Special Education Teachers, Elementary School

What Does a Special Education Teachers, Elementary School Do?

Teach academic, social, and life skills to elementary 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.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• 1Instruct students with disabilities in academic subjects, using a variety of techniques, such as phonetics, multisensory learning, or repetition to reinforce learning and meet students' varying needs.
• 2Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.
• 3Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
• 4Modify the general elementary education curriculum for students with disabilities.
• 5Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, or administrative regulations.
• 6Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play.
• 7Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
• 8Provide assistive devices, supportive technology, or assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.

Required Skills

• Active Listening
• Speaking
• Reading Comprehension
• Learning Strategies
• Critical Thinking
• Writing
• Monitoring
• Active Learning
• American Sign Language Browser
• Children's educational software
• Drawing software
• EasyCBM
• Email software
• goQ WordQ
• Individualized Educational Program IEP software
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft Outlook