Special Education Programs

Many special education degree holders work in public schools in special education programs. These programs meet the needs of a variety of special education students including those with autism, behavioral challenges, mobility problems , learning disabilities and many others. In special education programs, the special education professional can work with a number of students individually or teach (or co-teach) a whole class or a situation in between, like teaching a group of special education students with the same disability or same intellectual challenges. Because of the federally mandated trend of including special education students in general education classes whenever possible, special education teachers and program directors often must use or modify the general education curriculum to suit the needs of students in special education. While some special education students need only some help with general education classes, other special education students need the general education curriculum to be tailored to their specific requirements, with their strengths and weaknesses being considered in the process. For those who work in or oversee special education programs in which the students have severe disabilities like mental retardation or certain kinds of autism, special education teachers focus primarily on teaching life skills and basic literacy.