Post job
zippia ai icon

Automatically apply for jobs with Zippia

Upload your resume to get started.

Preschool disability teacher skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Quoted experts
Dr. Peg Hughes Ph.D.,
Dr. Rachel Potter
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical preschool disability teacher skills. We ranked the top skills for preschool disability teachers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 25.9% of preschool disability teacher resumes contained public schools as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a preschool disability teacher needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 preschool disability teacher skills for your resume and career

1. Public Schools

Public schools are available for everyone. They are funded and controlled by the government. With state guidance, each school board determines the curricula, finances, and jobs for schools within its borders. The government also decides on academic standards and standardised tests.

Here's how preschool disability teachers use public schools:
  • Track student progress using data forms approved by the Fairfax County Public Schools.
  • Worked collaboratively with the public schools to develop Individualized Education Plans for students placed at our facility.

2. Autism

Here's how preschool disability teachers use autism:
  • Experienced in Applied Behavior Analysis methodology for children with autism.
  • Work with paraprofessionals in the Autism and Mental Retardation Program.

3. Classroom Management

Here's how preschool disability teachers use classroom management:
  • Established and enforced rules for behavior, and procedures for classroom management.
  • Documented over 700 hours of district training for professional development in enhancing my repertoire of subject-specific pedagogy and classroom management skills.

4. Developmental Disabilities

Here's how preschool disability teachers use developmental disabilities:
  • Utilize the TEACCH method to help preschoolers with developmental disabilities reach their fullest potential.
  • Learned lots about different intellectual and developmental disabilities (gained lots of knowledge).

5. Intellectual Disabilities

Here's how preschool disability teachers use intellectual disabilities:
  • Educated students with mildly intellectual disabilities using life skill and adaptive behavior lessons resulting in educational gains as evidenced in annual assessment
  • Teach ten students with Moderate Intellectual Disabilities and supervised two paraprofessionals in a self-contained classroom.

6. Mathematics

Here's how preschool disability teachers use mathematics:
  • Created mathematics curriculum that aligned with Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks then modified the curriculum to align with the Common Core Standards.
  • Design and implement individualized curriculum and materials for a specially designed course in mathematics for students with mathematical disabilities.

Choose from 10+ customizable preschool disability teacher resume templates

Build a professional preschool disability teacher resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your preschool disability teacher resume.

7. Math

Here's how preschool disability teachers use math:
  • Planned and implement curricular subjects in the areas of: Social Skills, Math, Anger Management, English and Reading.
  • Utilize special methodology for instruction in Math, Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, and Reading.

8. ABA

ABA, an abbreviation for applied behavioral analysis, is a scientific behavior study.

Here's how preschool disability teachers use aba:
  • Implement behavior modification using ABA and Natural Environment Training (NET), as needed, on an individual basis.
  • Participated in District-sponsored yearlong training and coaching of teachers in making data-driven instructional decisions based on principles of ABA.

9. K-5

K-5 is a general term used in the United States of America for the education period beginning from kindergarten through the fifth grade of ages 5 -- 10.

Here's how preschool disability teachers use k-5:
  • Provided individual instruction for special education students K-5, worked one-on-one with children living with developmental disabilities and mental health issues.
  • Tutored students individually in grades k-5, assessing specific areas of need and developing assignments/activities for skill improvement.

10. Language

Here's how preschool disability teachers use language:
  • Develop age/developmentally appropriate lesson plans that encourage language development, social skills and daily life skills.
  • Create a language rich environment encouraging language development through daily routines and activities.

11. K-12

K12 is a term that incldues all 12 years of education in the US education system. It includes the education offered at the primary stage, middle stage, and secondary stage. It includes children of ages as young as 5 to 18 years. The grades included in K12 are Kindergarten, the initial 5 stages, grades 6 to 8, and 9 to 12. This system is followed specifically followed in the US and may vary in other countries.

Here's how preschool disability teachers use k-12:
  • Experienced at both regular education and alternative education K-12 planning and organizing instructional methods for youth with intellectual and behavioral challenges.
  • Certified Non-Categorical Grades K-12 Licensed Insurance Agent Associate of Specialized Business Degree, Accounting, Business Administration Certified Insurance Producer

12. Behavior Analysis

Behavior analysis is a scientific approach that seeks to comprehend people's behavior.

Here's how preschool disability teachers use behavior analysis:
  • Implement behavior strategies based on the Applied Behavior Analysis standards.
  • Developed Functional Behavior Analysis, Behavior Intervention Plans and Manifest Determination documents and lead the necessary meetings.

13. Data Collection

Data collection means to analyze and collect all the necessary information. It helps in carrying out research and in storing important and necessary information. The most important goal of data collection is to gather the information that is rich and accurate for statistical analysis.

Here's how preschool disability teachers use data collection:
  • Facilitated Community-Based Vocational Instruction at various locations and evaluating progress through data collection.
  • Developed a data collection program that facilitated specific instructional design for students involved in academic and behavior interventions.

14. Applied Behavior Analysis

Here's how preschool disability teachers use applied behavior analysis:
  • Incorporated principles of Applied Behavior Analysis for students requiring discrete trial learning, conditional discrimination, and task analysis.
  • Developed and implemented Applied Behavior Analysis techniques for young students with various disabilities in a self-contained classroom.

15. Educational Programs

An educational program is a program primarily concerned with the provision of education, including but not limited to early childhood education, primary and secondary education, post-secondary education, special education, vocational training, career and technical education, education for adults, and any program managed by an educational agency or institution.

Here's how preschool disability teachers use educational programs:
  • Designed and implemented individualized educational programs
  • Collaborated with regular education teachers and other personnel in the educational programming for students with disabilities.
top-skills

What skills help Preschool Disability Teachers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on preschool disability teacher resumes?

Dr. Peg Hughes Ph.D.Dr. Peg Hughes Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Chair, Department of Special Education. Coordinator of ECSE Programs, San Jose State University

-Transformative educators who are skilled in addressing racial and social inequities in their programs
-Educators who are fullly qualified and trained to work with students with disabilities who are also English-language learners
-Educators who are trained to work collaboratively with general educators on planning, teaching, and assessing those students with disabilities in gen-ed classrooms, i.e., co-teaching in inclusive settings
-Fluent in other languages besides English due to the diverse language backgrounds of students and families (at least in California)
-Any evidence of leadership work on the job, e.g., trainings for general educators on inclusion, diversity, families, and more
-Strong technology skills for communication with all stakeholders and for teaching students virtually
-Trained to teach using UDL approaches to address diversity of student learning styles

What soft skills should all preschool disability teachers possess?

Dr. Rachel Potter

Director of Applied Behavior Analysis & Autism Studies, Associate Professor of Education, Mary Baldwin University

In any teaching position, whether special education or otherwise, it is perhaps the soft skills that are the greatest indicators of professional aptitude and success. In my years as a principal, we used to call this "teacher mojo," and it was an aura that is easier to glean in an interview than on a resume but centers around those personal traits that the person brings with them to the table beyond their content and pedagogical knowledge and expertise. A hiring administrator wants to know that the candidate is collaborative; special education teachers are expected to partner with their general education colleagues and related service providers and serve as case managers of interdisciplinary teams. They need to have excellent listening and facilitation skills, demonstrated through approachability, patience, flexibility, cultural competence, and the ability to lead sometimes difficult conversations. Special educators need to have impeccable time management skills and be reliable when meeting deadlines, as timelines are set by federal legislation and state regulation, not simply the whim of a school administrator. Additionally, they need to model inclusivity and kindness; they are often the voices in their buildings for the excluded students. They should be confident enough to say, for example, "have we thought about accessibility concerns for the upcoming field trip?" and be willing to kindly remind their colleagues of equal access and inclusivity when someone suggests "leaving those kids behind just this one time."

What hard/technical skills are most important for preschool disability teachers?

Dr. Rachel Potter

Director of Applied Behavior Analysis & Autism Studies, Associate Professor of Education, Mary Baldwin University

It would be important for a special education teacher applicant to have experience administering standardized assessments and to be able to list specific examples of names of those assessments. These could include state assessments administered for NCLB purposes or norm-referenced assessments administered to students who are undergoing the child study or eligibility (or re-evaluation) process. Additionally, successful candidates can articulate not only standard classroom technology hardware and software systems in which they may be proficient but can also specifically name examples of adaptive and assistive technology equipment and programs they have used with students for IEP accommodations. Finally, special education teachers must also have skills in data collection and analysis, as they are responsible for setting measurable individualized targets for student performance, gathering regular data to assess growth toward those targets as skills are taught, and then analyzing those data to make instructional decisions. They also need to be able to use and interpret these data and other assessment data for stakeholders (such as parents) and work with the IEP team to plan appropriate services, accommodations, and placements for students based on measurable outcomes.

What preschool disability teacher skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Marcy Zipke Ph.D.Marcy Zipke Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Professor, Providence College

Now that many students are learning online, and the use of technology has been established, it will be hard to put that cat back in the bag. My advice would be to spend the gap year exploring educational technology tools like Google Classroom, Seesaw, Schoology, Screencastify, Kami, BrainPop, Padlet, MobyMax, NewsELA, and more. In the future, there may or may not be a need to teach completely online again, but these tools can be useful in the classroom or for home/school connections as well.

What type of skills will young preschool disability teachers need?

Dr. Richard Sabousky Ph.D.Dr. Richard Sabousky Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Retired Chair of Clarion's Special Education Department, Clarion University of Pennsylvania

New faculty will have to demonstrate an increased ability to differentiate instruction and work with the general education faculty to meet students where they are and implement techniques to accelerate the learning of all students who may have experienced COVID-related gaps in knowledge. Specifically, these skills would be related to explicit instruction and Direct Instruction, as well as other evidence-based techniques. Applications of instructional technologies mediated through computers and tablets, peers, and teachers will need to be used. An example would be related to questioning, having students respond to teacher questions in various ways. The most basic of these responses would be a binary response, such as right false questions next to a provided set of choices for students to select. Then, the most difficult of reactions - a production response, would show students' in-depth understanding. All of the above would be driven by the new faculty's experience with assessment and assessment practices. The outcomes of assessment, both formal and informal, will drive instruction.

Another skill or activity to be undertaken will be an intimate knowledge of the standards students must meet and resource materials available in their respective schools to help meet those standards. The textbook is not the curriculum or the standards but a vehicle to achieve those standards. By familiarizing the curriculum, educators will better handle those prerequisite skills needed to perform at the highest levels.

List of preschool disability teacher skills to add to your resume

Preschool disability teacher skills

The most important skills for a preschool disability teacher resume and required skills for a preschool disability teacher to have include:

  • Public Schools
  • Autism
  • Classroom Management
  • Developmental Disabilities
  • Intellectual Disabilities
  • Mathematics
  • Math
  • ABA
  • K-5
  • Language
  • K-12
  • Behavior Analysis
  • Data Collection
  • Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Educational Programs
  • Independent Living
  • Professional Development
  • Core Subjects

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse education, training, and library jobs