6 Key Special Education Teacher Skills
Written by:
Wilson College
• Jun 11, 2025
6 Key Special Education Teacher Skills
The majority of students who receive special education services are enrolled in regular schools and spend most of their time in classes alongside general education students. Special education teachers play a critical role in ensuring that their students receive the support they need to succeed.
Special education teachers make a profound difference in the lives of their students by applying specialized instructional techniques and personalized support—core skills that special education teachers need to foster academic and personal growth.
Pursuing a Master of Special Education degree can hone many vital skills, allowing graduates to meaningfully impact the lives of special education students.
What Does a Special Education Teacher Do?
Special education teachers provide support to children with a range of mental, emotional, physical, and learning disabilities , including dyslexia, visual or hearing impairments, anxiety or depression, and autism spectrum disorder.
They work with students from preschool through high school, modifying general education lessons on various subjects for those with mild to moderate disabilities, as well as teaching basic life skills to those with more severe disabilities. A core part of special education teachers’ jobs is the development of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs): academic plans tailored to the unique needs of each student.
A special education teacher’s job description varies based on where they work and the type of students they work with. Common day-to-day responsibilities include the following:
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Assessing students’ abilities and determining their needs
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Identifying academic and developmental goals and outlining them in IEPs
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Implementing IEPs and evaluating their effectiveness
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Updating IEPs based on students’ progress toward goals
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Working with other teachers, administrators, and parents to support students’ progress
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Assisting students as they transition from one grade to the next as well as preparing them for life outside of school
6 Skills Special Education Teachers Need
In some ways, a special education teacher’s job is more nuanced than a general education teacher’s, requiring a unique blend of technical expertise and interpersonal competencies to foster student development.
The skills a special education teacher leverages to support students can be divided into two categories: soft skills and hard skills. Special education teachers rely on both sets of skills to help students succeed.
Soft Skills
While soft skills, including interpersonal competencies and emotional intelligence, are important for any teacher, they’re particularly vital for those in special education. These skills often define what sets an exceptional special education teacher apart.
Below are some of the most critical soft skills for special education teachers.
1. Empathy
Practicing empathy allows teachers to understand and appreciate students’ emotions and perspectives, thus cultivating a more supportive learning environment. Special education teachers demonstrate this by tailoring their methods to students’ individual needs and exercising patience and adaptability when challenges arise.
2. Communication
Effective communication is essential for explaining concepts in a way that students with learning or other disabilities can easily understand. It also helps ensure that students feel comfortable expressing their own ideas and feelings. Special education teachers also need this skill to build relationships and collaborate with parents and other educational professionals.
3. Problem-Solving
Because each student presents their own unique needs and challenges, often requiring creative solutions, special education teachers need to be skilled problem-solvers. This means being able to evaluate various solutions and identify the best approach for a particular student, as well as modify methods when progress stalls.
Hard Skills
Hard skills encompass specific techniques, strategies, and technical knowledge that allow special education teachers to set students up for success. This includes the capabilities below.
1. Master of Special Education Teaching Methodologies
Because the mix of students special education teachers work with is so diverse, teachers must be able to tailor their approach to each student’s distinct needs and goals. This involves applying different methodologies, such as the following:
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Differentiated Instruction: Tailoring lesson plans to individual students
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Multisensory Learning: Instruction that engages multiple senses, especially effective for students with learning disabilities or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
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Peer Tutoring: Pairing students with different abilities to help all students progress both academically and socially
2. Knowledge of Special Education Laws and Policies
Special education teachers must be well-versed in the rules and regulations that govern special education, including the creation and implementation of IEPs as well as the rights of students with disabilities.
3. Behavioral Management
Just as special education employs distinct pedagogical methods, managing behavior in a special education classroom requires specialized strategies. Depending on the situation, this may include rewarding positive behavior, managing conflict, or understanding triggering factors for disruptive behavior.
Benefits of Earning a Master’s Degree in Special Education
The advanced expertise and skills special education teachers can gain aren’t the only advantages of pursuing a master’s degree in special education. Below are some of the other benefits.
Job Security
The number of children in special education has doubled over the last few decades, reaching an all-time high of roughly 7.5 million in the 2022-2023 school year, an increase of more than 1 million year over year. Despite this, nearly 80 percent of public schools faced challenges recruiting fully certified special education teachers for the 2022-2023 school year, according to a report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
Earning a master’s degree in special education can equip teachers with the specialized skills needed to meet the growing need for qualified educators. This advanced degree offers a pathway to job security, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts nearly 36,000 job openings for special education teachers annually between 2023 and 2033.
New Career Opportunities
Pursuing a master’s degree in special education helps teachers hone existing pedagogical skills and develop new ones, allowing them to level up their abilities in the classroom or shift into new roles outside of it. Students in these programs explore advanced topics, such as educational policy and curriculum development and implementation, positioning them to pursue roles such as the following:
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Instructional coordinators
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Education administrators, such as principals or superintendents
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Educational consultants
Become a More Skilled Educator
Special education teachers are more crucial than ever as the number of students who need specialized support continues to grow. Helping these students succeed in school and life requires a combination of technical expertise, emotional intelligence, and adaptability.
If you’re looking to grow professionally and have a greater impact on students’ lives, explore the Master of Special Education degree program at Wilson College Online. This fully online program, designed for working teachers, offers asynchronous coursework that allows you to immediately apply what you’re learning to your own classroom as you work toward your degree.
Find out how we can help you achieve your goals.
Recommended Readings
What Is Early Intervention in Special Education?
Private School vs. Public School: What Teachers Need to Know
Flexible Learning Environments: How Do They Benefit Students?
Sources:
ECAP, “Teaching Strategies for Special Education”
Indeed, “Special Education Majors: Benefits and Career Options”
Indeed, “Special Education Teacher Skills: A Guide for Job Seekers”
National Center for Education Statistics, Students With Disabilities
