AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 25-2051.00

Will AI replace Special Education Teachers, Preschool?

Special Education Teachers, Preschool: AI can already handle 18 of 36 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 36 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Special Education Teachers, Preschool, from most to least exposed. 18 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Prepare objectives, outlines, or other materials for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or requirements. 86 Observed Frontier 4.1
Communicate nonverbally with children to provide them with comfort, encouragement, or positive reinforcement. 75 Estimated Frontier 4.7
Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment or materials to prevent injuries and damage. 75 Estimated Standard 4.4
Attend to children's basic needs by feeding them, dressing them, or changing their diapers. 75 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play. 75 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Encourage students to explore learning opportunities or persevere with challenging tasks to prepare them for later grades. 75 Estimated Frontier 4.3
Establish and communicate clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects to students, parents, or guardians. 75 Estimated Frontier 4.3
Modify the general preschool curriculum for students with disabilities. 75 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Provide assistive devices, supportive technology, or assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms. 75 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Read books to entire classes or to small groups. 75 Estimated Standard 4.1
Prepare reports on students and activities as required by administration. 75 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Arrange indoor or outdoor space to facilitate creative play, motor-skill activities, or safety. 75 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Organize and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their perceptual skills. 75 Estimated Efficient 3.9
Present information in audio-visual or interactive formats, using computers, television, audio-visual aids, or other equipment, materials, or technologies. 75 Estimated Efficient 3.9
Control the inventory or distribution of classroom equipment, materials, or supplies. 75 Estimated Frontier 3.5
Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health. 65 Estimated Standard 4.5
Collaborate with other teachers or administrators to develop, evaluate, or revise preschool programs. 65 Estimated Standard 3.8
Meet with parents or guardians to discuss their children's progress, advise them on using community resources, or teach skills for dealing with students' impairments. 60 Estimated Frontier 4.3
Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.7
Develop individual educational plans (IEPs) designed to promote students' educational, physical, or social development. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.6
Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual education plans (IEPs). 50 Estimated Frontier 4.6
Teach students personal development skills, such as goal setting, independence, or self-advocacy. 50 Estimated Standard 4.6
Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.5
Administer tests to help determine children's developmental levels, needs, or potential. 50 Estimated Standard 4.4
Coordinate placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.2
Organize and supervise games or other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, or social development. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.1
Plan and supervise experiential learning activities, such as class projects, field trips, or demonstrations. 50 Estimated Frontier 3.7
Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement. 35 Estimated Efficient 4.7
Teach basic skills, such as color, shape, number and letter recognition, personal hygiene, or social skills, to preschool students with special needs. 35 Estimated Efficient 4.6
Monitor teachers or teacher assistants to ensure adherence to special education program requirements. 35 Estimated Standard 4.3
Confer with parents, guardians, teachers, counselors, or administrators to resolve students' behavioral or academic problems. 35 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, or teacher training workshops to maintain or improve professional competence. 35 Estimated Efficient 4.1
Prepare assignments for teacher assistants or volunteers. 35 Estimated Efficient 3.6
Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students. 20 Estimated Standard 4.4
Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, or administrative regulations. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Serve meals or snacks in accordance with nutritional guidelines. 12 Estimated No tier 3.8

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 1 of 36 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 35 of 36. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 98% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 98% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 3% is hands-on.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
29,510
Median annual wage
$64,830
Middle half of earners
$52,210 to $91,660
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
+1.4%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Special Education Teachers, Preschool and AI

Will AI replace Special Education Teachers, Preschool?

AI already handles 18 of the 36 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 56 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +1.4% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Special Education Teachers, Preschool?

56 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 1 of the 36 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 35 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Special Education Teachers, Preschool tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Prepare objectives, outlines, or other materials for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or requirements; Communicate nonverbally with children to provide them with comfort, encouragement, or positive reinforcement; Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment or materials to prevent injuries and damage. They are three of the 18 tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 98% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Special Education Teachers, Preschool, and what do they earn?

29,510 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $64,830 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +1.4% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Special Education Teachers, Preschool. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/special-education-teachers-preschool

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