Special needs teachers

Special needs teachers teach physically or mentally handicapped children, young persons, or adults, or those with learning difficulties or other special needs. They promote the social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of their students.

Tasks and duties

• Assessing students' abilities and limitations with regard to intellectual, physical, social and emotional impairments, exceptional intellectual gifts, or other special situations
• Designing or modifying curricula and preparing and delivering programmes, lessons and activities adapted to students’ abilities and needs
• Giving instruction on an individual or group basis using special techniques or aids appropriate to students’ needs
• Employing special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory
• Establishing and enforcing rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students
• Teaching academic subjects, and practical and self-help skills to students with hearing, sight and other impairments
• Stimulating and developing students’ confidence, interests, abilities, manual skills and coordination
• Conferring with other staff members to plan and schedule lessons for special needs students
• Preparing and maintaining student data and other records and submitting reports
• Administering various forms of assessment and evaluating progress of each student
• Conferring with students, parents, head teachers and other relevant professionals involved in the students’ care to develop individual educational plans designed to promote students' development