Teaching Assistants, Special Education Assist a preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher to provide academic, social, or life skills to students who have learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Serve in a position for which a teacher has primary responsibility for the design and implementation of educational programs and services.
Teaching Assistants, Special Education is Also Know as
In different settings, Teaching Assistants, Special Education is titled as
- Special Education Aide
- Special Education Paraprofessional
- Special Education Teacher Assistant
Education and Training of Teaching Assistants, Special Education
Teaching Assistants, Special Education is categorized in Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Experience Required for Teaching Assistants, Special Education
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Education Required for Teaching Assistants, Special Education
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Degrees Related to Teaching Assistants, Special Education
- Bachelor in Education, General
- Associate Degree Courses in Education, General
- Masters Degree Courses in Education, General
- Bachelor in Special Education and Teaching, General
- Associate Degree Courses in Special Education and Teaching, General
- Masters Degree Courses in Special Education and Teaching, General
- Bachelor in Early Childhood Education and Teaching
- Associate Degree Courses in Early Childhood Education and Teaching
- Masters Degree Courses in Early Childhood Education and Teaching
- Bachelor in Teacher Assistant/Aide
- Associate Degree Courses in Teacher Assistant/Aide
- Masters Degree Courses in Teacher Assistant/Aide
- Bachelor in Teaching Assistants/Aides, Other
- Associate Degree Courses in Teaching Assistants/Aides, Other
- Masters Degree Courses in Teaching Assistants/Aides, Other
- Bachelor in Child Development
- Associate Degree Courses in Child Development
- Masters Degree Courses in Child Development
Training Required for Teaching Assistants, Special Education
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Related Ocuupations
Some Ocuupations related to Teaching Assistants, Special Education in different industries are
- Special Education Teachers, Secondary School
- Special Education Teachers, Elementary School
- Instructional Coordinators
- Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education
- Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten
- Tutors
- Special Education Teachers, Middle School
- Special Education Teachers, Preschool
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education
- Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education
- Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors
- Education Teachers, Postsecondary
- Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary
- Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors
- Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
- Training and Development Managers
- Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School
What Do Teaching Assistants, Special Education do?
- Assist in bus loading and unloading.
- Assist librarians in school libraries.
- Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required.
- Carry out therapeutic regimens, such as behavior modification and personal development programs, under the supervision of special education instructors, psychologists, or speech-language pathologists.
- Clean classrooms.
- Discuss assigned duties with classroom teachers to coordinate instructional efforts.
- Distribute teaching materials, such as textbooks, workbooks, papers, and pencils, to students.
- Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.
- Enforce administration policies and rules governing students.
- Grade homework and tests, and compute and record results, using answer sheets or electronic marking devices.
- Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage.
- Instruct students in daily living skills required for independent maintenance and self-sufficiency, such as hygiene, safety, or food preparation.
- Laminate teaching materials to increase their durability under repeated use.
- Maintain computers in classrooms and laboratories, and assist students with hardware and software use.
- Observe students' performance, and record relevant data to assess progress.
- Organize and label materials and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their eye levels and perceptual skills.
- Organize and supervise games and other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, and social development.
- Participate in teacher-parent conferences regarding students' progress or problems.
- Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play.
- Prepare lesson materials, bulletin board displays, exhibits, equipment, and demonstrations.
- Prepare lesson outlines and plans in assigned subject areas and submit outlines to teachers for review.
- Present subject matter to students under the direction and guidance of teachers, using lectures, discussions, supervised role-playing methods, or by reading aloud.
- Provide assistance to students with special needs.
- Provide disabled students with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.
- Requisition and stock teaching materials and supplies.
- Supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, and gymnasiums, or on field trips.
- Take class attendance and maintain attendance records.
- Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
- Tutor and assist children individually or in small groups to help them master assignments and to reinforce learning concepts presented by teachers.
- Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations.
Qualities of Good Teaching Assistants, Special Education
Tools Used by Teaching Assistants, Special Education
- Alternative computer keyboards
- Audio tape recorders or players
- Braille slates
- Braille styluses
- Communication boards
- Compact disk CD players
- Computer laser printers
- Data input scanners
- Desktop computers
- Digital video cameras
- Digital video disk DVD players
- Educational board games
- Emergency first aid kits
- Enteral feeding equipment
- Eye controlled computer mouse equipment
- Foot operated mouse equipment
- Head operated joysticks
- Interactive whiteboards
- Intercom systems
- Jellybean switches
- Laminating equipment
- Laptop computers
- Liquid crystal display LCD projectors
- Microphones
- Mouth operated joysticks
- Oral suction tubes
- Overhead projectors
- Page turners
- Pegboards
- Personal computers
- Play structures
- Portable communication devices
- Portable oxygen equipment
- Reading pens
- Sand tables
- Science activity kits
- Sound switches
- Talking calculators
- Teletypewriters TTY
- Television monitors
- Toy block sets
- Trackballs
- Video cassette recorders VCR
- Video magnifiers
- Water tables
- Wheelchairs
- Wireless touch screen monitors
- Word prediction software
Technology Skills required for Teaching Assistants, Special Education
- Appletree
- Automate the Schools ATS
- Blackboard software
- Children's educational software
- ClassDojo
- Email software
- Flipgrid
- Google Classroom
- Google Meet
- Hand held spell checkers
- High School Scheduling and Transcript HSST
- Kahoot!
- Loom
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- Padlet
- ParentSquare
- Quizlet
- Schoology
- Screen magnification software
- Screen reader software
- Seesaw
- Special Education Student Information System SESIS
- Student information systems SIS software
- Tadpoles
- Text to speech software
- Web browser software
- Word processing software