About This Career

Teaches academic, social, and life skills to middle school students with learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Includes teachers who specialize and work with students who are blind or have visual impairments; students who are deaf or have hearing impairments; and students with intellectual disabilities.

This career is part of the Education and Training cluster Teaching/Training pathway.

A person in this career:

• Establishes and enforces rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
• Modifies the general education curriculum for students with disabilities, based upon a variety of instructional techniques and instructional technology.
• Develops or writes Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students.
• Maintains accurate and complete student records, and prepares reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
• Develops and implements strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of handicapping conditions.
• Confers with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.
• Teaches socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification and positive reinforcement.
• Confers with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, and professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, and social development.
• Observes and evaluates students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
• Employs special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Overtime work