Career Explorer Education
Changing shape
Special education teachers, preschool
Teach academic, social, and life skills to preschool-aged students with learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Includes teachers who specialize and work with students who are blind or have visual impairments; students who are deaf or have hearing impairments; and students with intellectual disabilities.
In the middle of the pack: more resilient than 45% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is moderate (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by +2.4% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on emotional intelligence and creative vision.
AI can do many of the tasks, and hiring is expected to grow slower than average or to shrink. The job is likely to change, so build the human parts of it.
- Median pay (2025)
- $64,830
- Job growth to 2035
- +2.4%
- Openings a year
- 2,000
- People doing it (2025)
- 30,500
- Usual route in
- Bachelor's degree
Where people already use AI for this work
- Teach life skills
- Prepare informational or instructional materials
- Advise others on educational or vocational matters
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures
- Set up classrooms, facilities, educational materials, or equipment
- Assess student capabilities, needs, or performance
What the work looks like
- Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.
- Communicate nonverbally with children to provide them with comfort, encouragement, or positive reinforcement.
- Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, or administrative regulations.
- Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
- Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, or changing their diapers.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Preschool teachers, except special educationHuman edge, growing, Index 83, +4.5%
- Kindergarten teachers, except special educationChanging shape, Index 58, -0.3%
- Recreational therapistsHuman edge, growing, Index 90, +4.8%
- Coaches and scoutsHuman edge, growing, Index 94, +6.1%
Also known as: Early Childhood Special Education Teacher (ECSE Teacher), Early Intervention Teacher, Preschool SPED Teacher (Preschool Special Education Teacher), Special Education Teacher, Exceptional Student Education Teacher (ESE Teacher), Profound Mental Handicaps SPED Teacher (Profound Mental Handicaps Special Education Teacher), Severe Mental Handicaps SPED Teacher (Severe Mental Handicaps Special Education Teacher), Special Education Resource Teacher.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.