Teachers with special education degrees not only instruct their students in academic knowledge but can also teach behavior management, depending on the special education student's disability or need. Overall, special education teachers can help their students develop emotional awareness and an understanding of what an appropriate behavior is. By learning how to act in a socially acceptable manner, special education students can feel empowered to be comfortable in social situations outside of school. Once students reach certain levels of behavioral understanding with the help of their special education teachers and other professionals, they are better prepared for life after their school days end. One way that special education teachers underscore the importance of appropriate behavior in their students is by using positive behavioral support so that undesired behavior is reduced and more acceptable behaviors are taken on.
Such support can be especially important for special education students with behavioral challenges, psychiatric problems, autism, or multiple disabilities. These students need to have a structured environment to succeed and learn to manage their behavior as well as possible. Special education teachers often reward appropriate behavior and employ techniques like positive reinforcement, contracting, and time out to help these students learn how to better control their behaviors in a way that has direct measures and monitors positive changes. For special education teachers working with such students, it is advised that they have extensive knowledge about behavioral strategies and interventions to draw on. Special education teachers who specialize in working with students with behavioral challenges sometimes have behavior specialist degrees.