What does a special education assistant teacher do?
Special education assistant teacher responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real special education assistant teacher resumes:
- Perform responsible human support and paraprofessional work assisting classroom teacher or other professionals, achieve institution objectives.
- Collect and record daily ABA data.
- Plan lessons in mathematics, reading and writing.
- Assist children with developmental skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics.
- Facilitate the instruction of regular and special education curriculum in reading, writing, language, and math skills.
- Plan and deliver daily lessons in literacy, math, and daily living skills to high school students in small groups.
- Communicate with supervising instructional staff and professional support personnel for the purpose of assisting in evaluating progress and/or implementing IEP objectives.
- Assist teachers in special education classes in implementing lessons, modifying student behavior, and instilling organizational skills and effective study habits
Special education assistant teacher skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Special Education Assistant Teachers are proficient in Classroom Management, Math, and CPR. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Interpersonal skills, and Patience.
We break down the percentage of Special Education Assistant Teachers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Classroom Management, 14%
Administer successful proactive classroom management plans and demonstrate effective behavior management plans according to Individualized Behavior Plans.
- Math, 12%
Provided educational training in the subjects of English and Math to special need students with Autism and ED/MR.
- CPR, 11%
Maintain CPR certification and follow crisis intervention and management techniques established through Professional Crisis Management Association.
- Mathematics, 10%
Assisted children with developmental skills such as reading, writing, and mathematics.
- Behavioral Problems, 8%
Apply various academic strategies and social skills techniques in an environment that decreases behavioral problems.
- IEP, 6%
Created academic lessons; facilitated the curriculum according to each student's Individual Educational Plan (IEP) and learning styles.
Common skills that a special education assistant teacher uses to do their job include "classroom management," "math," and "cpr." You can find details on the most important special education assistant teacher responsibilities below.
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a special education assistant teacher to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "teacher assistants need to be clear and concise in discussing student progress with teachers and parents." Additionally, a special education assistant teacher resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "mentor all the kids with their communication, social, reading, writing, and math. "
Interpersonal skills. Another essential skill to perform special education assistant teacher duties is interpersonal skills. Special education assistant teachers responsibilities require that "teacher assistants must be able to develop relationships with a variety of people, including teachers, students, parents, and administrators." Special education assistant teachers also use interpersonal skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "assist students with autism in developing social, interpersonal, problem solving-skills and positive behavior. "
Patience. This is an important skill for special education assistant teachers to perform their duties. For an example of how special education assistant teacher responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "working with students of different abilities and backgrounds may be difficult." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a special education assistant teacher: "displayed enthusiasm and patience with children to demonstrate a fun learning environment. ".
Resourcefulness. special education assistant teacher responsibilities often require "resourcefulness." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "teacher assistants must find ways to explain information to students who have different learning styles." This resume example shows what special education assistant teachers do with resourcefulness on a typical day: "showed resourcefulness and teaching effectiveness in meeting the needs of students with limited english language proficiency as well as learning disabilities. "
See the full list of special education assistant teacher skills
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Special education assistant teacher vs. Teacher aide
Teacher aides help lead teachers in managing the classroom. They assist teachers in conducting classroom sessions by setting up the classroom in advance, sourcing materials needed for class activities, helping in presentations, and guiding students during class activities. Teacher aides are also responsible for maintaining classroom cleanliness and helping clean up after the children. They also help manage the students during breaks and during classes. They help the lead teacher keep the students'students' attention. They also assist the students in any other tasks that they may need.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, special education assistant teacher responsibilities require skills like "math," "behavioral problems," "behavior modification," and "applied behavior analysis." Meanwhile a typical teacher aide has skills in areas such as "child care," "learning environment," "art projects," and "pre-k." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Teacher aides tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $35,388. In contrast, special education assistant teachers make the biggest average salary, $41,294, in the finance industry.teacher aides tend to reach lower levels of education than special education assistant teachers. In fact, teacher aides are 13.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Special education assistant teacher vs. Teacher
Being a teacher is one of the most passionate professions, among others. Teachers educate, motivate, and guide every generation of learners to prepare them for the real world. Every teacher is unique and has their own teaching styles and methods depending on the subject they teach and the age of their students. Oftentimes they also function as a parent, counselor, coach, friend, and even a lawmaker. There is essentially no limit to the roles a teacher portrays.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that special education assistant teacher responsibilities requires skills like "behavioral problems," "behavior modification," "applied behavior analysis," and "behavior management." But a teacher might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "esl," "handle scheduling," "kids," and "curriculum development."
Teachers may earn a higher salary than special education assistant teachers, but teachers earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $49,700. On the other hand, special education assistant teachers receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $41,294.In general, teachers achieve similar levels of education than special education assistant teachers. They're 2.5% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for special education assistant teachers in the next 3-5 years?
Special education assistant teacher vs. Substitute teacher's assistant
A substitute teacher's assistant, also called a substitute teacher aide, assists in student supervision during their playground and lunchroom activities. Substitute teacher assistants perform security functions within the academic institutions. These may include reviewing students' identification cards, monitoring the corridors, and assisting teachers in bulletin board preparations. The assistants help students to have a better understanding of classroom assignments as well as their completion. They are expected to provide proper English grammar and spelling, have the ability to work for and with school-aged children, and be equipped with excellent communication skills.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a special education assistant teacher is likely to be skilled in "math," "behavioral problems," "applied behavior analysis," and "behavior management," while a typical substitute teacher's assistant is skilled in "teacher assistants," "k-12," "elementary schools," and "pre-k."
Substitute teacher's assistants make a very good living in the education industry with an average annual salary of $28,585. On the other hand, special education assistant teachers are paid the highest salary in the finance industry, with average annual pay of $41,294.substitute teacher's assistants typically earn lower educational levels compared to special education assistant teachers. Specifically, they're 8.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Special education assistant teacher vs. Teacher assistant
Teacher assistants are responsible for aiding teachers in their needs inside the classroom. They help teachers prepare for lessons in class, set up equipment, distribute educational materials to students, and monitor the progress of the students. Teacher assistants also help in managing the children in the classroom, as well as providing the necessary assistance a child may need. This may include helping with the lessons by going table to table, assisting in writing exercises, and tutoring kids one-to-one. Teacher assistants are required to have patience, flexibility, and classroom management skills.
Types of special education assistant teacher
Updated January 8, 2025











