Tyrone Said:

What is a good curriculum book for teaching writing to special needs children?

We Answered:

There is a system where you divide a paper into 4 squares with the topic in the middle. Students start off by drawing pictures in the 4 squares and then move to words and simple sentences. For example, a 4 square could have the topic pets and the students would draw an example of 4 different kinds of pets someone could have. They could dictate a sentence to the teacher to write under each picture. This evolves into the student writing their own sentence.

Helen Said:

What careers involve working with children and/or special needs children other than teaching?

We Answered:

Maybe speech or physical therapist. My son was born with a heart defect so he is behind so he needs special attention that regular teachers don't have time to give. But a speech or physical therapist is like a teacher but they give a special needs child one on one attention to help improve that child's life

Nancy Said:

How can I get a degree on teaching special needs children using the Internet?

We Answered:

check out the colleges in your state. Many offer online degrees in a lot of career choices. They are the best to go through because they are accredited.

Eduardo Said:

I want to train to teach special needs children, autism, aspergers. I am in UK and need best way to do this?

We Answered:

You need to get education BEd, BA or BSc in education. They are all courses available in universities lasting between 3 and 4 years, and you end up with Qualified Teacher Status. There are also shorter courses relating to ASDs (Autistic Spectrum Disorders) and other special needs areas. However, these don't give you a teaching qualification, only useful knowledge.

Many people will talk about PGCEs, but I'm afraid you need a degree to get into teaching this way.

Unfortunately, it is very hard to become an SEN teacher without becoming a mainstream teacher first.

However, you could start work as a teaching assistant in an EBD school (a 'special' school), and after a period of years you could be promoted to an unqualified teacher status if you show ability.

My recommendation would be to train as a mainstream teacher by doing a university course, involving classroom practice. After that, you can specialise in SEN and a get a more specific job.

It may sound a bit scary - it will be a long slog but definitely worth it.

Tanya Said:

If I wanted to work with special needs children, what teaching degree would I take?

We Answered:

The degree I'm pretty sure would be a special education degree. I'm not sure about the individual classes, probably psychology & child development.

Dianne Said:

Alternative routes to become a special needs teacher?

We Answered:

You will still need a full teaching qualification for example a PGCE or Cert Ed.

The PGCE for primary teaching offers (at most institutions) an option to specialise in teaching children with SEN. this would probably be your best option, you will not be allowed to teach in the UK without being properly qualified.

Alternatively, you could volunteer or get a Learning support assistant or additional skills mentor position at a local school and get the same qualifications through the workplace.