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Special Education Teachers, Preschool

Teach academic, social, and life skills to preschool-aged 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.

Median pay: $62,190; per year
10-year outlook: +1.4%; Stable
Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

Key skills

Speaking
Active Listening
Reading Comprehension
Critical Thinking
Social Perceptiveness
Writing
Learning Strategies
Monitoring

What they do

Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.
Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
Communicate nonverbally with children to provide them with comfort, encouragement, or positive reinforcement.
Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, or social skills, to preschool students with special needs.
Develop individual educational plans (IEPs) designed to promote students' educational, physical, or social development.
Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual education plans (IEPs).
Teach students personal development skills, such as goal setting, independence, or self-advocacy.
Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.
Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health.
Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment or materials to prevent injuries and damage.

Majors that lead here

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections) and O*NET, used under CC BY 4.0.