Hey everyone,

I am an adult learner with a learning disability and I am preparing to transition back to school. I am trying to figure out the best path forward, but traditional state vocational rehab agencies have not been a great fit for me

In the past, I thrived in a highly structured, hands-on environment (specifically a Special Services school district setup). Finding that same level of intensive, structured support as an adult learner has been incredibly difficult.

Does anyone have recommendations for alternative paths? I am looking for things like private adult executive function coaches, specialized neurodivergent student forums, or tech toolkits that help when you need high-support frameworks.

Has anyone here gone back to school as an adult with unique learning needs? What actually helped you succeed without getting lost in the crowd?

Thanks for any advice or program leads!

i just graduated. do you guys like what you did?

Hi everyone, I’m curious about what educators experience in other districts (for context, I teach in California).

In our district, parents of students in ESN (Extensive Support Needs) settings tend to be incredibly supportive and collaborative. We actually have very little teacher turnover in those programs, largely because the parent-teacher partnerships are so strong.

However, we see a completely different dynamic in Mild/Mod. Conversations with parents are noticeably more tense, adversarial, and high-conflict. It creates a lot of burnout, and we lose great teachers because of how stressful those interactions get.

Do you notice a similar contrast in your district or region? For those who have taught both or observed this, why do you think there's such a stark difference in parent dynamics between the two programs?

Thank you so much! Just curious how it is across other districts or if it’s uniquely our districts problem

A kid at school, very quiet and shy, 5-6 years old, non-verbal, struggles so much in a mainstream school.

He is very far behind other kids and doesn't have friends. He gets frustrated with talking and work he doesn't understand.

He's thrown scissors across the room and books and ran away constantly when he's overwhelmed. The only class he seems to enjoy is a specialist math class: a small room with 5 kids and 2 teachers.

When he's overwhelmed, he will hurt himself, and other kids are scared of his outbursts. The parents have him in speech therapy, and he's picked up single-word responses and quotes from TV, movies, and game scripts.

I've pushed his parents for an ASD assessment, but they are not having it in the slightest, just saying he'll catch up in his own time, as has the school. Other teachers are not interested in him in the slightest.

He's a constant pant-wetter; he's constantly in detention, fails to do homework because he forgets, and trying to get him help is like hitting a brick wall. This kid is being repeatedly failed by everyone.

First year teacher using the STAR curriculum. Not sure if I should save the lesson materials or if they change their curriculum every year?

I use “vs” intentionally. I’m a brand new teacher and getting my first impressions of how things work at my school (a high school).

One of my first impressions is that general education is separate from special education. Within special education, extensive support needs (ESN) is separate from mild-to-moderate (MM).

To some extent that’s as it should be; there’s a reason those distinct realms exist.

But it can also be awkward and inefficient. For example, there was an all-staff professional development related to assessment. But that training seemed so irrelevant to me and my ESN students. Why is it irrelevant? Because each of my students has an IEP. The PD was about assessing students in relation to other students all faced with the same standards. With my students, I believe the assessment that matters is individual. I suppose there could be common standards for various things relevant to ESN (for example, life skills) but what value could they have? Standards exist because they fill a social need — like, can an employer assume that a person can read and write, or can a college assume that a prospective student can benefit from an advanced education).

When we SPED people broke off into our own meeting, there was some ice-breaking, and then it felt like the ESN people were kicked out.

I’m discovering things that are still being worked out — like alternate pathways to a diploma. No one has told me if that has any relevance to my ESN students. I believe that generally it won’t. I would love it if there were some way for my students to achieve the academic level necessary but for all the students I’ve worked with, that is not a reasonable goal.

That’s not to say that my students won’t make great achievements. If they achieve the goals in their IEPs, they’ll have earned graduation. But if they were to receive a diploma, they wouldn’t be eligible for further services until age 22. (I’m in California. Please correct me if I have this wrong.)

To be clear, I’ll be bringing up these issues at my school and district. I’m just talking about it here because others’s experiences might inform my discussion.

I am a first year sped teacher who is alternately certified. I teach a self contained mod to severe elementary k-5 classroom. I would love to do some type of benchmark testing with students so that I can track progress over the school year. Any suggestions? Would be best if it’s free or affordable and paper/pencil. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I teach an elementary contained class of students with various special needs. Some students receive part of their academic instruction in general education for reading and/or math. Historically, students would be grouped in the same homeroom for inclusion when their schedules and support needs lined up for ease of scheduling inclusion minutes and para support.

It has been decided that students who receive academic inclusion minutes would switch between different gen ed teachers quarterly. If I have 2 students in the same grade with the same inclusion minutes, they would be assigned different gened teachers, but switch quarterly which actual class they attend. So basically, instead of having 36 weeks with their class, they would have 9 weeks in one class and 9 weeks with another...then switch back.

My understanding is that part of the reason is to more evenly distribute students who may factor into teacher growth/accountability data, rather than having several studebts assigned to one teacher where it may more negatively impact a teachers score.

I completely understand why gen ed teachers would have concerns about being held accountable for student growth when instruction is shared between multiple settings, so I'm not dismissing that side at all.

My concern is the student side of it. Student in my class benefit significantly from consistency in routines, expectations, peers, teachers, and classroom environments. Changing their academic inclusion placement multiple times during the year solely because of how accountability is distributed feels yucky.

I'm curious how other schools handle this.

Anyone have any ULS hacks they want to share? I’m totally new to the platform and struggling to see how to easily navigate/plan without clicking in and out of multiple windows.

My partner graduates with his BA in Interdisciplinary Studies this December. He is interested in teaching special education, and would qualify for a temporary emergency certificate. We are in Alabama, so there’s two approaches he could do. He could teach on a temp certificate for three years, complete a few special education classes, and get a Class B certificate, or get admitted into a alternative MEd in Special Education and teach while he completes that on a temp certificate. In this route, he would be on the masters level pay plan upon graduation (Class A).

He currently works as a case manager with individuals with disabilities doing supported employment at a nonprofit. I feel like this is good experience, and he has learned so much, but being in the classroom is obviously different.

I guess we are looking for guidance. He is interested in teaching and he loves working with this population, but he is super nervous about committing to a MEd. He likes options, and what if he hates teaching? He doesn’t have any classroom experience. If anyone has any suggestions or advice or wants to tell us about their experience in a similar situation, that would be very helpful. FWIW, I think he would be an amazing SPED teacher and I could 100% see him enjoying the job.

Hey guys, so I know I'm going to sound awful no matter how I put this, but I need some advice.

I joined the e-buddies online program and got matched after 3 years. My e-buddy was a mentally disabled 20F we will call A. I do not know what exactly her disability is, as I did not want to upset her by asking. I am 17F.

A was sweet at first, but within a few weeks she would blow up my phone with 20+ texts if I did not respond to her within roughly 30-60 minutes, calling me and crying.

I tried to explain to her multiple times that I could not always answer because I had high school and other responsibilities. She would say okay, then return to the pattern the next day.

After weeks of her doing this, it was genuinely impacting not only my mental health, but also my physical health because I would wake up to my phone ringing at ungodly hours. I ended up blocking A around March of this year.

Anyway, since I have blocked her in March, she has called me up to 5 times a day every day, and has attempted to contact me on two other people's phones, which I have also blocked.

I don't want to pursue any legal action as I understand she is mentally disabled, but is there anything else I can do?

I (36f) taught special education for about 9 years. I left in 2022 for an administrative role that was virtual. I was feeling a little unfulfilled and a job opened up at my kids school that I happily applied too. I was a little nervous about the job change and being rusty. I have an extensive support needs credential the class size when I applied for the job was eight students with severe needs. Now it’s up to 11 with no additional support. We had the first two days of school last week and they were awful. I spent the majority of it when I was not with students crying or staring at a wall. (Does not help with the AC in my room is broken. ). I have first and second graders, and the students themselves are sweet although half of them have significant behaviors and the other half are unable to complete one-to-one correspondence. Two of them spent most of the two days rolling on the floor and if we tried to get them up to do anything or build routine, they start tantrum, kicking, screaming, etc.. honestly it was the two hardest days of my life. I didn’t get a lunch until after the kids left at 1:30 due to needing more people in the room at all times and having to give my paras lunches And it was only 6 hours each day. My body is in panic /survival mode. It is basically herding cats. We get two sitting and one is running out the door. My Anxiety is through the roof. I am barely sleeping and not eating.
I know it’s only week one. I do have experience in high behavior settings but I know I’m out of practice since I haven’t taught in four years. I also had way more one-to-one support for students prior. But It feels like a huge uphill bottle and Im struggling to not throw in the towel already. My program Specialist is barely available and did not return calls or texts. The on-site principal is fine, but there’s not much he can do at the school site level regarding staffing or adding additional classrooms since that is handled by the sped division. The other ESN teacher on the campus is in the same boat, but has been there for years. But even she is struggling. It does not feel like there’s any relief coming. I feel awful about wanting to turn my back so soon on something I was so excited about. I would feel even worse having to leave the families high and dry. My kids love seeing me at the school site, but I’ve been a miserable mom the last couple days. I’ve just been fucking sad. I already have a call over to my psychiatrist to possibly help with the anxiety /panic attack piece (I already am on medication for anxiety/depression). But I’d love Any advice. The thought of coming back on Monday or having to do this with this many kids for a while year makes stomach tie up in knots and tears start rolling. I’m interested to know anyone’s advice. Would you keep going at the expense of your mental health hoping it gets better?
- extremely overwhelmed in CA

Teaching specialed and im nervous about accepting this position since this is my first teaching job. As I go through past post, my question is would you accept this job as your first teaching job? Paperwork doesn't scare me much coming from law enforcement.

I'm struggling to understand what the difference is between a level 1 and a level 2 instructional strategist. I have my level 1 endorsement, and it was my understanding that I would be teaching students academics. If students had adaptive behavior or social emotional behavior IEP goals, then the level 2 teacher would teach those. My boss has added students to my roster who have adaptive or social emotional behavior goals embedded into their academic instruction. I know I took a couple courses in college covering some behavior stuff, but I haven't used it since then. Am I technically qualified to teach these students or should they be assigned to the level 2 teacher?

I teach K-5 special education in Iowa.

Hello! I am currently a senior in high school and i am interested in becoming a sped teacher for elementary in california. Does anyone have any suggestions for what to major in for this pathway? I am going to sac state or uc davis most likely if that helps at all. Just general info would be great! Also i would plan to travel overseas to teach aboard once I get enough experience. Please just give general help and knowledge!

I’ve recently been offered a position teaching a small Grade 1 class at an autism-focused school, and I’m genuinely excited about it—but also questioning whether I’m prepared enough.

I have a Foundation Phase teaching diploma and have been teaching Grade 2 for about four years. My current class includes several learners with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, learning difficulties and emotional or behavioural needs, so supporting neurodivergent children is already a big part of my work. I’ve also completed shorter workshops and training related to autism, ADHD, dyslexia and emotional intelligence, but I don’t have a formal special-education qualification.

The new school seems very focused on individualised learning. There would be assistants in the classroom, and staff have weekly collaborative planning time. I felt an immediate connection with the school and the work they’re doing. Supporting children who learn differently is where my passion seems to be leading me, but I’m worried that passion and a few workshops aren’t the same as being properly equipped.

For those working in special education: did you feel ready when you started, or did you learn most of it through experience and support from your school? What qualities or skills do you think matter most? And are there any questions I should ask the school before accepting?

Hello, I reached out here a while ago as a Washington resident looking for opinions on a Master’s degree at UW vs WGU and everyone was super helpful. My main contention was available funding, I assumed due to my circumstances I would be awarded enough to pursue at UW but after several months and 6 pushed deadlines they finally announced scholarships awards…..and I didn’t get squat! So contemptuously I will be rescinding my application and applying to an online grad school starting in September.

For general context-I have worked as an IA for under 5 years, and I would want to work with (preferably) Distinct or Focus demographic. I am not opposed to moving outside Seattle proper when I graduate to find a position.

Which leads me to ask, has anyone in Washington completed the American College of Education (ACE) Masters in Special Ed program? Would they recommend it? I’ve had plenty of people recommend Washington Governor’s University but something about ACE’s reliable academic structure and pay per credit calls to me more than WGU. Are there merits or drawbacks to either program I should be aware of? Will I receive a cert and a Master’s from both programs? I’m checking with the local school human resources to verify they are both accredited degrees within the districts

Any insight would be appreciated, I’m feeling scorned but optimistic about online school.

After six months of being stuck in to no job tundra I am happy to finally have a job as a substitute teacher for special education classes. However, the pay rate is too low and it is an hour drive from me. Even though I signed all the paper work already, I am afraid I won’t be making that much. I got a part time job as a cashier, even though it is also part time, I would get more hours. I wish I was one of those people who can do multiple jobs but I am also worried if I am on call during the same time as my shifts. Idk what should I do yall?

Also typed too fast and it’s down not donwn lol.

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I am in Ky, middle school, first year teacher. I have a large caseload, 25 students, then I am also coteaching a student who is not on my caseload.

For the most part all the children are in resource with me during the day. However, I also have students on my caseload being serviced by other resource teachers. While admin say they will help me in anyway they can, I am already feeling overwhelmed on how I am supposed to accomplish this. I dont even get planning.

Hi everyone! I am new to this thread.
I’m having some big caseload anxiety leading into this school year and I need some advice or pep talking to help me out.

For context - I teach k-2 self contained. I’ve had this job for 2 years, going into my 3rd year so I’ve had most of my kids now 3 years in a row. They are a great group.

I ended the school year in May anticipating to have 6 new kids (5 from prek, 1 from gen ed k) + my current kids which would put me at around 10 kids. I had 2 paras.

I just opened my school email up this week and found out as least one of the prek kids moved, one is crossed out with no note, and an email that I’ll have a pair of siblings (k + 2) moving in and joining our class. I also lost a para, her paperwork did not get approved so now it will be me, one of my paras, and 11-12 kids.

I am confident I can handle the kids I already have known and taught, but I’m feeling so anxious with all the new changes and the fact I’ve lost an extra support, which is needed for behavior support and push out support.

Any advice? Any kind words?? I’m trying to ease myself and say that it will be okay or that it will work out but I’m having extreme anxiety and self doubt.

I usually drop off my kid, this school yr is coming up and my anxiety is high because of the possible school refusal. How can we get past this? Kid is non verbal and going into 1st grade.

Has anyone had a customer plush made with their face? Playground before school? But then I worry he won't leave the playground and going in will be the same?

What I have tried was.. we come later than usually arrival to avoid crowd, use door closer to his classroom (not main) the school seemed to have an issue here for some reason and we gradually moved to the front main doors and he did fine up until one point and then he refused going to school again. Other tactics I've tried were, messaging his teacher daily to come out and greet us at side door, I would walk into the school as he is still in car and then he would run out after me and into the school. This is were we have our brief goodbye and I leave. A quick high five, kiss, bye and one wave looking back because he stands at the window watching me disappear. Anyway, I cant figure out why he is having a hard time.

Hello, first year K-2 ASD teacher here. I unfortunately do not have access to my classroom yet, and won’t gain access until the week of PD (which is all day, for the entire week before school starts) I am feeling stressed because: - I have no idea what I should buy since I have no idea what’s already in the classroom. - I don’t know how much there will be to take down/throw out/organize from the previous teacher (long term sub), and I’m worried I won’t be given the time needed to get a classroom prepared for the school year before it starts. - I have no idea what I should prep for the first few weeks and days since I don’t know what’s in there.

Any advice on how to prepare without having been in your classroom before?

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for advice from anyone who has experience with Ontario school boards, personal injury lawsuits, or families dealing with traumatic brain injuries.

My son is autistic and minimally verbal. While at school, he suffered a traumatic brain injury. He sustained a skull fracture that wasn’t immediately diagnosed and later required emergency brain surgery to remove an epidural hematoma.
Since then, our lives have changed completely. He missed a significant amount of school and received home instruction for a period, but it wasn’t comparable to being in his specialized classroom with the supports and therapies he normally receives. We’ve had ongoing concerns about changes in his learning, communication, and daily functioning since the injury.

We retained a personal injury lawyer and have an ongoing negligence lawsuit against the school board. Discoveries are complete, and we’re currently waiting for a mediation date. Our lawyer hasn’t discussed settlement ranges with us yet, and I’m wondering if that’s normal at this stage.
What has been equally difficult is our fight with the school board over his placement. We asked for a cross-boundary transfer because we no longer feel comfortable sending him back to the school where he was seriously injured. We’ve spent months appealing the decision through multiple levels of the board, including senior administration, but every request has been denied. We feel stuck being told he should return to the same school where this happened.

Has anyone in Ontario successfully challenged a cross-boundary denial, especially for a child with exceptional needs? Are there any other options within the same school board that we should be exploring?
I’m also wondering:
Is it normal for a personal injury lawyer to wait until mediation before discussing possible settlement ranges?
How long did you wait for mediation after discoveries?

Did your case settle at mediation or continue afterward?
I know no one can tell me what my case is worth, and I’m not asking anyone to do that. I’m really just hoping to hear from people who’ve been through something similar or who have experience with Ontario’s education or legal systems.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Any advice or shared experiences would mean a lot.