Hands-on
2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert
Explore a possible path
Teaching Assistants, Special Education
Assist a preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher to provide academic, social, or life skills to students who have learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Serve in a position for which a teacher has primary responsibility for the design and implementation of educational programs and services.
How does this connect to your interests? →A look at the work
- Provide assistance to students with special needs.
- Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
- Supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, and gymnasiums, or on field trips.
- Provide students with disabilities with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.
- Carry out therapeutic regimens, such as behavior modification and personal development programs, under the supervision of special education instructors, psychologists, or speech-language pathologists.
- Tutor and assist children individually or in small groups to help them master assignments and to reinforce learning concepts presented by teachers.
- Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.
- Enforce administration policies and rules governing students.
A selection of source-listed tasks; duties vary by role and employer.
Interests involved in this work
These source scores describe occupational work activities. They are separate from your personal test results.
2.0 / 7
Investigative
2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert
Creative
2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert
Helping people
2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert
Enterprising
2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert
Organizing
2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert
Skills to explore
Source-reported importance on a 1–5 scale. Try a course, project or conversation to learn what these skills involve.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
2025-08
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
2025-08
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
2025-08
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
2025-08
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
2025-08
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
2025-08
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
2025-08
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
2025-08
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
2025-08
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
2025-08
Plan a small next step
Talk to someone doing this work, look for a supervised activity, and explore the subjects that interest you. Admission, licensing and current program requirements should be confirmed with the relevant institutions.
Source preparation category: Job Zone 3 of 5 · 2025-08. This category describes typical preparation, not your eligibility.
Related study fields
Source crosswalk connections are research leads, not required qualifications.
Special Education and Teaching, General →
Early Childhood Education and Teaching →
Teaching Assistants/Aides, Other →
Explore all related study fields →Source & methodology
O*NET-SOC code 25-9043.00 · Database 31.0 · Retrieved Oct 14, 2026. Dates on individual observations describe their source periods.
How interest exploration matching works →Data: O*NET® 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Used under CC BY 4.0. StudyIndex normalizes the presentation and adds exploration features; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions.