5 Special Education Strategies That Work in Classrooms

In the 2022-23 school year, 15% of public school students received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).¹ Yet, many general education teachers felt underprepared to support these students: A 2022 study found that most rated their training and planning support as only “somewhat sufficient.”²

To put that in context, imagine you teach a classroom of thirty students. At least five of them learn differently. For those five students, the wrong approach could mean confusion, frustration, or feeling left out entirely.

Supporting students with autism, learning disabilities, or other conditions is never one-size-fits-all. In this guide, we walk through five special education strategies that honor each student’s dignity while ensuring they can access the curriculum meaningfully.

However, behind every effective strategy is preparation. At Alliant International University, the Special Education Teaching Credential, a CTC-accredited education specialist credential program, can prepare you to apply these methods confidently. Through fieldwork with veteran special educators, you can enter your classroom ready to reach every learner.

Program Overview

What Makes Special Education Teaching Unique?

Any special education teacher will tell you: the job teaches you as much as you teach your students.

What makes special education truly unique is its layered responsibility. Lessons are shaped around each student’s learning profile and sensory needs and may need to be constantly differentiated. For example, an instructor may design parallel tasks that reach the same learning goal in different ways.

But teaching is only part of the work. So, what does a special education teacher do beyond classroom instruction? Special educators also manage behavior intervention plans to ensure that special education students remain safe in moments of crisis. To align support plans, educators also collaborate daily with:

• General education teachers
• Speech therapists
• Occupational therapists
• School psychologists

Above all, special education teaching strategies are never static. Students with special needs grow, regress, surprise you, and challenge you with what you thought you knew. So, your approaches must be flexible, trauma-informed to protect emotional well-being, and always rooted in a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals.

Core Special Education Strategies for Classroom Success

Effective strategies in special education ensure students feel understood and challenged. These methods require you to be part instructor, part detective, and part unwavering ally.

In this section, you will find practical approaches that special educators rely on to build connection and competence in their students. These strategies also reflect best practices in special education, emphasizing responsiveness, adaptability, and inclusion.

#1 Use Individualized, Strength-Based Instruction

The core idea behind a strengths-based approach is simple: You center instruction around what a student can do to help them achieve their goals.

Such a process begins by asking:

• What can this student already do well?
• Where do they feel most confident?

For one student, it may be their photographic memory for sports statistics; for another, their vivid storytelling about animals. Effective special education teachers weave these strengths into instruction to build motivation.

For example, a student’s love for trains can become a gateway to:

• Reading more (perhaps about locomotive history)
• Math problems calculating train speeds
• Science units on engines and motion

Most importantly, when a student is in crisis, strengths-based training reframes “What is wrong with them right now?” to “Where do they find calm?” How can we tap into their strengths to restore safety and trust?”

This mindset requires experience and training under seasoned mentors, which is exactly what the special education coursework at Alliant provides.

#2 Incorporate Visual Supports and Structured Routines

For many special-needs students, the school day can feel unpredictable. Visual aids and consistency in routine can help anchor them.

• Whole-day visual schedules: Often displayed on classroom walls, these show the sequence of activities from arrival to dismissal, helping students orient themselves at any moment.
• ‘Now-Next’ or ‘Now-Next-Then’ boards: These are ideal for students with significant transition difficulties. Seeing “Now: Math. Next: Snack. Then: Art” reduces anxiety by making upcoming changes concrete and time-bound.
• First-Then cards: Particularly effective for students who need motivation, these cards link a required task to a reinforcing outcome.
• Finished boxes or envelopes: These help students understand task completion, like placing an item in a “Finished” folder.
• Timers: Timers can help by making abstract concepts like ‘five more minutes’ tangible, allowing students to prepare for transitions rather than feeling blindsided.

A 2024 literature review reported that visual supports significantly increase students’ ability to engage with lessons and stay involved in their work.³

At Alliant, budding special educators can get the opportunity to design and use visual aids during field placements. By the time they enter their classroom, they know how to tailor these supports to each student’s sensory and cognitive profile. They also learn how to adapt supports across groups of learners with varying attention and processing needs.

#3 Implement Positive Behavior Support (PBS)

In special education, misbehavior is rarely just that. Often, it is the student communicating that they are anxious, frustrated, overloaded sensorially, or facing an unmet need. Positive Behavior Support (PBS) reframes discipline from reactive punishment to proactive intervention.

Instead of asking, “How do I stop this behavior?” PBS asks, “What is triggering this behavior, and how can I teach an alternative skill to meet the same need?” For example, a student who shouts when confused by classwork may not be seeking to disrupt. They may simply lack a more adaptive way to request help.

A PBS approach would:

• Pre-teach a help-seeking phase
• Offer visual cue cards
• Positively reinforce its use

Over time, the challenging behavior becomes unnecessary because the student’s communication toolbox has expanded.

During field placements in the education specialist credential program at Alliant, candidates can gain a comprehensive understanding of behavior, including:

• Why: Students may use Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs) to find out why behaviors occur.
• What: Students may design Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) customized for each student.
• How: Students may collect classroom data to refine their solution.

PBS also helps improve classroom relationships by shifting the teacher’s mindset from correction to connection.

#4 Differentiate Instruction with Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

As a special educator, you will see Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the classroom time and time again. UDL is based on a simple principle: When students are offered multiple pathways to learn and show knowledge, more of them succeed.⁴

For instance, one student may listen to a concept explained aloud, another may read the same content on a tablet with enlarged font, and yet another may use tactile means to show they understand the concept.

Rather than adding accommodations for one student at a time, UDL emphasizes three pillars:

• Multiple Means of Representation: Presenting content in different ways, like through visuals, texts, tactile materials, and multimedia.
• Multiple Means of Engagement: Offering varied entry points into learning, including choice-based tasks to boost motivation.
• Multiple Means of Expression: Allowing students to show what they know through writing, speaking, drawing, building, or using assistive tech.

Trainee special educators at Alliant examine lesson plans to identify where UDL principles could help. Then, they may co-create UDL-based units with mentors to ensure equity in the classrooms they lead. These units are archived as part of each teacher’s instructional resource library, which can be a great tool for those exploring careers in special education.

#5 Foster Collaborative IEP Meetings and Family Partnerships

When families feel respected and included as true partners in IEP meetings, students are more likely to thrive both academically and socially.

For this reason, special educators should approach these meetings with the understanding that parents and families are the first teachers, and their child is the reason everyone gathers. Centering the student’s voice is equally important in these meetings—even young children can share what helps them learn and what makes school hard.

The special education credential at Alliant can prepare teachers for exactly this. Through mock IEPs and lessons in legal nuances, graduates can learn to lead these conversations with empathy.

Technology Tools That Support Special Education Strategies

Technology has transformed what is possible in special education and offers further support in teaching strategies:

• For students with limited verbal communication, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices can help. Text-to-speech apps like NaturalReader or Voice Dream Reader open grade-level texts to students with dyslexia, giving them access to the same content as their peers.
• Keyboards with oversized keys or a movement-operated mouse can bridge fine motor limitations that could otherwise block participation.
• Even simple tools like noise-canceling headphones can support students with sensory processing challenges, helping them focus in overstimulating environments.

However, for these tools to be effective, teachers must know when, how, and why to use them. At Alliant, special-educators-in-training practice using assistive technology in real classrooms, learning to match tools to student goals and how each device can help promote self-regulation and academic autonomy.

If you’re wondering how to become a special education teacher, the answer begins with choosing a credential program that blends real-world practice with rigorous preparation.

Program Overview

How a Special Education Credential Prepares You to Use These Strategie

The education specialist credential program at Alliant places candidates in diverse school settings to expose them to a wide variety of student needs. These can include:

• Urban or suburban schools
• Inclusive classrooms
• Special Day classes
• Specialized schools

Training is fully aligned with California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) standards, covering IEP development as both art and science for meaningful progress. UDL principles are also used throughout coursework, helping teachers plan for multiple means of representation, engagement, and expression from the outset.

Above all, the program encourages hands-on application, so graduates leave with skills ready for tomorrow’s classrooms.

Teaching Special Education Takes Heart and Strategy

Teaching in special education is for the strong of heart. The work demands strategy, like knowing how to implement behavior interventions. But it also demands compassion and the ability to see the human first, before the disability.

No teacher does this alone. With the right tools, preparation, and support system, you can help enable growth and create moments that change student lives forever.

If you feel called to this profession, the special education credential at Alliant can prepare you to teach with confidence in every environment. Learn how you can make a difference by reaching out for more information today.

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Sources:

1. National Center for Education Statistics. "Students With Disabilities. Condition of Education." U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. March 13, 2024. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgg. Accessed July 31, 2025.
2. Samantha A. Gesel, Lindsay Foreman-Murray, and Allison F. Gilmour. “Sufficiency of teachers’ access to resources and supports for students with disabilities.” Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children. October 23, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1177/08884064211046237. Accessed July 31, 2025.
3. Zhigao Liang, David Lee, Juanjuan Zuo, and Shuang Liang. “The use of visual schedules to increase academic-related on-task behaviors of individuals with autism: a literature review.” International Journal of Developmental Disabilities. September 12, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1080/20473869.2024.2402124. Accessed July 31, 2025.
4. Alexandra Sewell, Anastasia Kennett, and Victoria Pugh. “Universal Design for Learning as a theory of inclusive practice for use by educational psychologists.” Educational Psychology in Practice. September 2, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1080/02667363.2022.2111677. Accessed July 31, 2025.