A special educator helps children with special needs learn the same information and skills as other children at school. He/she works with children of all ages who have special needs of cognitive, emotional or physical nature.

Different types of disabilities that need special education are:

1. Specific learning disability (SLD) – This condition affect a child’s ability to read, write, listen, speak, reason or do math. Here are some of the issues that could fall in this category:

• Dyslexia
• Dysgraphia
• Dyscalculia
• Auditory processing disorder

2. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) – ASD is a developmental disability. It covers a wide range of symptoms and skills, but mainly affects a child’s social and communication skills, thus impacting their behaviour.
3. Speech or language impairment – The umbrella term “speech or language impairment” covers some communication problems. Those include stuttering, impaired articulation, language impairment or voice impairment.
4. Visual impairment, including blindness – A child who has vision problems is considered to have a visual impairment.
5. Hearing impairment including Deafness – children who aren’t able to process language through hearing are included under this category.
6. Intellectual disability – Children with this disability have below-average intellectual ability. They may also have poor communication, self-care and social skills. Down syndrome is an example of this disability.
7. Other health impairments – The umbrella term “other health impairments” covers conditions that limit a child’s strength, energy or alertness. An example of this category is the issue with attention like ADHD. Some individuals with Emotional disturbances like anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression also come under this category

The job of a special educator is somewhat similar to a general teacher in schools. They provide learning assistance to students with different needs by evaluating individual progress and making detailed reports on each of them. They may work in resource centres that include only special needs students, or they may work in inclusive classrooms where they assist general teachers in providing special needs kids with individualised attention and unique customised approaches they need to develop their full potential.

A special educator often uses effective teaching techniques so that the learning experiences of students can be improved. Their primary duties include:

• meeting with parents to discuss regular progress of their children
• modifying the general education curriculum to address the needs of specific students
• providing the required instructions for individual students
• diagnosing children with special needs as early as possible through tests and scrutinising their workbooks and behaviour
• advising general teachers and parents on techniques to assist students in the learning process

Each special education student is a unique case with unique needs. Teachers need to create the best teaching environment for each student. There are many different types of developmental disabilities and are often diagnosed in young children. Students that are assessed and determined to have delays during early childhood are more likely to outgrow the delays. Early recognition creates quicker fixes.

A student first receives a referral for special education services by a parent or teacher. The referral is followed by a detailed assessment process. It is usually pre-school children and kindergarten students that are assessed and early intervention is the best way to help students with special needs. Some developmental delays include physical delays, cognitive delays, communicative delays, social delays, or emotional delays.  Once a developmental delay has been ascertained, a group of professionals, the parents and the student can establish an individualized educational plan (IEP).