Special Education Degree Program and Career Education

Special education refers to the focused attention and education given to children with various physical, mental, developmental, and learning disabilities, as well as to children with exceptionally high intelligence and talent. Students receiving special education may suffer from varying types and levels of disability, including visual or hearing impairment, brain injuries, dyslexia, or autism. Or, if they are particularly gifted rather than challenged, they may be reading twelfth-grade material at the age of seven.

Special education teachers may work with infants, toddlers, elementary school children or high school students. They may work in a classroom or school designed for groups of children with similar disabilities or abilities. They create lesson plans designed to maximize learning for these children, and attend to their needs. In other cases, children with special needs are placed in regular classes with general teachers, so special education teachers must work with these teachers in the classroom.

Special education teachers must be patient, organized, motivating, positive, passionate, flexible, tolerant and compassionate. They must respect and even celebrate the differences among people, and they must be assertive and resourceful enough to get the students the services they need. They should have strong leadership qualities and a good sense of humor, and they should be good at analyzing situations and solving problems.

Education, Training and Degrees in Special Education

Special education teachers working in public schools must have a bachelor's degree in education, and many states require additional courses in special education, child development, educational psychology, rehabilitation, social work, or similar studies. Many states also require that teachers possess a master's degree, or are actively in the process of obtaining one. Additionally, public schools require that special education teachers have a teaching license, which must be renewed annually.

Private schools may not require that special education teachers have a bachelor's degree or teaching license, though they may prefer them.

Speech therapists must have a bachelor's degree in communication disorders, linguistics, psychology, or a similar field, as well as a master's degree in speech therapy or speech-language pathology. They must complete a working internship in a hospital, rehabilitation center, or other health facility, and most employers require that they become certified.

Find more information about online degrees, certificates, and diplomas in Education.

Explore Career Opportunities in Special Education

Individuals who study special education may choose to work with infants, toddlers, elementary school children, or high schools students. They may work with physically, mentally, or developmentally challenged children, or they may choose to work with intellectually gifted children. No matter which particular specialty special educators choose to pursue, their responsibilities are often similar. Below are more details concerning careers within this field.

Special Education Teacher
Special education teachers assess each individual's particular instructional needs. They create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to set goals for the child and outline a transition plan to prepare the student for the next level of education. They review the plan with parents and other teachers and administrators, track the child's progress, and suggest ways in which the parents can help promote learning at home. Special education teachers help children grow socially and emotionally as well as intellectually, and teach students basic life skills suitable to their level of development.

Speech Therapist
Speech therapists help people to overcome problems with language, speech, and voice that may have been caused by delayed development, an accident, genetic disorder, stroke, or major trauma. As applied to special education, they may help children learn how to speak for the first time, or work with them to overcome an accent, a lisp, stuttering, or other speech defect. They may use a variety of techniques, including one-on-one therapy, group therapy, books, computer programs, toys, or sound analyzers. Speech therapists often focus their work on a group of people with a similar problem, or on people of a similar age, such as preschoolers.

back to top
Get matched with leading online schools