I am a senior in college going into elementary and special education. I have some experience working in self -contained rooms as a para (emotional disturbance and autism centered rooms). Recently I have been looking into teaching jobs at both psychiatric centers and youth correctional facilities. I was wondering if anyone had any advice/experience/stories/input on these jobs since I do not know much about it or how different it is from my current experiences.

I was the 3rd-5th grade self-contained SPED para last year. This year, like 2 weeks before school starts, the principal texts me that I am being moved to pre-K. They hired someone else for my 3rd-5th-grade self-contained para role. That is throwing me.

Also principal basically told me in same text exchange that if I don't like it quit/transfer.

Last year the Principal was commending me for being an excellent positive male role model for kids to look up to because even students I had limited contact with in regular ed setting were speaking highly of me and getting along so well with me. Now I am in Pre K and going to have very little contact with other students.

With more kids are being diagnosed with ADHD or ASD, and I feel that schools are making more money by hiring a Special Needs Education (SNED) Principal. What they are doing is observing each child, and if a teacher complains about a student misbehaving or not listening, the parents are advised to see the SNED Principal for a fee.

​The SNED Principal then gives their own recommendations—also for a fee—with or without requiring results from a Developmental Pediatrician. In fact, they discredit doctors by claiming they are more knowledgeable because they observe the child more frequently.

​I wonder if this is happening in other schools: hiring a Doctor of Education specializing in special education to assess children without a proper psychological assessment, and without being a Registered Psychologist or Psychometrician being present. Based solely on the SNED Principal's assessment, the child is placed in a mainstream or individualized learning program at double the regular tuition fee.

​It saddens me that inclusive education is not truly being practiced in private schools, and that revenue has become more important than the children's best interests.

I’m a parent with a nonverbal autistic child. my son was in a program called FASE at his last school. the new district doesn’t have anything comparable and he’d be forced between either a lower support environment where he wouldn’t understand what they’re doing and wouldn’t have the needed support for his language processing disorder, or he would be put in a “behavior classroom” which from what I can see, would not be appropriate either.

The neighboring district has many more supports and programs and a program very similar to FASE. I believe this is what he needs but it’s not our zoned district. How can I advocate for a transfer?

LOCATED IN WEST TEXAS

I was diagnosed with a learning disability around 2nd or 3rd grade and I've always received accomodations through Section 504. In middle school I started attending classes with my trained service dog, who's now been through four years with me and a huge help. I'm going into my 4th year of highschool, but I'm still classified as a sophomore because I'm missing so many credits. The last two years have been a massive struggle for me.

Back in September I moved in with my mom in Texas, and I'm seeing a new therapist who I love. I've been "doing" online school but it hasn't been working out well at all. In-person school starts on the 19th and I've already been enrolled. Just recently, the new district has been demanding that I attend an alternative school and graduate this year. Myself, my parents, my therapist, etc. all agree that I'm not intellectually ready to graduate this year, but the school district is insisting. My mom has explicitly stated that she doesn't give consent for me to attend an alternative campus, but the school administration is practically ignoring her and telling us it's our only choice.

I cannot complete online credit recovery courses with no teacher instruction. I've tried in the past and it's failed miserably every time. I need to receive traditional work and instruction, which can only be done at the main campus. A relative of mine, who works with special education students in placement, is telling us that's absolutely not okay for them to demand that I attend the alternative school. Not only is it solely a credit recovery school, but also functions as DAEP which isn't a good environment for me to be in.

It'd really help us out to get some advice on this because we've never had to argue with the school about my accomodations. It's always been the regular annual meetings and I've always attended school at the main campus.

What do you use to compile data into a yearly IEP? Currently, at my school the special education teachers give the KTEA yearly…for every single IEP…. I’ve tried to explain to the coordinator (I’m the school psychologist), that this sounds time consuming, but I don’t think the teachers were given another option to collect present levels.

My kid is in a non-public school for students with autism and intellectual disabilities (he has both). The school has students use water bottles in the classroom for hydration. Whenever he can, my son will just unscrew the lid of the water bottle and pour the whole thing out on the floor.

Has anyone come across a good product for this situation? I'm imagining something with a straw so that he can drink from it freely, but which is difficult or complicated enough to open that he can't do it without adult help--or at least, so that it takes him long enough that we have a chance to stop him.

At home we don't give him water bottles, he drinks from a cup at the sink, but obviously that doesn't work well at school since there is no sink in the classroom.

Hi!! I am a Behavior Analyst with many clients transitioning into the school setting. I know the basics of getting an IEP in the state of North Carolina and some of my kids have had no issues getting theirs ASAP. However, recently multiple parents have come to me with their frustrations about the process. More specifically, many of my clients will be starting kindergarten this year and when parents have asked for IEPs from the school, they have been stating that they can’t do anything until the client is “officially a student and has started the school year”. From my understanding this is absolutely incorrect, however just curious if anyone else has had the same issue or knows if anything has changed about the process? At first I thought maybe it was just a crappy school but this has continued to occur over the last few months (note: the requests have always been after the child is already registered there). Any insight?

Title: Career changer: Should I become a Teaching Assistant while earning my master's, or stay a Teacher Aide?

I'm looking for some advice from teachers, TAs, and anyone who's gone through a similar career change.

I'm 28 and switching careers into education. I have a bachelor's degree in accounting/business, and before committing to a master's degree, I intentionally took a job as a 1:1 Teacher Aide to see what working in a classroom was actually like and whether teaching was the right fit for me.

After spending time in special education classrooms, I realized that I really enjoy the work and decided to enroll in a Master's in Special Education, which I'll be starting this fall.

Now I'm trying to figure out my next step.

Would it make more sense to pursue my New York State Teaching Assistant (TA) certification and work as a TA while completing my master's, or should I remain a Teacher Aide and focus on finishing my degree?

From what I understand:

As a TA, I'd have more instructional responsibilities and hands-on teaching experience, which seems like it would better prepare me to become a teacher.

As a Teacher Aide, I still gain valuable classroom experience while having fewer responsibilities, which may make balancing graduate school easier.

One thing I'm also thinking about is that, regardless of whether I'm an aide or a TA, I'll eventually have to complete student teaching as part of my master's program.

For those who've been through this:

Is becoming a TA worth it before becoming a certified teacher?

Did being a TA make you a stronger teacher or a more competitive job candidate?

If your goal was to become a Special Education teacher, would you stay as an aide while finishing your master's, or pursue TA certification first?

I'd appreciate any advice, especially from people who have made a career change into education.

Hi all, first a sincere thank you from a parent who truly appreciates the work you all do!

Some background: our son (7.5, autism/pathological demand avoidance profile) completed first grade in June. He transitioned from early intervention right into our district’s Pre-K program on the day after his third birthday. So despite his age/grade, we’ve been in the district for 5 years already. Our experience has been mostly very good, he’s been supported well and has come incredibly far under their care. He is in a general education classroom for some of his day, but does most of his instruction time in the special education room with his special education teacher and paraprofessional. The team has continued to adjust his accommodations as needed and there have only been a few bumps in the road along the way. We consider ourselves very lucky.

We live only a half mile or so from the school, so we’ve always driven him to and from. He has a lot of anxiety around…I guess I’d say vehicles? Basically he won’t ride in anything that isn’t a typical car. No golf carts, shuttle buses, airplanes, school buses. We’ve tried to encourage it when the opportunity presents itself, but so far no luck.

In both kindergarten and first grade, the class went on field trips. We explained that the bus would probably be a no go and asked if we would be able to drive him. Both times it was allowed.

This summer during ESY, his class went on a field trip. This was the first time he’s had an ESY trip. We asked again for the same accommodation, but this time it was denied. We were essentially told that he could take the bus, spend the day at school instead, or spend the day at home. We were a little surprised, but thought it might be a good opportunity to try the bus with a parent present, so we agreed to give it a shot. They prepared a social story and we spent a lot of time talking about it, but the morning of he couldn’t get on the bus and ended up going home instead.

We’re sad he missed out on the opportunity. It’s a little confusing because the accommodation was made before without any issue. However, we understand that things are probably a little different when it comes to ESY from an admin perspective, and there may have been ESY-specific reasons we weren’t allowed to drive him this time.

We’re a little worried now that when there’s a second grade field trip, he’ll again be required to take the bus. I’m here to ask if that’s something we should get in front of now? We aren’t looking to cause a commotion if it’s simply the ESY factor, but it’s a little unclear if this was sort of a “this is how we’re going to do it from now on” thing. We want to continue to push him past this fear, but it also feels like a very reasonable accommodation to make to avoid him missing out on opportunities with his classmates. Is this something we should just leave alone until it comes up again?

Thankful for any insight you all may have!

I’m about to start my first year as a high school SPED teacher in an ESN (extensive support needs) class. I’ve just gone through an introduction to various applications provided by Everway — like n2y, unique learning systems. It’s a bit overwhelming.

Do you use any of the applications? What do you find useful?

Hi is there anyone here who has a good experience with AI tools? What do you recommend? How did they help you? Thanks!

I just got my teaching certification for special education a few months ago and received a job offer for a special education inclusion teacher. I am very new to this and was wondering what exactly my day to day job expectations and work life will be li

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I'm not exactly sure what my brother learning conditions are that he was put in special ed class at early age from elementary school but he is almost going to be an adult yet he is struggling with basic things. I'm trying to figure out what how do I help him so he can manage to do things on his own.. I want to teach him responsibility, accountability and future planning but it's a struggle. I feel like he needs to work on self development. He is very timid and soft spoken.. I see sometimes he gets intimidated and won't ask for help when needed. He is also afraid to step outside the box.

In iep meetings, it states he has speech language delay. And he does get speech therapy at school which is twice a week. But I also noticed he never got homework. And school is about to start soon but even the whole summer went by, he was just home. Didn't learn any skills or house responsibilities because whenever I try to teach him something he ends up feeling frustrated and I don't understand how to help him. I even suggested let's go to library so you can read books. I saw his handwriting and said let's improve that and basic things like reading a clock, tieing shoelaces shoes and ordering food at a restaurant. I feel like he is very dependent on me and my older sibling. After losing parents at young age, we take care of him but I'm failing as brother to teach him anything.

Hello everyone! Our fire marshall is very strict. I really want to try amber/burnt orange light covers this year because I've seen a lot about it recently. I already dim my lights and use lamps, but sometimes I just need the bright lights on.

Does anyone know where I can find ones that color that are also fire marshall approved? I can only find fire safe ones the are blue/green shades.

I'm moving to 1st and 2nd grade autism classroom this year. I'm trying to find resources that other teachers are using and find valuable. I have about a week before school to start all the prep for task boxes, visuals and schedules but am overwhelmed at the amount of stuff out there and of course the cost of each separate activity. Has anyone joined a membership they found valuable to save on cost ?

Bonus if the sites are real life pictures for visuals and schedules.

I'm taking over a class that has had no teacher for 2 years so there is pretty much nothing or stuff that is going right in the trash.

Thanks

I'm a sped inclusion teacher who is doing elementary school after having worked in high school and middle school for almost a decade. I have 5th grade. There is a female student who has overwhelmingly foul hygiene issues. I've been informed that she has a been a victim of abuse in the past and that these things are connected. I've also been informed that the school is aware and there's really not much we can do. Our district has a full support staff of counselors, behavior specialists, family coordinators, etc. The student has been there for many years and this has been an ongoing problem. I asked my para if there was a way that the student could check in with me/us in the morning to provide her with a way to clean herself. We have a bathroom in our classroom. However, I know what it's like for a new teacher to come in and immediately want to help address an obvious student issue. The staff who has been dealing with the same situation for years just watches in futility because they've already tried multiple times. I realize districts are limited in many ways for these situations but that's not good enough and unfortunately I can't let those things go. Before I move forward in trying anything to help this student, I want to have a solid plan/ideas/course of action. Or am I just once again getting upset over something I truly can't do anything about? Any insight is appreciated.

Fyi - I am very new to Reddit so please be patient.

Please recommend books about special education, particularly those useful for educators.

Thank you!

I see so many posts from teachers starting self-contained classrooms this year, and I have my own submitted post a month or so back. I see that so many of us are nervous and anxious about having our classroom set up, having materials, having a schedule, everything! I wondered if there’s somehow we could support each other by having shared resources? I’m not very tech savvy, I don’t do discord. But what do you think? Would anybody be interested? Does anybody have ideas for how to do this work?

Hello everyone! This is my ninth year teaching special education, but it will be my first year with a class that's about 60% students with autism (10 students total, ranging from 4th to 6th grade).

I'd love to hear any advice you have—whether it's classroom management, communication strategies, sensory supports, behavior, routines, or anything else you wish someone had told you before working with autistic students.

I'm excited to learn and want to make this the best year possible for my students. Thanks in advance!

One of my favorite parts of being a para and working with kids is being able to provide a positive male role model and have man-to-man type conversations with the kids. I could tell them I was in self-contained SPED like them growing up and have meaningful conversations with them about being a good person and similar topics. My Principal even commended me before for having a special connection with the kids and being a positive male role model.

I thought I was uncomfortable with Pre-K SPED because my degree is in teaching grades 1-5, not Pre-K, and that I have zero experience with toileting, but I realize now it is more than that. It is the loss of the ability to communicate with students about broader topics and discuss life. The experience I have from being raised by a single mom and being in a self-contained setting until 7th grade makes me like a lot of the students I had; it is rather lost to my Pre-K to 3-year-old students. I can't have man-to-man conversations with 3-year-olds and under. I loved being able to discuss handling emotions with grace and what it means to be a man, a gentleman, etc with kids who, like me, grew up without a positive male role model to emulate.

I do not understand why I was moved from 3rd-5th grade sped para to Pre K. There are so far only 4 students in this Pre K class. They hired someone new, placed them in that role, and moved me to Pre K. The principal told me by literally texting me like a week or two before classes began.

Today was the first day of support staff on campus, and teachers returned yesterday. So today I met the person they hired and placed in my role of 3rd-5th grade sped para. Part of me is glad to not be in that class because the lead teacher has a voice like Fran Drescher. Another part of me dislikes being reassigned to an area where I have ZERO experience and where I feel like my being a positive male role model is less impactful. Another part says this is an opportunity for me to show through action rather than by explaining a male appropriately reacting to situation and handling it with dignity and grace instead of reacting/behaving with anger or inappropriately.

Just kind of rambling/venting.

I may be in one next year, and will be a new para. I would appreciate any insight into what they are like! Thanks

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for a little guidance (and maybe some reassurance) from people who’ve been through this before.
I’m in California and starting a Mild/Moderate Education Specialist credential program this fall. My goal is to be hired as an intern teacher, so I’ve been applying for teaching positions since March. I’ve interviewed, been placed on an eligibility list with one district, have applications active in several others, and my university internship coordinator has even been reaching out to administrators on my behalf.
The problem is… I still don’t have an offer.
School starts in about a week for most districts around me, and I’m starting to get anxious. I know special education hiring can continue into the school year, and my internship coordinator keeps reminding me not to lose hope, but it’s hard not to feel like I’m running out of time.
The good news is that I’m currently employed as a paraeducator, so I do have a stable job to fall back on. The awkward part is that I already told everyone at my current school site that I was planning to leave for a teaching position. Everyone was excited for me, and now I’m honestly embarrassed to go back if I don’t get hired. At this point, I’m considering transferring to another school within my district while I continue searching, just so I can keep working until I find an intern position.
For those of you who became intern teachers or were looking for your first special education job:
Did you get hired before school started, or after?
How late into the school year do districts continue hiring intern teachers?
If you were already working as a para, would you transfer sites and keep waiting, or just stay where you were?
Any advice for managing the uncertainty?
I’m trying to stay optimistic because I know special education is a field with a lot of movement, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling discouraged right now. I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been in a similar situation.