Genetics in Special Education Series
• How To Series
• Inclusion Series
• IEP Components
• JAASEP - Research Based Journal in Special Education
• Lesser Known Disorders
• NASET NEWS ALERTS
• NASET Q & A Corner
• NASET Survival Guides
• Parent Teacher Conference Handouts
• The Practical Teacher
• Resolving Disputes with Parents Series
• RTI Roundtable
• Severe Disabilities Series
• Special Educator e-Journal - Latest and Archived Issues
• Week in Review
• Working with Paraprofessionals in Your School
• Author Guidelines for Submission of Manuscripts & Articles to NASET
• SCHOOLS of EXCELLENCE
• Exceptional Charter School in Special Education
• Outstanding Special Education Teacher Award
• Board Certification Programs
• Employers - Job Posting Information
• Latest Job Listings
• Professional Development Program (PDP)
• Employers-Post a Job on NASET
• PDP - Professional Development Courses
• Board Certification in Classroom Management (BCCM)
• Board Certification in Special Education (BCSE)
• Board Certification in IEP Development (BCIEP)
• NASET Continuing Education/Professional Development Courses
• HONOR SOCIETY - Omega Gamma Chi
• Other Resources for Special Education Teaching Positions
• Highly Qualified Teachers
• Special Education Career Advice
• Special Education Career Fact Sheets
• FAQs for Special Education Teachers
• Special Education Teacher Salaries by State
• State Licensure for Special Education Teachers
• The State of Learning Disabilities Facts, Trends and Emerging Issues

For more than 35 years, the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) has provided essential information and needed resources and services to the learning disabilities community. And in response to a rapidly changing educational landscape, it has recently broadened its mission to address the needs of the more than one in five children, adolescents and adults who are impacted by learning and attention issues every day, in school, at home, in the community and in the workplace. This issue of NASET’s LD Report presents the revised and expanded 2014 edition of The State of Learning Disabilities. It reflects NCLD’s commitment to ensuring that everyone who is concerned about the well-being of individuals—with or without identified learning disabilities—has access to the most relevant and updated information.

Not a Member?

If you are a member of NASET , please login to freely access this and all archived articles.

If you are NOT A MEMBER of NASET you may purchase this article for $.99 (use the "Buy now" button above) or Join NASET for free access to this and all articles within past publications..

NASET Members - Login to access this issue of NASET LD REPORT.

Publications

• Introduction to Learning Disabilities
• Theoretical Perspectives on the Causes of Learning Disabilities
• Characteristics of Children with Learning Disabilities
• Eligibility Determination for Specific Learning Disabilities
• The Importance of Response to Intervention (RTI) in the Understanding, Assessment, Diagnosis, and Teaching of Students with Learning Disabilities
• Effective Teaching Strategies for Students with LD
• Promoting Positive Social Interactions in an Inclusion Setting for Students with Learning Disabilities
• Transition Services for Students with Learning Disabilities
• IEP Development and Educational Placement Options for Students with Learning Disabilities
• Assessment Measure Used to Determine Learning Disabilities in Students
• Differentiation: Strategies and Educational Impact
• Learning Disability Identification: What You Need to Know about the Discrepancy and Patterns of Strengths and Weaknessess ("Third Method") Models
• What is a Learning Disability, Really? by Carol Murphy, MA, CCC-SLP
• Social Skills and Academic Achievement
• Accommodations and Modifications: Wait, They're not the same?
• Using Universal Design for Learning: Successful Transition Models for Educators Working with Youth with Learning Disabilities
• Students with Learning Disabilities Participating in Recess
• Dyslexia: An Upside Down World in a Right Side Up World By. Ruth Humbert
• Adolescent Literacy
• A Discussion of Reading Disorders: Perceptual, Cognitive and Mnemonic Elements
• Learning Disabilities Today: An Examination of Effective and Not-So-Effective Interventions
• Test Anxiety and Students with Learning Disabilities By Kendra Brown
• Limitations on Response to Intervention with Emphasis on General Education Teachers
• Practical Understanding and Intervention of Dyscalculia By Brittany Ann Ross
• Benefits and Limitations of Technology Use for Students with Reading and Writing Disorders in the General Education Classroom: A Systematic Review
• General and Special Education Teachers’ Perceptions of the Implementation of Differentiated Instruction in Elementary Classrooms with Learning Disabilities Students*
• Strategies for Supporting Students Struggling with Sight Word Retention
• A Critique of: Cognitive Risk Factors for Specific Learning Disorder: Processing Speed, Temporal Processing, and Working Memory
• Diverse Learners and Intervention: A Review of Literature
• Improving Reading Skills in Students Below Grade Level: A Literature Review
• New Strategies for Students with Learning Disabilities
• NCES Releases Latest NAEP Long-Term Trend Report for Ages 9 and 13
• The Practices of Teachers in the Development of Post-Secondary Skills in Students with Learning Disabilities
• They Sing Their Way to Reading
• Supporting the Mental Health of Students with Dyslexia: What Educators Can Do?
• Evidence Based Practice Research: Elkonin Boxes
• Students Coping with Dyslexia in General Education Classrooms
• Overcoming Dyslexia: Music, Rhythm, and Prosody
• The Fundamental Role of the Native Language in Teaching English to Children with Dyslexia

©2024 National Association of Special Education Teachers. All rights reserved

What I’ve Learned From Special Ed Teachers

Special education teachers have valuable insights to share with their peers about patience, empathy, working with parents, and more.

Your content has been saved!

Special education teachers are expected to do quite a lot: Assess students’ skills to determine their needs and then develop teaching plans; organize and assign activities that are specific to each student’s abilities; teach and mentor students as a class, in small groups, and one-on-one; and write individualized education plans in parent-friendly language.

In addition, they must know and apply the dozens of acronyms used in their field: ADA (American with Disabilities Act), DOR (Department of Rehabilitation), LEA (local education agency), PDD (pervasive developmental disorder), and LRE (least restrictive environment), to name just a few.

As I work with special education teachers, I remain awestruck by their energy, empathy, and excitement. Here’s what I’ve learned from them that has made me a better teacher.

1. Accept every student as they are. Students come to us with packages and baggage. Open and unpack slowly and gently, with kindness, respect, and understanding. Building a relationship with a student takes time and patience—allow it to happen organically. If you push it, shove it, or force it, you’ll have to start all over and it may or may not bloom.

2. Active listening is a gift. Every day, every student will have a problem—or something they perceive to be a problem. Stop, make eye contact, and listen. Don’t offer a solution until invited to do so. Don’t minimize their problem, experience, or situation. Don’t take their problem to the principal or other administrator until you’ve given the student time to think it through. Sometimes all they want is to be heard.

3. Scaffolding a lesson is just good teaching. Be prepared to break down a lesson and create pieces of learning. When each piece is explained, modeled, practiced, and applied, the parts fit together solidly to form a whole of understanding. Too much lecturing, too thick a packet, or too many directions can cause anxiety and disquiet. One small step at a time usually works best.

4. Be specific when sharing information with parents. When talking with parents, offer specific positives and exact concerns about their child’s abilities. Be careful of generalizations like always, never, usually, and sometimes. Give explicit examples and partner with parents to create opportunities for growth. Parents want to support teachers—show them how.

5. Eliminate jargon when talking with parents. Remember all those acronyms? If they must be used, use them sparingly and define each one. Acronyms can aid teachers in communicating with each other, but they build a divide with parents because using them is exclusionary—they’re a special language for educators. Building a partnership with parents means having a common vocabulary that inspires, not tires.

6. Students want to feel loved. Our students want to believe they’re the only ones in our class, on our caseload, or in our hearts. A small token of appreciation—a handwritten note, a quiet teacher-student lunch, or our cell phone number—tells that student we care about them and their academics. The importance of building relationships cannot be overstressed—students need us to show them that love is always possible.

7. Share what we’ve learned with others. Sharing resources and strategies with other teachers advances our students’ learning. Special education teachers are experts in the philosophy of differentiation. They don’t simply do differentiation—they employ it as a mindset needed to teach well. Demonstrating for one student how to apply a strategy will benefit all students.

8. Patience is a gift, a virtue, and a necessity. All of our students require patience, but some need a little more than others. Giving extra time for homework or a differentiated assessment could alleviate some of that challenge. Always remember that parents send to us their most precious possessions, hoping we’ll be humble, supportive, and empathetic.

9. Ask for help. Do not assume that you can teach, nurture, feed, clothe, and shelter every student on your caseload or in your class. Before you jeopardize your physical, emotional, and mental health, it’s important to ask for support. Your colleagues, school social worker, school psychologist, and other support staff are ready to help you help your students.

10. Laugh. There are some days when laughter might be the last thing you’re thinking of, but it may just be what you need. Our students come to us from different places—cognitively and logistically—yet a hearty chuckle or shared case of the giggles may help all of us take a step back and start again.

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

Get this FREE poster mailed to your school! ✨

What Is Special Education? A Guide for Educators and Families

It’s a service, not a place.

Students who are blind are provided with braille books. An autistic student uses a visual schedule. A student with a learning disability receives additional reading instruction. These students all receive special education services.

Special education provides services that meet the unique needs of each student. This means that special education can include:

• An individualized curriculum that is different than general education peers’
• A curriculum that is modified for a student
• A combination of both

Here’s a roundup of everything you need to know about special education, plus our best special education articles.

What laws are involved in special education?

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal law that explains how states must address special education. The IDEA definition of special education is: specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. It includes physical education, related services (e.g., speech therapy, occupational therapy), vocational education, and travel training. Essentially, special education is how students with disabilities have their needs met in the public education system.

Read more: What Is IDEA?

What about state laws?

IDEA sets the standard at the federal level, but the process and system are set up at the state level. So what special education looks like varies from state to state.

Visit your state’s Department of Special Education website or check out the parent resource center (every state has one) for information related to special education aimed at parents.

Find your state’s parent resource center in this list from Center for Parent Information & Resources .

How is special education not a “place”?

Special education can occur in many different settings, from the general education classroom to a hospital or separate school. Where a child receives services depends on their needs as determined by the IEP team, which includes the parents. ADVERTISEMENT

What are the main components of special education? (What do the acronyms stand for?)

Image: Pathfinder Services of ND

FAPE is Free Appropriate Public Education. This essentially means that students with disabilities must be provided with their education at no cost to the parents, just like any other student.

Read more: What Is FAPE?

Image: Arizona Department of Education

LRE is Least Restrictive Environment. LRE is the setting where the child receives services and can vary from general education to a separate school or even the child’s home. The LRE is decided by the IEP team. According to IDEA, special education must be provided in the least restrictive environment, or the same environment as their nondisabled peers, “to the greatest extent possible.” This means that children should only be removed from general education when their disability is such that that they cannot make progress. So, all consideration of where a child will learn starts in general education and works back from there.

Read more: What Is Least Restrictive Environment?

Image: Coastal Carolina University

SDI is specially designed instruction. This is the foundation of what special education is based on—that every child receives the instruction that they need to make progress and advance toward goals. SDI means adapting the content, delivery, or methodology of instruction to address the child’s needs, as determined by the needs related to their disability. The focus is on helping the child meet educational standards and ensuring access to the general curriculum. To help children access general education curriculum, SDI provides adaptations, accommodations, and modifications.

Read more: What Is Specially Designed Instruction?

IEP is the Individual Education Program. The IEP is the document that outlines everything that a child requires to receive FAPE and SDI.

Read more: What Is an IEP?

Accommodations and Modifications

Image: The Bender Bunch

Accommodations and modifications are ways that SDI is delivered and how the curriculum is individualized for a child; ways that the child receives access to the general education curriculum. In short, accommodations change how the material is being presented in a way that helps the child overcome or access through the disability. Modifications change what a child is taught or how the child works at school. So, an accommodation would be: allowing a child to record rather than write their answers, or reading aloud a question rather than having them read it. A modification would be providing a child a text with visuals instead of the general education text, or providing a test with two answer choices instead of four.

Read more: Accommodations vs. Modifications: What’s the difference?

Bookmark:  80+ Accommodations Every Special Ed Teacher Should Bookmark

More IDEA terms are defined at Parent Center Hub .

Which students can receive special education and who decides?

Special education is provided to students who fall under one of 13 disability categories:

• Developmental delay
• Specific learning disability
• Speech impairment
• Other health impairment
• Traumatic brain injury
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Vision impairment
• Hearing impairment
• Deaf-blindness
• Emotional disability
• Orthopedic impairment
• Intellectual disability
• Multiple disabilities

In order to receive special education services, a student must be found eligible. This means that they have one of the 13 disabilities and that it impacts them in the school setting. If the child cannot make progress in the general curriculum without SDI, they are eligible for special education services. (If they can make progress but still have an outside diagnosis, they may have a 504 plan in place instead.)

Read more: What Is a 504 plan?

An evaluation is different for each disability category (for example, an evaluation for traumatic brain injury will include a medical evaluation, while an evaluation for speech impairment will not). These regulations vary from state to state so it’s important to know your state’s requirements and timeline.

What is in an IEP?

The IEP includes all the information that the team needs to educate a child with a disability. It only addresses the aspects of a child’s disability that impact them throughout the school day. The sections of an IEP are:

• Present levels: How the child is currently doing in school and how the disability impacts them in class.
• Annual goals: Goals that the child will work on through SDI.
• Objectives: Students who take alternate assessments will also have objectives towards their goals.
• Measuring and reporting progress: Ways that the child’s progress is going to be measured and how it will be reported to parents.
• Specially designed instruction: A statement about how special education and related services will be provided.
• Related services include any therapies (speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy).
• Supplementary aids and services provide access to participation across academic, extracurricular, and nonacademic settings.
• Program modifications for school personnel, which include things that school personnel need to know in order to work with this student (for example, how to use an assisted communication device).
• Extent of nonparticipation is the explanation of how much, if any, the child will be outside of general education, and why the team made that decision.
• Accommodations that the student will be provided during classroom instruction.
• Accommodations that a student will receive during district and state testing.
• Service delivery includes when, where, and how long a child will receive SDI (for example, 30 minutes 1x/week in special education).
• Transition planning for life after secondary school starts no later than a child’s 16th birthday (and can start earlier).
• Age of majority: An IEP must include a statement about how the student understands their rights as they graduate from the IEP.

What happens in an IEP meeting?

There are many different reasons to come together around an IEP, but every year, each student who has an IEP will have an annual review. During an annual review meeting, the team (parent, teachers, a district representative, therapists) discuss the child, their progress, and next steps. Everything in the IEP should be based on data, so it’s important to bring information (e.g., work samples, test data) to review.

Any decision regarding an IEP is a team decision, and team members don’t always agree. If the meeting cannot resolve a concern, schools or parents can follow procedures to reach an agreement.

Read more: What Is an IEP meeting?

Read more: What Is a Manifestation Determination Meeting?

When does special education start and end?

A child can receive early intervention or special education services if they have a disability diagnosed before age 3 (such as Down syndrome) or if they are at risk of a delay.

Read more: What Is Early Intervention?

The end-date for a student who has an IEP depends on a few things. They may be reevaluated and found no longer eligible, in which case special education services would end at that point. Otherwise they are no long eligible when they graduate from high school or turn 22.

What is NOT special education?

There are misconceptions about special education. Some things that special education is not:

• A specific program, like Orton-Gillingham
• Differentiated instruction
• An inclusive classroom

What else should I know?

Here are more of our favorite special education resources:

What Is Inclusion in Education?

27+ Best Autism Resources for Educators

If you’re still using these five words for students with disabilities, it’s time to stop.

New Ways To Empower Students Who Have Learning Differences or Dyslexia

How Teachers Can Support Twice-Exceptional Students

The IEP From A to Z: How To Create Meaningful and Measurable Goals and Objectives by Diane Twachtman-Cullen and Jennifer Twachtman-Bassett

10 Critical Components for Success in the Special Education Classroom by Marcia Rohrer and Nannette Samson

Wrightslaw: All About IEPs by Peter Wright, Pamela Wright, and Sandra Webb O’Connor

Do you teach special education? Connect with other teachers on the  WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

For more articles like this one,  subscribe to our newsletters..

You Might Also Like

What Is an IEP? Helpful Resources for Parents and Educators

This legal document is the cornerstone of a child's special education program. Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

The Edvocate

• Lynch Educational Consulting
• Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
• Write For Us
• The Tech Edvocate Product Guide
• The Edvocate Podcast
• Terms and Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Assistive Technology
• Best PreK-12 Schools in America
• Child Development
• Classroom Management
• Early Childhood
• EdTech & Innovation
• Education Leadership
• First Year Teachers
• Gifted and Talented Education
• Special Education
• Parental Involvement
• Policy & Reform
• Best Colleges and Universities
• Best College and University Programs
• HBCU’s
• Higher Education EdTech
• Higher Education
• International Education
• The Awards Process
• Finalists and Winners of The 2023 Tech Edvocate Awards
• Award Seals
• GPA Calculator for College
• GPA Calculator for High School
• Cumulative GPA Calculator
• Grade Calculator
• Weighted Grade Calculator
• Final Grade Calculator
• The Tech Edvocate
• AI Powered Personal Tutor

Teaching Students About the Israel War

Teaching students about deadly birds, teaching students about parts of the human neck, kids in special education are struggling–it’s time to rethink their education, to start the school year off right, invest in literacy, writing helps students think, and they know it: reminding students of the power of the pen, top 10 must-have skills for future l&d leaders, kidwind supports new activity and coloring book featuring women in energy careers, leading the path forward, states enact 5 laws directly censoring college classroom speech in 2024, special education teachers: everything you need to know.

Special education teachers are professional instructors that help students who have disabilities learn despite the adverse effects of their disability. These disabilities could be intellectual disabilities, hearing or visual impairments, speech or learning disorders, etc. Special education teachers typically work at the Pre-K, elementary, middle school, or high school levels. They modify the general education curriculum to provide quality instruction for each learner.  

To meet the specific needs of each student, the special education teachers make use of an IEP (Individualized Education Program). The IEP identifies and highlights the specific goals for each student. The IEP is famous for creating individualized goals for every student, and is patterned to fulfill the needs of each student. It is becoming very common for special education teachers to use assistive technology to facilitate learning for kids with special needs. They may use computers with pre-designed speech, audiotapes, and engaging software to aid in each student’s instruction. 

There is a rise in the employment of special education teachers as the world is becoming more inclusive, and this is extending to schools.  They work hand-in-hand with the other educators to make the school curriculum more inclusive to meet the needs of students living with disabilities.  

Additionally, they bring other teachers, therapists, teacher assistants, and every other important personnel together to cater to the needs of the students.  In some cases, they may have to cater to a few students in a smaller classroom.  Some of these special education teachers also work in homes, hospitals, and centers for the kids with special needs who are of school age.  In these settings, they provide new knowledge and tactics for caring for children with special needs.

17 Ways to Teach Students to Work ...

A guide to de jure and de ....

Matthew Lynch

Related articles more from author.

Individualized Transition Plan: A Guide

What Are the Pros and Cons of Mainstreaming

What are the 4 Components of Task Analysis?

Here’s why kids fall behind in science

IEP (Individualized Education Plan) Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

A Guide to Classroom and At-Home Accommodations for Dyslexia

Special Education Stats [2023 Update]

From the IDEA law’s enactment in 1975 to the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, the standards for special education vary to great extents among the states. These special education stats shed some light on how many students require special education, their problems, and how much support they receive from teachers and governments.

Special Education Statistics (The Highlights)

• There are 7.2 million special needs students in the United States
• 95.2% of school-age students served under IDEA are enrolled in regular schools.
• The most prevalent disability among students in the US is a specific learning disability.

The US federal government allocated $17.1 billion for special education in 2022.

The median annual salary for special education teachers is $61,820..

• At 20.5%, New York has the most significant percentage of students with disabilities enrolled in public schools.
• 19% of American Indian students are attending special education classes.
• 1 in 10 Australian students have a disability.

1.49 million UK students need special education.

• There are 1.2 thousand special needs education schools in Japan.

Facts About Special Education

How many special needs students are there in the us.

There are 7.2 million students aged 3-21 studying under the IDEA. This makes up 15% of all public school students across the US.

For comparison purposes, there were 6.5 million students with special needs in the 2009–2010 school year, accounting for 13% of all students in the US.

95.2% of school-age students served under IDEA are enrolled in regular schools. 

In addition, 2.6% attend separate schools (private or public), and 1.6% of special ed students are enrolled in private schools. According to special ed statistics, fewer than 1% of students served under IDEA are homeschooled, schooled in hospitals, or in separate residential and correctional facilities.

Which disability Is the most prevalent among American schoolchildren?

The most prevalent disability among students aged 3 to 21 in the US is a specific learning disability. This represents a disorder in one or more basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using spoken or written language.

19% of special education students have a speech or language impairment. 

15% of students have at least one other health impairment, while 12% of special ed students have autism.

This is approximately a $3.1 billion increase compared to the year before and roughly $3.8 billion more than it was spent in 2020.

Special education facts reveal that the lowest-earning 10% earn less than $46,180 per annum, while the highest-earning 10% earn more than $100,040.

Special education teachers held about 476,300 jobs in 2021.

Most, or 188,200, worked in kindergartens and elementary schools, while 147,200 were employed in secondary schools.

Special education teacher jobs are expected to grow by 4% from 2021 to 2031. 

It’s expected that approximately 37,600 openings will be available for special education teachers each year, making the special education teacher a desirable career choice .

Learning Disabilities Statistics

What are the top 5 learning disabilities.

The five most common disabilities in schools are specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, other health impairments, autism, and developmental delay.

9.8% of US children have ADHD.

Usually diagnosed during childhood, ADHD is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder. According to the latest children with disability statistics, 6 million or 9.8% of kids in the US have been diagnosed with this disorder. Of these, 265,000 children are 3–5 years old, 2.4 million are 6–11-year-olds, and 3.3 million are 12–17.

Six in ten children with ADHD have at least one other disorder.

A national parent survey showed that it’s common for children with ADHD to have another mental, behavioral, and emotional disorder. For example, around half of them have a behavior problem, and about three in ten have anxiety. 

Data further shows that boys (12.9%) are more likely to get diagnosed with ADHD than girls (5.6%).

Dyspraxia is likely to affect as many as 6% of children.

The prevalence of learning disabilities, such as dyspraxia, or developmental coordination disorder (DCD), is hard to determine. However, according to the latest estimates, 6% of children are diagnosed with this condition. The data also shows that boys are four times more likely to be affected by it than girls.

One in ten Australian students have a disability.

37% of them say that they need more support, while 77% of them report having difficulties at school. 

This figure translates to 16.5% of students in the UK and signifies a meaningful decrease from 21.1% in 2010.

There are 1,171 special needs education schools in Japan.

The vast majority of these schools are local government-established facilities, while 15 of them are private schools.

The number of students with learning disabilities who spent time in regular classrooms doubled from 1989 to 2020.

The percentage of special education students in an inclusion classroom more than doubled between 1989 and 2017. In 1989, the percentage of students with special needs who spent at least 80% of their time in regular education classrooms was 31.7%. In 2020, this number rose to 66%.

Students With Disabilities Statistics

Nearly 17% of children in the us has a form of developmental delay..

The percentage of students with disabilities has been on the rise for the past two decades. In addition, according to the developmental delay prevalence data, boys are twice more likely to have a developmental delay than girls, especially in terms of ADHD, learning disabilities, and autism.

18% of students who receive special ed are male. 

In comparison, only 10% of school-age students who receive special education services under IDEA are female. 

Regarding services for specific learning disabilities, 42% of female students receive them, while the same applies to only 31% of their male counterparts. 

According to education statistics , 15% of male special ed students are receiving services for autism, while the same applies to only 6% of female students.

11.5% of students with disabilities have been diagnosed with autism.

The above figure translates to around 828,338 children and marks a significant increase since 2000, when only 1.5% of students had the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Furthermore, learning disabilities statistics indicate that boys are around five times more likely to have this disorder than girls.

What percentage of school-aged children does the federal government classify as visually impaired?

0.4% (or 25,565) of all children aged between three and 21 who receive special education have been classified as visually impaired. 

12.8% of college students reported having attention deficit disorders.

Based on a sample of 53,745 college students, it has been determined that 6,858 college students have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. Moreover, 4.7% of the surveyed college students claim to have at least one learning disability.

Read more: Best Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities

75.9% of students with disabilities aged 14-21 graduated with a regular high school diploma in 2020. 

9.9% of them received an alternative certificate, while 12.6% dropped out of school. The rest left school for a variety of reasons which include reaching the maximum age, passing away, transferring to regular education, or moving. 

White students had the highest percentage of people graduating with a regular high school diploma (79%), while Black and Pacific Islander students had the lowest percentage, with 72% each.

89% of students with speech or language impairments graduate high school with regular diplomas.

Students with multiple disabilities have the lowest chance of graduating with a high school diploma since only 44% of them managed to do so. 

However, students who have intellectual disabilities and multiple disabilities have the highest rates of leaving high school with an alternative certificate, with 34% and 33%, respectively.

Special Education Statistics by State

At 20.5%, new york has the largest percentage of students with disabilities enrolled in public schools..

Maine and Pennsylvania follow with 20% and 19.9%, respectively. 

On the other end of the spectrum, the percentage of students with special needs goes as low as 11.3% in Texas and Hawaii.

The number of disabled students since 2000 grew 62.5% in Nevada. 

The number of special education students by state data reveals that all but 14 states saw growth in the number of disabled students since the 2000–01 school year. 

On the other side of the spectrum, Rhode Island experienced a significant decline of 22.1% during the same period.

22 states meet IDEA requirements regarding serving 3-21-year-old students with disabilities.

North Dakota, Tennessee, and Utah will likely join these 22 since the government officially states that these three need one-year assistance to meet IDEA’s requirements fully. None of the states need an intervention.

Special Education Statistics by Race

19% of american indian students are attending special education classes. .

17% of Black students and 15% of White students aged 3-21 can say the same. On the other hand, only 8% of Asian students are served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Most Asians with disabilities have Autism (27.1%)

Percentage-wise, the second and third disabilities among Asian students aged 3-21 are speech or language impairments and specific learning disabilities, with 24.2% and 18.1%, respectively.

39% of Hispanic special education students have specific learning disabilities.

The same can be said for 21% of White students, while 34.8% of Black students served under IDEA report having at least one of the specific learning disabilities.

Final Thoughts

Although the government regularly increases the allocated budget for special education, the needs of special ed students still need to be met in all 50 states. These special education stats can shed some light on the current state of the entire education system and provide input on making special education an enjoyable and productive experience.

ACHA , AIHW , BLS , BLS , BLS , CDC , CDC , CDC , Ed.gov , Gov.uk , NCES , NCES , NCES , NCES , NCES , PLOS One , Statista

Interesting Facts About Being a Special Ed Teacher

Special education teachers provide instruction for students with a variety of mental, physical and emotional disabilities. Some students may have a severe physical disability, such as a total loss of vision or hearing. Others may have issues such as depression or anxiety. The goal of special education teachers is to ensure that all students have access to the same opportunities for education, regardless of disability.

Student Ages

Special education teachers work with students of all ages. Depending on the severity of the child's disability, they may start teaching students who are still infants or toddlers. Although most students do not continue with special ed teachers beyond high school, those with severe disabilities may need their services until the student reaches the age of 21.

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

Education Plans

Special education teachers must create an individual education program for each student. General education teachers, parents, counselors and, at times, the student, contribute to the plan's development. Each IEP must list the services the student needs, such as counseling sessions or individual instruction from the special ed teacher. The special ed teacher has the responsibility of ensuring all services included in the IEP are made available to the student. In the case of older students, the special ed teacher may also have the responsibility to help students learn to live independently, teaching skills such as time management or handling a checking account.

More For You

Duties and responsibilities of a special education paraprofessional, job description of a general music teacher, what do people in college have to study if they want to become a teacher, what are the duties of an inclusion teacher, the responsibilities of an intervention teacher, classroom environment.

Not all students with special needs attend segregated classes. Some students may attend general classes and visit a special ed teacher only when they need help with a particular subject or task. Some classrooms include both a general education and special education teacher. Students with mild learning problems may attend only integrated classes, with a special ed teacher acting as a consultant to the general teacher to help ensure lesson plans meet the requirements of the special needs students.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a growth rate of 17 percent by 2020 for special ed teachers of all student ages. The greatest growth – 21 percent – is predicted for special ed teachers from preschool level through elementary school, with a 20-percent growth rate predicted at the middle school level. This growth rate compares favorably to the 17-percent increase predicted for general education teachers of kindergarten through middle school. The slowest growth for special ed teachers is at the high school level, which the BLS projects at seven percent, identical to the predicted rate for high school general education teachers.

According to data published by the BLS for May 2010, the median annual salary for special ed teachers was $53,220 annually. By grades taught, this breaks down to a median salary of $54,810 at the high school level, $52,250 for preschool through elementary school and $53,440 at the middle school level.

• Bureau of Labor Statistics: What Special Education Teachers Do
• O*Net Online: Summary Report for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School
• O*Net Online: Summary Report for Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
• O*Net Online: Summary Report for Special Education Teachers, Preschool
• O*Net Online: Summary Report for Special Education Teachers, Middle School
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Special Education Teachers – Job Outlook
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers – Job Outlook
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Middle School Teachers – Job Outlook
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: High School Teachers – Job Outlook
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Special Education Teachers - Pay

Jeffrey Joyner has had numerous articles published on the Internet covering a wide range of topics. He studied electrical engineering after a tour of duty in the military, then became a freelance computer programmer for several years before settling on a career as a writer.

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Behind The Shortage Of Special Ed Teachers: Long Hours, Crushing Paperwork

There is a letter that school districts really don't like sending home to parents of special education students. Each state has a different version, but they all begin with something like this:

"Dear Parent, as of the date of this letter your child's teacher is not considered 'highly qualified.' " And then: "This doesn't mean your child's teacher is not capable or effective. It means they haven't met the state standards for teaching in their subject."

Quick Facts

Report a shortage of special education teachers/related service personnel

12.3 percent

Of special education teachers leave the profession. Nearly double the rate of general education teachers

Of special educators across the nation report there are not enough professionals to meet the needs of students with disabilities

Of all school districts and 90 percent of high-poverty schools report having difficulty recruiting highly qualified special education teachers

( Compiled by the National Coalition on Personnel Shortages in Special Education and Related Services )

In any other subject, that's an annoying problem that suggests students may not be well-served. In special education, it means the school district is breaking the law.

The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, requires that every student have what's known as an IEP — Individualized Education Program. And almost always, those IEPs spell out that students — either some of the time or all of the time — must be taught by a teacher fully certified in special education.

Yet around the country, that's exactly the category of teacher that's most in demand, as many states and districts are reporting severe shortages.

'Under A Microscope'

"This crisis has been coming for a long time," says David Pennington, superintendent of Ponca City public schools in Oklahoma. Many teachers there are nearing retirement and he's not sure he can replace them.

"Forget about replacing them with someone of the same quality," he says. "I'm just worried about replacing them. Period."

Pennington's rural district of 5,300 students northwest of Tulsa has been hit hard by the shortage. He says it's extremely difficult to persuade newer special education teachers to stay beyond two or three years.

On top of the normal demands of teaching, special education teachers face additional pressures: feelings of isolation, fear of lawsuits, and students who demand extra attention. Many are the only special-needs teacher in their grade or their school, or sometimes in the entire district.

"The job is not what they thought it was going to be," Pennington explains. "They feel like they're under a microscope all the time."

And then, there's the seemingly endless paperwork.

"It is not uncommon," Pennington says, "for a special ed teacher to tell me, 'I did not get a degree in special ed to do paperwork. I got a degree to help kids.' "

The IDEA and the IEP require hours and hours of filling out forms and writing reports documenting each student's progress.

"And when do teachers do that paperwork? Sometime during the hours of 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.," says Deborah Ziegler of the Council for Exceptional Children, a special education research and advocacy group. "It's like having two full-time jobs."

So what's the answer? Aggressive recruitment, says Trevor Greene. He's the human resources director of Highline Public Schools, a 19,000-student district south of Seattle.

"Right now it's a buyers' market," he says. "Districts can't afford to wait around for the right candidate." And he's speaking from experience. When Greene started as HR director last July, he had 30 vacancies in special education to fill before school began in September.

"It was pretty ominous at the beginning," he recalls.

More On Teacher Shortages

Teacher Shortage? Or Teacher Pipeline Problem?

Revolving Door Of Teachers Costs Schools Billions Every Year

Greene reached out on every teacher-recruitment platform he could find. He even tracked applicants down on LinkedIn.

Eventually, all 30 slots were filled.

Greene was even able to find certified special education teachers for all of the positions, which has become a rare occurrence. Many districts are able to fill vacancies only by hiring teachers trained in general education who are willing to make the switch to a special education setting.

Betty Olson, the special education administrator for the Boise public schools in Idaho, says she was forced to hire a few general education teachers this year.

As the school year approached she was prepared to send some of her district specialists, former teachers who now train new teachers, back into the classroom to fill vacancies.

It didn't come to that. But she now has the challenge of helping a slew of new teachers adjust to the world of special education.

Olson is getting some help from Boise State University, which has created a new program designed to prepare teachers with little or no experience in special education. Candidates are put on a fast track to complete a master's degree, and they receive one-on-one support as they begin their new career.

Similar programs have popped up around the country. "I'm hopeful things will get better," Olson says.

Other administrators, like Pennington from Oklahoma, are less optimistic.

He believes we're in for a rude awakening. He expects more and more teachers to look at all that responsibility, all that pressure, and conclude that it's not worth it.

And so, he wonders, "What happens when it gets so bad that you literally cannot find anyone to be in charge of a classroom?"

Correction Nov. 11, 2015

An earlier version of this story stated that Trevor Greene of the Highline, Wash., public schools had filled some special education teaching vacancies with teachers having only general education credentials. Greene says he was able to fill all of the positions with educators certified in special education.

Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Full Topic List

Regions & Countries

• Publications
• Our Methods
• Short Reads
• Tools & Resources

Read Our Research On:

What federal education data shows about students with disabilities in the U.S.

Public K-12 schools in the United States educate about 7.3 million students with disabilities – a number that has grown over the last few decades. Disabled students ages 3 to 21 are served under the federal  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) , which guarantees them the right to free public education and appropriate special education services.

For Disability Pride Month , here are some key facts about public school students with disabilities, based on the latest data from the  National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) .

July is both Disability Pride Month and the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To mark these occasions, Pew Research Center used federal education data from  the National Center for Education Statistics  to learn more about students who receive special education services in U.S. public schools.

In this analysis, students with disabilities include those ages 3 to 21 who are served under the federal  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) . Through IDEA, children with disabilities are guaranteed a “free appropriate public education,” including special education and related services.

The 7.3 million disabled students in the U.S. made up 15% of national public school enrollment during the 2021-22 school year. The population of students in prekindergarten through 12th grade who are served under IDEA has grown in both number and share over the last few decades. During the 2010-11 school year, for instance, there were 6.4 million students with disabilities in U.S. public schools, accounting for 13% of enrollment.

The number of students receiving special education services temporarily dropped during the coronavirus pandemic – the first decline in a decade. Between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, the number of students receiving special education services decreased by 1%, from 7.3 million to 7.2 million. This was the first year-over-year drop in special education enrollment since 2011-12.

The decline in students receiving special education services was part of a 3% decline in the overall number of students enrolled in public schools between 2019-20 and 2020-21. While special education enrollment bounced back to pre-pandemic levels in the 2021-22 school year, overall public school enrollment remained flat.

These enrollment trends may reflect some of the learning difficulties and health concerns students with disabilities and their families faced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic , which limited or paused special education services in many school districts.

Many school districts struggle to hire special education professionals. During the 2020-21 school year, 40% of public schools that had a special education teaching vacancy reported that they either found it very difficult to fill the position or were not able to do so.

Foreign languages (43%) and physical sciences (37%) were the only subjects with similarly large shares of hard-to-fill teaching vacancies at public schools that were looking to hire in those fields.

While the COVID-19 pandemic called attention to a nationwide teacher shortage , special education positions have long been among the most difficult for school districts to fill .

The most common type of disability for students in prekindergarten through 12th grade involves “specific learning disabilities,” such as dyslexia.  In 2021-22, about a third of students (32%) receiving services under IDEA had a specific learning disability. Some 19% had a speech or language impairment, while 15% had a chronic or acute health problem that adversely affected their educational performance. Chronic or acute health problems include ailments such as heart conditions, asthma, sickle cell anemia, epilepsy, leukemia and diabetes.

Students with autism made up 12% of the nation’s schoolchildren with disabilities in 2021-22, compared with 1.5% in 2000-01.  During those two decades, the share of disabled students with a specific learning disability, such as dyslexia, declined from 45% to 32%.

The percentage of students receiving special education services varies widely across states. New York serves the largest share of disabled students in the country at 20.5% of its overall public school enrollment. Pennsylvania (20.2%), Maine (20.1%) and Massachusetts (19.3%) serve the next-largest shares. The states serving the lowest shares of disabled students include Texas and Idaho (both 11.7%) and Hawaii (11.3%).

Between the 2000-01 and 2021-22 school years, all but 12 states experienced growth in their disabled student populations. The biggest increase occurred in Utah, where the disabled student population rose by 65%. Rhode Island saw the largest decline of 22%.

These differences by state are likely the result of inconsistencies in how states determine which students are eligible for special education services and challenges in identifying disabled children.

The racial and ethnic makeup of the nation’s special education students is similar to public school students overall, but there are differences by sex.  About two-thirds of disabled students (65%) are male, while 34% are female, according to data from the 2021-22 school year. Overall student enrollment is about evenly split between boys and girls.

Research has shown that decisions about whether to recommend a student for special education may be influenced by their school’s socioeconomic makeup, as well as by the school’s test scores and other academic markers.

Note: This is an update of a post originally published April 23, 2020.

Katherine Schaeffer is a research analyst at Pew Research Center .

A look at historically Black colleges and universities in the U.S.

Key facts about public school teachers in the u.s., 5 facts about student loans, 72% of u.s. high school teachers say cellphone distraction is a major problem in the classroom, u.s. public, private and charter schools in 5 charts, most popular.

901 E St. NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20004 USA (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax (+1) 202-419-4372 |  Media Inquiries

Research Topics

• Email Newsletters

ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER  Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research and other data-driven research. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts , its primary funder.

© 2024 Pew Research Center

• Job Search Advice
• Interviewing
• Login/Register
• Career Profiles and Employment Projections
• Special Education Teachers: Jobs, Career, Salary and Education Information

Special Education Teachers

Career, salary and education information.

What They Do : Special education teachers work with students who have a wide range of learning, mental, emotional, and physical disabilities.

Work Environment : Most special education teachers work in public schools, teaching students from preschool to high school. Many work the traditional 10-month school year, but some work year round.

How to Become One : Special education teachers in public schools are required to have a bachelor’s degree and a state-issued certification or license. Teachers in private schools typically need a bachelor’s degree but may not be required to have a state license or certification.

Salary : The median annual wage for special education teachers is $61,820.

Job Outlook : Overall employment of special education teachers is projected to grow 4 percent over the next ten years, about as fast as the average for all occupations..

Related Careers : Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of special education teachers with similar occupations.

Following is everything you need to know about a career as a special education teacher with lots of details. As a first step, take a look at some of the following jobs, which are real jobs with real employers. You will be able to see the very real job career requirements for employers who are actively hiring. The link will open in a new tab so that you can come back to this page to continue reading about the career:

Top 3 Special Education Teacher Jobs

Under the direction of the Special Services Director, the special education teacher plans and provides for appropriate learning experiences for students with disabilities in a variety of educational ...

Special Education Teacher Special Education Teacher San Francisco, CA FT M-F 8am-4:30pm Salary: $64k-$79k Sign On Bonus: $5k Position Summary In collaboration with the Academic team of the assigned ...

Needed: Inspiring Special Education Teacher to implement a functional-based program for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Come work in a collaborative model with Education Specialists ...

See all Special Education Teacher jobs

What Special Education Teachers Do [ About this section ] [ To Top ]

Special education teachers work with students who have a wide range of learning, mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. They adapt general education lessons and teach various subjects, such as reading, writing, and math, to students with mild and moderate disabilities. They also teach basic skills, such as literacy and communication techniques, to students with severe disabilities.

Duties of Special Education Teachers

Special education teachers typically do the following:

• Assess students' skills to determine their needs
• Adapt general lessons to meet the needs of students
• Develop Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for each student
• Plan, organize, and assign activities that are specific to each student's abilities
• Teach and mentor students as a class, in small groups, and one-on-one
• Implement IEPs, assess students' performance, and track their progress
• Update IEPs throughout the school year to reflect students' progress and goals
• Discuss students' progress with parents, other teachers, counselors, and administrators
• Supervise and mentor teacher assistants who work with students with disabilities
• Prepare and help students transition from grade to grade and for life after graduation

Special education teachers work with general education teachers, counselors, administrators, and parents. Together, they develop IEPs specific to each student's needs. IEPs outline the goals and services for each student, such as sessions with school psychologists, counselors, and special education teachers. Teachers also meet with parents, administrators, and counselors to discuss updates and changes to the IEPs.

Special education teachers' duties vary by the type of setting they work in, students' disabilities, and teachers' specialties.

Some special education teachers work in classrooms or resource centers that include only students with disabilities. In these settings, teachers plan, adapt, and present lessons to meet each student's needs. They teach students in small groups or on a one-on-one basis.

In inclusive classrooms, special education teachers teach students with disabilities who are in general education classrooms. They work with general education teachers to present information in a manner that students with disabilities can more easily understand. They also assist general education teachers in adapting lessons that will meet the needs of the students with disabilities in their classes.

In addition, special education teachers collaborate with teacher assistants , psychologists , and social workers to accommodate requirements of students with disabilities. For example, they may have a teacher assistant work with them to provide support for a student who needs particular attention.

Special education teachers work with students who have a wide variety of mental, emotional, physical, and learning disabilities. For example, some work with students who need assistance in subject areas, such as reading and math. Others help students develop study skills, such as highlighting text and using flashcards.

Some special education teachers work with students who have physical disabilities, such as students who are wheelchair bound. Others work with students who have sensory disabilities, such as blindness and deafness. They also may work with those who have autism spectrum disorders and emotional disorders, such as anxiety and depression.

Special education teachers work with students from preschool to high school. Some teachers work with students who have severe disabilities until the students are 21 years old.

Special education teachers help students with severe disabilities develop basic life skills, such as how to respond to questions and how to follow directions. Some teach the skills necessary for students with moderate disabilities to live independently, find a job, and manage money and their time. For more information about other workers who help individuals with disabilities develop skills necessary to live independently, see the profiles on occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants and aides .

Special education teachers must be comfortable with using and learning new technology. Most use computers to keep records of their students' performance, prepare lesson plans, and update IEPs. Some teachers also use various assistive technology aids, such as Braille writers and computer software that help them communicate with their students.

Work Environment for Special Education Teachers [ About this section ] [ To Top ]

Special education teachers hold about 476,300 jobs. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up special education teachers is distributed as follows:

The largest employers of special education teachers are as follows:

A small number of special education teachers work with students in residential facilities, hospitals, and the students' homes. They may travel to these locations. Some teachers work with infants and toddlers at the child's home. They teach the child’s parents ways to help the child develop skills.

Helping students with disabilities may be rewarding. It also can be stressful, emotionally demanding, and physically draining.

Special Education Teacher Work Schedules

Special education teachers typically work during school hours. In addition to providing instruction during this time, they grade papers, update students’ records, and prepare lessons. They may meet with parents, students, and other teachers or specialists before and after classes.

Many work the traditional 10-month school year and have a 2-month break during the summer. They also have a short midwinter break. Some teachers work in summer programs.

Teachers in districts with a year-round schedule typically work 9 weeks in a row and then are on break for 3 weeks.

How to Become a Special Education Teacher [ About this section ] [ To Top ]

Get the education you need: Find schools for Special Education Teachers near you!

Special education teachers in public schools are required to have at least a bachelor's degree and a state-issued certification or license. Private schools typically require teachers to have a bachelor's degree, but the teachers are not required to be licensed or certified. For information about teacher preparation programs and certification requirements, visit Teach.org or contact your state's board of education.

Education for Special Education Teachers

All states require special education teachers in public schools to have at least a bachelor's degree. Some require teachers to earn a degree specifically in special education. Others allow them to major in elementary education or a content area, such as math or science, and pursue a minor in special education.

In a program leading to a bachelor's degree in special education, prospective teachers learn about the different types of disabilities and how to present information so that students will understand. Programs typically include a student-teaching program, in which they work with a mentor teacher and get experience teaching students in a classroom setting. To become fully certified, some states require special education teachers to complete a master's degree in special education after obtaining a job.

Teachers in private schools do not need to meet state requirements. However, private schools may prefer to hire teachers who have at least a bachelor's degree in special education.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations for Special Education Teachers

All states require teachers in public schools to be licensed in the specific grade level that they teach. A license frequently is referred to as a certification. Those who teach in private schools typically do not need to be licensed.

Requirements for certification or licensure can vary by state but generally involve the following:

• A bachelor's degree with a minimum grade point average
• Completion of a teacher preparation program and supervised experience in teaching, which is typically gained through student teaching.
• Passing a background check
• Passing a general teaching certification test, as well as a test that demonstrates knowledge of the subject the candidate will teach.

Many states offer general certification or licenses in special education that allow teachers to work with students with a variety of disabilities. Others offer licenses or endorsements based on a disability-specific category, such as autism or behavior disorders.

Some states allow special education teachers to transfer their licenses from another state. Other states require even an experienced teacher to pass their state's licensing requirements.

All states offer an alternative route to certification or licensure for people who already have a bachelor's degree. Some alternative certification programs allow candidates to begin teaching immediately, under the close supervision of an experienced teacher. These alternative programs cover teaching methods and child development. Candidates are awarded full certification after they complete the program. Other alternative programs require prospective teachers to take classes in education before they can start to teach. Teachers may be awarded a master's degree after completing either type of program.

Advancement for Special Education Teachers

Experienced teachers can advance to become mentors or lead teachers who help less experienced teachers improve their teaching skills.

Teachers may become school counselors , instructional coordinators , and elementary, middle, and high school principals . These positions generally require additional education, an advanced degree, or certification. An advanced degree in education administration or leadership may be helpful.

Important Qualities for Special Education Teachers

Communication skills. Special education teachers discuss students' needs and performances with general education teachers, parents, and administrators. They also explain difficult concepts in terms that students with learning disabilities can understand.

Critical-thinking skills. Special education teachers assess students' progress and use that information to adapt lessons to help them learn.

Interpersonal skills. Special education teachers work regularly with general education teachers, school counselors, administrators, and parents to develop Individualized Education Programs. As a result, they need to be able to build positive working relationships.

Patience. Working with students with special needs and different abilities can be difficult. Special education teachers should be patient with each student, because some may need the instruction given aloud, at a slower pace, or in writing.

Resourcefulness. Special education teachers must develop different ways to present information in a manner that meets the needs of their students. They also help general education teachers adapt their lessons to the needs of students with disabilities.

Special Education Teacher Salaries [ About this section ] [ More salary/earnings info ] [ To Top ]

Salary calculator.

The median annual wage for special education teachers is $61,820. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $46,180, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $100,040.

Median annual wages for special education teachers are as follows:

The median annual wages for special education teachers in the top industries in which they work are as follows:

Job Outlook for Special Education Teachers [ About this section ] [ To Top ]

Overall employment of special education teachers is projected to grow 4 percent over the next ten years, slower than the average for all occupations.

About 37,600 openings for special education teachers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment of Special Education Teachers

Demand for special education teachers will be driven by school enrollments and the need for special education services.

Demand for these teachers and services should rise as disabilities are being identified earlier and as children with disabilities are enrolled into special education programs.

Federal laws require that every state must maintain the same level of financial support for special education every year. However, employment growth of special education teachers may depend on increases in funding.

Careers Related to Special Education Teachers [ About this section ] [ To Top ]

Career and technical education teachers.

Career and technical education teachers instruct students in various technical and vocational subjects, such as auto repair, healthcare, and culinary arts. They teach academic and technical content to provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to enter an occupation.

Childcare Workers

Childcare workers attend to the basic needs of children, such as dressing, bathing, feeding, and overseeing play. They may help younger children prepare for kindergarten or assist older children with homework.

High School Teachers

High school teachers help prepare students for life after graduation. They teach academic lessons and various skills that students will need to attend college and to enter the job market.

Instructional Coordinators

Instructional coordinators oversee school curriculums and teaching standards. They develop instructional material, coordinate its implementation with teachers and principals, and assess its effectiveness.

Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers

Kindergarten and elementary school teachers instruct young students in basic subjects, such as math and reading, in order to prepare them for future schooling.

Middle School Teachers

Middle school teachers educate students, typically in sixth through eighth grades. They help students build on the fundamentals they learned in elementary school and prepare them for the more difficult curriculum they will face in high school.

Occupational Therapists

Occupational therapists treat injured, ill, or disabled patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help these patients develop, recover, improve, as well as maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.

Preschool Teachers

Preschool teachers educate and care for children younger than age 5 who have not yet entered kindergarten. They teach language, motor, and social skills to young children.

Principals - Elementary, Middle, and High School

Elementary, middle, and high school principals manage all school operations, including daily school activities. They coordinate curriculums, oversee teachers and other school staff, and provide a safe and productive learning environment for students.

Recreational Therapists

Recreational therapists plan, direct, and coordinate recreation-based treatment programs for people with disabilities, injuries, or illnesses. These therapists use a variety of modalities, including arts and crafts; drama, music, and dance; sports and games; aquatics; and community outings to help maintain or improve a patient's physical, social, and emotional well-being.

Social Workers

Social workers help people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives. Clinical social workers also diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional issues.

Teacher Assistants

Teacher assistants work under a teacher's supervision to give students additional attention and instruction.

More Special Education Teacher Information [ About this section ] [ To Top ]

For more information about special education teachers, visit

Council for Exceptional Children

Personnel Improvement Center

National Association of Special Education Teachers

For more information about teaching and becoming a teacher, visit

American Federation of Teachers

National Education Association

A portion of the information on this page is used by permission of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Explore more careers: View all Careers or the Top 30 Career Profiles

Search for jobs:.

The Rewarding Outcomes of Being a Special Education Teacher

Ask any dedicated teacher, and they’ll tell you teaching is a vibrant career where you can implement tangible skills. 

Those who teach special education have a specific skill set and an exceptional impact. Special education teachers dedicate their careers to empowering and supporting students with disabilities or unique learning needs. Below, we take a conclusive look at the many rewarding outcomes of choosing to teach special education, both personally and professionally.

The Unique Role of a Special Education Teacher 

Special education teachers have a powerful impact in their classrooms and beyond. The following areas are common ways that they influence and empower their students with special needs:

• Student self-esteem: Special education teachers inspire their students toward academic goals, and they have a major impact on their personal growth as well.
• Student professional development: Those teaching special education are closely involved with their students’ career plans and skill-building from day one. 
• Student academic success: Special education teachers personally oversee their students' academic progress, setting them up for success in their educational journey.
• Student socialization: Special education teachers support students in developing their social communities and have an essential role in creating a healthy social environment for their students.

What Are the Benefits of Being a Special Education Teacher? 

Being a special education teacher has a host of in-classroom and career benefits to explore. 

Create Individual Learning Plans for Special Needs Students 

Students with disabilities or special learning needs often thrive outside typical classroom structures. Unique situations and abilities mean that special education teachers can take time to craft a lesson plan for their student’s specific needs. Teaching lessons in a way tailored to your students’ needs gives them the support and accessibility they need and empowers them to succeed academically and holistically. Educators who choose to specialize in special education take time in their graduate programs to invest in the specific and impactful skills that equip them to build effective lesson plans, tailor lessons to individual students and more.

Become an Expert in Inclusivity in Education 

Students with special needs deserve to excel in inclusive classrooms. Special education teachers have the training, education and skills necessary to help these students receive the accommodations they need in the classroom and beyond. 

Spending time investing in your special education master’s degree means you’ll be looked to as an expert in the field. You will be able to answer real-world questions, help parents navigate the education system and enhance student experiences. 

Awareness of critical resources helps special needs students by fostering inclusive education and removing some barriers to accessing these resources. Your specialization and understanding of students’ unique needs can lead to greater advocacy in your school and the education system as a whole.

Engage With Students and Build Special Connections

Special education teachers build significant connections through one-on-one student engagement.

Asynchronous classroom structures mean more individual time for each student, and you may spend multiple years with the same students. This gives you more time to establish meaningful connections and make a real impact. Special education is about empowering and educating students, but you might just find that your life will change, too. 

Career Benefits of Being a Special Education Teacher

Working in the field of special education provides valuable career experience. The complex situations and specialized skills help you become a more effective teacher for all of your students, not just students with special needs.

There is a high demand for special education teachers, so choosing this degree equips you to help meet schools’ needs. Due to the current special education teacher shortage, your education may be funded through U.S. Department of Education grants.

How to Become a Special Education Teacher

• Get a Master’s Degree in Education. Becoming a special education teacher starts with a Bachelor's or Master’s Degree in Education (M.Ed.) from an accredited institution.
• Get a specialization or certification in special education. Your specialization allows you to receive training to help you meet standards and develop effective curricula, preparing you for a dynamic career.
• Complete the relevant student teaching and supervision requirements. All education students must complete a certain number of student-teacher hours under supervision before they enter the workforce.

Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College: M.Ed., Special Education

Peabody College’s M.Ed. in Special Education is the nation’s top special education graduate program, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report . Our master's degree allows you to collaborate with faculty and other students on important initiatives and gain wisdom from experts with experts from various disciplines through courses, fieldwork and research. The program advocates inclusion and equity regardless of student background, needs or skill level. 

Peabody College at a Glance: Special Education Career Opportunities

Of Peabody’s Special Education job-seeking graduates, 100 percent were employed or pursuing further education within four months of graduation.

One of the program’s distinguished alumni, Noel Ifeanyi Alumona, recently traveled to visit the Dalai Lama as one of 26 young leaders from conflict-torn regions across the globe. In 2022, Alumona won the AFS Award for Young Global Citizens for his project, Boys Champions. 

“As someone who works to end violence against women and girls in Nigeria, I was inspired by meeting His Holiness and these incredible changemakers,” Alumona said. “I was reminded that gender-based violence in Nigeria is gender-based violence in Colombia, climate change in Uganda is climate [change] in America, and injustice in Syria and Libya is injustice in South Sudan and Turkey. The hope is that we can use compassion and dialogue to end bloodshed, conflicts, violence and extremism.”

At Peabody, Alumona studied interventions for children and young adults with reading and math disabilities, and he hopes to use his education to create resources for children with disabilities in his home country of Nigeria and influence education policy across Africa.

Interested In Learning More?

For more information about Peabody College’s M.Ed. in Special Education, download our eBook, Teaching for Impact: Empowering the Next Generation with a Master of Education.

Subscribe to the Blog

← All Posts

Media Inquiries

615-322-6397 Email

Latest Stories

How a master’s degree equips you for elementary or secondary education, quantitative vs. qualitative research design: understanding the differences, becoming a world language teacher: what you need to know, keep reading.

Explore Stories by Topic

• M.Ed. Degrees
• Research Design
• Teaching for Impact

Special Education

See also: Students with Disabilities , Special Education Research , Special Ed. Identification

Sign Up for EdWeek Update

• Find Your Webster Location
• Find Your Program
• Request Info
• Search webster.edu
• Search All Webster Campuses
• United States
• International
• Little Rock Air Force Base
• Scott Air Force Base
• Southwestern Illinois College
• Joint Base Andrews NAF
• Fort Leonard Wood
• Gateway (this location is currently not accepting applications)
• Main Campus, Webster Groves

North Carolina

• Fort Liberty

South Carolina

• Fort Jackson
• Myrtle Beach
• Randolph Air Force Base
• San Antonio
• Fort Belvoir
• Shanghai University of Finance and Economics
• University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Netherlands

Switzerland.

• Bukhara State University
• Bukhara State Medical University
• National University of Uzbekistan
• Samarkand Institute of Economics and Service
• Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages
• Samarkand State University
• Samarkand State Medical University
• Tashkent Medical Academy
• Uzbekistan State University of World Languages

Undergraduate

• Computer Science
• Film, Television and Video Studies
• International Relations
• Cybersecurity Operations
• MBA with an Emphasis in Analytics
• Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice

Webster University Online

• Data Analytics
• Doctor of Education
• MHA Health Administration

Certificates

• Applied Behavior Analysis
• Cybersecurity
• Digital Marketing Management
• Paralegal Studies

7 Myths About Special Education

October 07, 2024

The seven myths: 

1. SPED is only for students with severe disabilities. 2. Students in SPED cannot succeed academically. 3. SPED means segregation from other students. 4. SPED is too expensive and drains resources from general education. 5. Students in special education do not need to be challenged academically. 6. SPED teachers are less qualified than general education teachers. 7. SPED is just about academic support.

The seven facts:

Many common misconceptions about Special Education can bring about a lack of services required by learners with disabilities to be successful in the classroom. Public school systems in the U.S are required by law to provide Special Education for students with special learning needs. Special Education Teachers play a critical role in ensuring that students with any disabilities, be they cognitive or physical, have an individualized education plan to be successful in their education.  In this blog post, I will demystify seven common myths about special education, providing insights and furnishing perspective into a more supportive teaching and learning environment for all students. 

Myth 1: Special education is only for students with severe disabilities. Special education serves a wide range of students with varying needs, from mild learning differences to more significant disabilities. 

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) :  In the 2021-2022 school year, approximately 15% of all public-school students (ages 3-21) received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  This translates to about 7.2 million students out of the total public-school enrollment of approximately 48 million students.  The remaining 85% of students are in general education. 

Myth 2: Students in special education cannot succeed academically. Many students in special education can and do excel academically when given proper support. Successful Individuals Who Received Special Education Services : 

Tom Cruise - Actor diagnosed with dyslexia  Whoopi Goldberg - Actress, comedian struggled with dyslexia  Michael Phelps - Olympic swimmer diagnosed with ADHD

The stories behind their successes are often highlight :

• The importance of early identification and support.
• The development of unique coping strategies and strengths.
• The value of perseverance and self-advocacy.
• The potential for success in diverse career paths. 

It's worth noting that many of these famous individuals received their diagnoses or support at different stages of life, some quite late.This underscores the importance of lifelong learning and adaptability. We must avoid generalizing their experiences to all individuals with learning differences. Moreover, we must recognize that success can take many forms, not just celebrity or wealth. Consequently, we must acknowledge the role of support systems, resources, and individual circumstances in their success.

Myth 3: Special education means segregation from other students. Special education believes in inclusivity, using various Models of Inclusion and Mainstreaming to achieve learning outcomes. Each model has its strengths and is chosen based on individual student needs, school resources, and educational goals. The key is flexibility and ongoing assessment to ensure the chosen model effectively supports the student's learning and development. 

Special education also values the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). It is a key principle in special education, mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It requires that students with disabilities be educated alongside their non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate. 

Myth 4: Special education is too expensive and drains resources from general education. Special education benefits extend beyond students with disabilities, positively impacting the entire school community. Inclusive practices, where students with diverse needs learn alongside their peers, foster empathy, understanding, and collaboration among all students. Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework originally developed for special education, provides multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression that can enhance learning for all students, regardless of their abilities.  

This approach encourages teachers to create flexible learning environments and use varied instructional strategies, which can lead to improved engagement and academic outcomes for the entire student body.

Additionally, the presence of special education resources often results in smaller class sizes, increased individualized attention, and the development of innovative teaching methods that can be applied across the school. By promoting diversity and adapting to various learning styles, special education practices contribute to a more supportive, inclusive, and effective educational environment for everyone.  

Myth 5: Students in special education do not need to be challenged academically. All types of learners must be challenged academically. The notion that students with disabilities require less challenging content is a harmful misconception that can significantly limit their potential. Instead, modern special education emphasizes the importance of presuming competence and setting ambitious yet achievable goals for all learners.     Setting low standards or making things too easy for students with disabilities can cause problems. It can make students less motivated, teach them to give up easily, and stop them from growing their thinking skills. This can make the gap between students with and without disabilities even bigger, which might limit their choices for school and jobs later. Studies show that students, whether they have disabilities or not, usually rise to meet the expectations set for them. So, it's important to keep standards high in special education, while also giving students the right kind of help and adjusting teaching methods to fit their needs. 

Myth 6: Special education teachers are less qualified than general education teachers. Special education teacher training and certification requirements go beyond that of general educators, reflecting the field's complex and challenging nature. They work closely with general educators to differentiate and adapt the curriculum to meet learner’s specific needs, so understanding the various disciplines and having certification in multiple areas is necessary. They are professionals, who continuously learn and adapt throughout their careers, staying abreast of the latest research and methodologies.  

With more experience, special education teachers can become experts in specific areas, like helping students with autism or dyslexia, or they might become school or curriculum leaders.  

Myth 7: Special education is just about academic support.  Special education today goes far beyond academic support, recognizing the critical importance of emotional regulation in students' overall development and success.   Modern programs adopt a holistic approach, understanding that cognitive, emotional, and social skills are deeply interconnected. Emotional regulation—the ability to understand, manage, and express one's emotions appropriately—is now a key focus in many special education curricula. 

Special education now understands that thinking, feeling, and getting along with others are all closely connected. A big part is helping students control their emotions - understanding, handling, and showing their feelings well. Learning about feelings and how to get along with others is part of the everyday routine. This allows students to become stronger emotionally, understand others better, and make friends more easily. 

Addressing these misconceptions can help parents, students, educators, and community members develop a more accurate and nuanced understanding of special education.   

Clarifying these myths about special education is crucial for creating a more effective and inclusive educational environment. It improves access to services, reduces stigma, and leads to better resource allocation.  

This understanding promotes inclusivity, sets higher expectations for students, and recognizes the expertise of special education teachers. It also encourages a holistic approach to student development, facilitates informed decision-making, and garners increased community support. Ultimately, addressing these misconceptions benefits all students by fostering a more supportive and adaptive educational system. 

Related News

October 8, 2024

Common misconceptions about Special Education can bring about a lack of services required by learners with disabilities to be successful in the classr...

A 2024 Graduate from Our Teacher Preparation Program Recognized for Her Work in Saint Louis Public Schools District

October 4, 2024

Webster Alumni granted The Missouri Teacher Leaders of America Certificate of Excellence, an award created by the Missouri Milken Educators.

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences launches a new Big Questions Series

October 3, 2024

The Big Questions Event Series is a vehicle to demonstrate how the humanities and social sciences help us understand contemporary social problems...