In so many states there is a shortage for special education teachers while the enrollment of special needs children continues to rise, therefore, specializing in special education will make you a more marketable commodity in the teaching world. You will have to qualify to be a special education teacher. Not only will need your teaching license by you will also have to have completed a bachelors program. You will have to have had experience teaching in a special needs environment and have taken classes focused on special needs education.
Most of the time you will be working with children who have a mild to moderate learning disabilities and willl only need to modify the standard curriculum to meet the needs of the individual child. However, there are teachers that work with children who have mental disabilities or autism which can be more difficult and require a more specialized plan. For the most part, a special education teacher will be working with elementary school age and older. Although, the field of working with children who have special needs from birth on is growing as well.
Not all children that you work with will have a mental disabilty. They may have a physical imparment that makes learning difficult like deafness or blindness. These children will require a very specific learning program in order to succeed. You will have to be well versed in the standard teaching methods which include individual learning, small-group learning, and problem solving as well as being creative in coming up with new ways to teach subjects.
In many cases, you will meet with the parents to set up goals for a special needs child that are independent from the rest of the class. You will work the parents to understand where their child is in their learning development and what they can expect to see from the school year. It is also important to have meetings with the parents to update them on how their child is doing. In some cases, you will dispense advice for helping the child learn and do homework as well.