What degree would be useful in working with children with autism are bipolar, have Ocd and other mental disa?

Question

i am a senior in high school and trying to decide what my major should be. Your answers are greatly appreciated

Answer 1

There are lots of options

As mentioned you could be

- a special education teacher

- a school psychologist

- a clinical psychologist

- a school counselor

- a social worker

- a marriage and family counselor (MFT)

- a speech and language pathologist

- an occupational therapist

- A Behavior Analyst/ Behavior Specialist

All of these require education beyond a bachelors degree. You would need to get a Bachelors degree in education or psychology (or related field) and then do post graduate work that may include a masters degree to get a credential, certification or license after your bachelors for most of these positions it is about 2 additional years of schooling or a little less if you go full time... a little more if you don't. Well worth it and always in demand.

Answer 2

First of all, autism is not a mental disease.  It is a brain development problem, the cause of which has not been determined.  

Your major for any of the situations you mentioned, would be for elementary and secondary education with special education as your specialty.  There is a big demand for good special educators.  You will not only learn about the lower end of the spectrum but you will also learn about the higher end of it: gifted and talented.  You can choose to teach either level but do know that you will be learning about both so keep your options open.  

Special ed. is very demanding (as are most of the teaching positions today).  You will not only know your textbook stuff but you will also learn the laws of your state regarding compliance (that means meeting the requirements of the state) for special ed. children.

Spend some time with children - not just babysitting but in a teaching environment.  You could be an assistant or just working one on one with a child.  YOu may want to spend time with regular classroom children AND special ed children so  you see where you might fit in as a teacher.  

It takes a very special person to be a teacher and an extra special person to be a special ed. teacher.  There are more and more children being diagnosed with autism today who will need your understanding and help.  And again, you need to have some experience with all different kinds of children before you make up your mind.  So leave your mind open and be flexible.  Look at these experiences in a critical thinking way.  Understand where YOUR strengths are and use them for your teaching.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Your major should be Special Education - Cross Categorical or Interrelated. This degree will prepare you to work with children who have varying disabilities.

I have a Cross-Categorial MAEd. and am currently a K-1 IDMI or MiLD teacher (Intellectually Disabled - Mild).  I have worked with students who have been diagnosed with Autism, Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD), and mild to severe/profound learning disabilities. The most rewarding has been cross-categorical preschool...hard work, but worth it in the long run.

If the college you are looking for does not have this major, what you describes sounds more on the lines of working with students who have Intellectual Disabilities formerly known as Mental Retardation (MR).

Might I recommend doing what other teachers have done and I wished someone would have gave me the hint; Major in Special Education then obtain your MAEd. in Regular Ed or vice versa. This way you'll have the best of both worlds and ideas to help all children, especially those with special needs.

Good luck to you!  Special education teachers are desperately needed.

Answer 4

So im autistic and as a child i dealt with alot of people and i was treated within the mental health system (thats how it works in ireland) so the people i dealt with also treated children with various other disorders. You could go into any of these areas...

Social worker

Child psychologist

Occupational therapist (specialising in mental health)

or any degree that deals with developmental psycholoy would be a good place to start.

The two main ones are child psychologist and occupational therapist. Poeple think occupational therapist are like physiotherapists and only help people recover from physical injuries but there is a branch of occupatonal therapy that deals with mental health. With the occupational therapist i used to do art therapy and that sort of thing.

Answer 5

Something along the lines of "Working with people with developmental disabilities"

Answer 6

A Spec Ed degree can still get you hired. However In New York state, and I have heard that elsewhere it is the same what they are looking for is a teacher with certification in both regular and special ed. The classroom inclusion classes are combined to some degree so that you need to know how to teach all types of students. Multilingual candidates are in higher demand as well.  They have degrees in some schools that combine the two teaching certifications  into one program.

Answer 7

A degree in psychology would be very useful and it is quite an interesting degree course. In the meantime try to get as much experience of working with people with special educational needs. Good luck.

Answer 8

Obtain a degree teaching degree with a specialty in special education.  This is a GREAT career to go in because of the high demand, and not to mention the satisfaction of working with needy children.