8 Special Education Resources + Teacher Tips for Using Them

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Regardless of the subject matter, effective teaching hinges on having the right materials to engage students. For those in a special education classroom, the need for quality resources is even more pronounced. This article provides a comprehensive list of special education resources aimed at enhancing social skills, vocational life skills, academic foundations, and occupational therapy activities, ensuring that every student is met where they are and guided to the next stage in their development.

Special Education Resources for Social Skills

Social skills are a critical area of focus for students across all ages and abilities, particularly in special education settings. Enhancing social skills fosters inclusion within the classroom, helping students forge friendships and effectively navigate social contexts now and in the future.

Utilize low-preparation resources to assist students in understanding their interactions with others and to refine their behaviors to foster better relationships.

Focus on Kindness and Positive Behavior in the Classroom

Many students struggle to articulate the reasons behind their behaviors. Equip them with resources that prompt reflection on their actions before they occur by exploring common behavioral choices and their impacts on others.

Kindness Activities: Social Skills
By The Way I Teach
Grades: K-3rd
Subject: Character Education

This resource helps students recognize how their behavior can positively or negatively influence those around them. Through lessons on kindness and friendship, young learners explore the causes and effects of teasing, yelling, ignoring, and other behaviors that may harm their peers.

Teacher Tip: Use Morning Meetings to Reinforce Social Skills

Morning meetings (or circle time) serve as excellent opportunities for daily repetition of social skills and modeling effective interactions. For older students, adapt traditional morning meeting activities to include relevant functional materials that resonate with their age group.

“Weather is an activity that is highly functional but can be very abstract. As we get older, we start to use weather information to decide what to wear, what to pack for a trip, and so forth. This is the same type of information that we can teach our students, but we need to make the connection more concrete for them. Have them look up the weather online and make predictions based on the weather forecast. Then have them track whether the predictions were accurate.” – Christine from Autism Classroom Resources

Occupational Therapy Resources for Special Education

It is crucial for every special education classroom to adhere to the IDEA, ensuring that the curriculum is accessible to all students. This includes addressing essential developmental skills such as fine motor, gross motor, and self-care skills. Meeting these milestones enables students to engage with the curriculum effectively, paving the way for success. Incorporate special education resources that evaluate and address OT skills and milestones appropriate for students of various abilities and grade levels.

Note OT Skills and Goals for Important Milestones

The best approach to understanding student needs is to conduct assessments at the start of the school year or learning unit. Utilize checklists, assessments, and resources designed to establish students’ baselines before instruction commences.

“Teachers can use different checklists to see where their students may fall developmentally,” she states. “These checklists should include what age students generally acquire certain skills, so you can compare it to their chronological age. If the student falls within a certain age range, I would not expect them to perform higher-level skills. For instance, when assessing self-care, if a student is only removing their socks and shoes (age 1.5), I would not expect them to be snapping clothing or putting socks on (age 3). This helps set realistic expectations based on the student’s age.” – Elizabeth from Empowering OT with Dr R

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY Evaluation Developmental Milestones Fine Motor
By Empower OT by Dr R
Grade: PreK-K

This checklist allows educators to monitor students’ fine motor, visual motor, visual perceptual, and self-care milestones. Each section details student skills concerning classroom materials and tasks, enabling straightforward tracking of milestones with a simple “Yes” or “No.”

Teacher Tip: Refer to Students’ Developmental Age When Choosing OT Activities

An initial assessment of your special education students can reveal their developmental age, which may differ from their chronological age.

“I will adapt the curriculum and my strategies based on the developmental age of my students,” she explains. “For example, if a student is chronologically 5 years old but presents with a developmental age of a 3-year-old, I wouldn’t expect them to work on writing their name. Instead, they may focus on foundational skills like finger differentiation, pre-writing strokes, or snipping with scissors.” – Elizabeth from Empowering OT by Dr. R

Resources That Combine Academics and Life Skills

Foundational academic skills are essential in both resource classes that support mainstream students and specialized special education classrooms. Combining math and reading skills with life skills activities can enhance learning and engagement. Discover ways to integrate these resources into your lessons to bolster academic skills while introducing life skills to students of any age.

Master Math Skills Needed for Everyday Activities

Whether students require assistance with number recognition, addition and subtraction, or applying math concepts to real-life scenarios, incorporating special education resources with math components can reinforce these concepts effectively. Guided activities help students master math facts and understand their practical applications in daily life.

Monster Math Digital Drag and Drop Activity for 1:1 Correspondence
By NoodleNook
Subjects: Math, Numbers
Standards: CCSS K.CC.A.1, B.4

This CCSS-aligned math resource guides students through 1:1 correspondence, number recognition, and counting. Tailored for autistic students, but adaptable for all learners, this set of Google Drive slides includes digital task cards for numbers 1-20 and digital manipulatives for student responses.

Life Skills Special Education Activities – Grocery Life Skills Math Worksheets
By Adapting for Autism
Grades: 6th-12th

Assess your special education students’ knowledge of grocery store navigation, credit card usage, and total cost calculations with 50 worksheets addressing basic and life skills across two difficulty levels.

Work on Functional Reading Skills and Application

Functional reading skills, such as reading and comprehending signage or instructions, are vital life skills. Engaging activities that focus on real-world reading tasks can better prepare students of all ages.

Safety Signs Worksheets – Functional Reading for Community Signs Sight Words
By Autism Classroom Resources-Christine Reeve
Grades: 9th-12th
Subject: Reading

Guide high school students through functional reading exercises related to safety and road signs. A series of worksheets includes signs with and without text for students to identify, with options for cutting and pasting answers or writing them down.

Teacher Tip: Find Mainstream Support from Special Education Teachers

Many school administrators may lack a special education background. If this applies to you, consider seeking advice from your special education colleagues about engaging resources for their students. “Empower your teachers to select what they believe is best for their students. They are the experts on their students’ needs and teaching styles,” recommends TpT Teacher-Author Heather from Special Treat Friday.

If you are a mainstream teacher looking for inclusive special education resources, consulting with the special education department is a valuable first step. They may have core subject materials to assist in classroom differentiation or can direct you to additional resources for adapting throughout the school year.

Functional Skills for Career Readiness

For older students in special education programs, resources emphasizing functional and career readiness skills are essential. Regardless of their plans post-graduation, these skills can help prepare them for self-sufficiency and employment while still in school. From application processes and interviewing skills to time management and executive functioning techniques, these activities provide students with practical skills for their future.

Take Students Through Job Comprehension Activities

How many potential jobs can your students identify if you ask them? Enhance their understanding of entry-level jobs through activities that explore the responsibilities associated with various professions.

Entry Level Jobs Comprehension Worksheets
By Adulting Made Easy aka SpedAdulting
Grades: 6th-12th

Explore over 55 worksheets detailing responsibilities and skills for various entry-level jobs, including roles such as cashiers, bellhops, mail carriers, and cart pushers, with your special education students.

Practice Vocational Life Skills in the Classroom

Equip students for job interviews and workplace responsibilities long before they graduate! Utilize resources centered around vocational life skills to prepare students for various job roles and responsibilities.

Vocational Life Skills Bundle
By Check in with Mrs G
Grades: 5th-12th

This bundle focuses on teaching vocational life skills crucial for all students, particularly within special education settings. The lessons guide students through job searching, preparing for interviews, and problem-solving in job-related scenarios.

COFFEE CART Student Business | FREE Flyer & Directions | SPED Job Skills
By Transition Abilities
Grades: 6th-12th

This engaging project allows students to operate a coffee business, applying for a barista position, budgeting, menu planning, taking orders, and delivering coffee to satisfied customers, thereby enhancing their vocational life skills.

Teacher Tip: Use Vocational Skills to Make Your Lessons Interesting and Accessible

Finding instructional materials that align with students’ skill levels and chronological ages can be challenging. Using materials that don’t recognize chronological age can hinder engagement, learning, and growth—especially for middle and high school students.

As TpT Teacher-Author Corey from Smarter Intervention emphasizes, “It’s vital that our students receive appropriate materials without feeling as if they are doing ‘baby’ work. Once they perceive their tasks as being designed for much younger students, their interest declines. To create meaningful progress, it’s important to keep students’ ages and interests at the forefront of lesson planning.”

Make Your Special Education Resources Enriching and Inspiring

When students of all ages and abilities can refine and enhance their skills, they’re one step closer to achieving success. This is particularly true for students in special education, where building foundational skills is essential to meeting developmental milestones and closing academic gaps.

Explore more special education lessons, activities, and games to enrich both elementary and secondary learning environments. Additionally, consider our guide on creating a sensory-friendly classroom, which can benefit all students in the class!