Education & Library
Special Education Teachers, Middle School
Also called: ED SPED Teacher (Emotional Disabilities Special Education Teacher), Interrelated SPED Teacher (Interrelated Special Education Teacher), Learning Disabilities Teacher (LD Teacher), Learning Support Teacher
US median pay
$66,810
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
-0.4%
declining
Openings a year (US)
6,000
94,800 employed
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Preparation 4/5 · Considerable preparation
What this job is
Teach academic, social, and life skills to middle 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.
What they do day to day
- Develop or write Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
- Develop and implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of handicapping conditions.
- Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
- Instruct students in daily living skills required for independent maintenance and self-sufficiency, such as hygiene, safety, and food preparation.
- Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification and positive reinforcement.
- Modify the general education curriculum for students with disabilities, based upon a variety of instructional techniques and instructional technology.
- Employ special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory.
- Confer with parents or guardians, other teachers, counselors, and administrators to resolve students' behavioral and academic problems.
- Coordinate placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Instructing4.1/5
- Social Perceptiveness4.0/5
- Service Orientation4.0/5
- Time Management3.8/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8/5
- Coordination3.8/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.4/5
- Systems Analysis3.0/5
Knowledge
- English Language4.3/5
- Education and Training4.2/5
- Mathematics4.0/5
- Administrative3.5/5
- Customer and Personal Service3.4/5
- Psychology3.4/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 4 of 5 — Considerable preparation. Usually a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.
Typical entry education (BLS): Bachelor's degree.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Bachelor's degree83%
- Master's degree15%
Who this job suits
Mostly Social
Helping, teaching and caring for people
Artistic
Creating, designing and self-expression
Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.