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The differences between special educators and early childhood special educators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special educator has an average salary of $53,565, which is higher than the $36,798 average annual salary of an early childhood special educator.
The top three skills for a special educator include autism, student learning and math. The most important skills for an early childhood special educator are autism, classroom management, and CPR.
| Special Educator | Early Childhood Special Educator | |
| Yearly salary | $53,565 | $36,798 |
| Hourly rate | $25.75 | $17.69 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 62,545 | 62,487 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
A special education teacher's role is to facilitate learning for students with disabilities. The responsibilities of a special education teacher typically revolve around identifying the needs of students, devising lesson plans and strategies to meet their needs, developing test structure to assess their learning, and assisting them in areas of difficulties. It is also essential to coordinate with families and guardians, reporting to them should there be any problems. Furthermore, as a special education teacher, it is necessary to monitor the students' progress and behavior, maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment for them.
Early childhood special educators are professionals who provide direct services for infants and young children that are experiencing delays in their development. These educators are required to collaborate with parents to provide a program of activities that can encourage the growth of the children's skills. By incorporating the advice of other professionals, early childhood special educators must create individual education plans that address the specific learning challenges of children. They must also identify signs of child abuse and neglect so that they can take the necessary actions to remediate the situation.
Special educators and early childhood special educators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Special Educator | Early Childhood Special Educator | |
| Average salary | $53,565 | $36,798 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $75,000 | Between $23,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oceanside, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Capistrano Unified | Baltimore City Public Schools |
| Best paying industry | Government | Education |
There are a few differences between a special educator and an early childhood special educator in terms of educational background:
| Special Educator | Early Childhood Special Educator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Special Education | Early Childhood Education |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between special educators' and early childhood special educators' demographics:
| Special Educator | Early Childhood Special Educator | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.3% Female, 78.7% | Male, 7.1% Female, 92.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 3.6% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 3.7% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |