All Special Needs Parents/Someone who knows about questions concerning this?

Question

Hi there!

I have always been very interested in having a career helping the special needs population. I was wondering if anyone knew what careers involved this group (I figured parents would know).

I know of special ed. teacher & occupational therapist... anyone know of any more?

I'm not interested in money, most people that work with these groups don't make much anyway-I am, however, interested in a career that can transfer easily... Fiancee going into the marines.

Thank you all SO MUCH

Answer 1

Either of those careers sound really good. Also, if you have some special skill (art, cooking, crafts, etc.) that you could teach to people with special needs, see if there's anywhere in your community/nearby schools where you could hold classes in the evening or on weekends; these activities can be very enjoyable for both you and them. Also, don't limit this to your career; consider joining a group like Best Buddies if it's available in your school/community. (If you're not familiar with Best Buddies, it's a program where you get paired up with someone with special needs. You have to go to monthly events/meetings, make contact with your Buddy at least once a week, and do a one-on-one activity at least once a month.) This program is very rewarding and can lead to a lifelong friendship. (I should add that it's most common in high schools and colleges, but some communities also have similar programs for adults, so look into it if it interests you.)

Answer 2

Special education paraprofessional, physical therapist, speech therapist, ABA (applied behavioral analysis) therapist, hearing clinician, child advocate, caseworkers, social workers.  There are so many careers that you could go into that involve helping special needs children or adults.  Teaching could be tough because all states have different licensure requirements.  However, if you really wanted to teach you could become nationally board certified and this would transfer anywhere in the country.  (Warning it is very time consuming to do a national board cert.)  Good luck!

Answer 3

I would imagine OT would be easily transferable and also you can add on education if a certain area of your intersest changes. There is alot involved in and many aspects of OT.

Answer 4

I would consider going in as a Special Education Aide. That way you can gain experience working with special needs individuals with a variety of disabilities and wherever you go, school districts are looking for classroom aides. Try working as a substitute so that you don't have to commit to one classroom and then you can find your niche. Most other careers that deal with individuals with disabilities often require an educational background. Good luck!

Answer 5

Try working with adults.  There are agencies who get paid through the government that hire people to do several things.  One option, not needed experience is to be a job coach for someone with a disability.  You help them learn how to do their job and then help them to retain their job by working with the client one on one and visiting them at work.  You stay in contact with employer to find out if there are things the client can learn to help improve their performance at work.  One agency that does this is called, Anthony Wayne Services (AWS) out of Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA.  Give a look at their web site for other career ideas.

Answer 6

For specialized programs, they usually hire for support staff which means if a kid needs a time out or has to face consequences,they deal with this stuff.The programs provide the training.Same goes for residential programs.

Answer 7

Working as an aide in a special ed classroom is a job that will work well just about anyplace you go, even on overseas bases with DoDDs schools.  Check the state you live in, and any you move to as each state and district may have it's own list of requirements.  If you are looking/interested in going back to school yourself, then special ed is a good field, as is speech pathology (speech therpist), occupational therapy and behavioral modification/applied behavior analysis.  All of these would require a minimum of a master's before you could work in the field, but many school systems will hire you with a bachelor's and help you get to your master's.  All of those fields are in need, in schools systems as well as in state and private areas.  Finally, something to consider doing no matter what path you take is learning American Sign.  This is a huge plus to anyone working in special ed and would make you even more attractive as a potential hire.

Answer 8

Try Special Education Advocate. Law firms that work on behalf of families of students with disabilities train you in a few weeks.

At my school some special education assistants were being recruited to do this job. They had no college credits. The job paid more than their assistant positions with the school district.

Litigation is based on the Federal IDEA law, so your experience would be portable across the US.