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Education & Training · Updated Aug 2026

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.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
AI Exposure
65/100
High

How much of this occupation’s work can be materially affected by current AI systems.

Replacement Risk
56/100
Moderate

How likely exposure is to translate into reduced human demand.

Includes provisional estimates for AI adoption pressure and labour-market resilience. How this is measured

Evidence quality
Confidence79/100
Task coverage80%

Confidence reflects task coverage, mapping and capability-evidence quality, and how much of the score rests on provisional inputs.

Task-level evidence

What is driving the score?

Occupation scores are built from the task mix—not a single prediction about a job title.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
TaskImportanceAI impactExposure
Supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, and gymnasiums, or on field trips.High
69
Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.High
62
Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.High
74
Enforce administration policies and rules governing students.High
63
Tutor and assist children individually or in small groups to help them master assignments and to reinforce learning concepts presented by teachers.High
69
Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play.Medium
76
Provide students with disabilities with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.High
61
Discuss assigned duties with classroom teachers to coordinate instructional efforts.Medium
69
Present subject matter to students under the direction and guidance of teachers, using lectures, discussions, supervised role-playing methods, or by reading aloud.Medium
68
Organize and supervise games and other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, and social development.Medium
73
Observe students' performance, and record relevant data to assess progress.High
60
Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations.Medium
74
Instruct students in daily living skills required for independent maintenance and self-sufficiency, such as hygiene, safety, or food preparation.Medium
61
Grade homework and tests, and compute and record results, using answer sheets or electronic marking devices.Medium
76
Maintain computers in classrooms and laboratories, and assist students with hardware and software use.Medium
73
Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage.Medium
53
Distribute teaching materials, such as textbooks, workbooks, papers, and pencils, to students.Medium
53
Carry out therapeutic regimens, such as behavior modification and personal development programs, under the supervision of special education instructors, psychologists, or speech-language pathologists.High
40
Prepare lesson outlines and plans in assigned subject areas and submit outlines to teachers for review.Medium
73
Organize and label materials and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their eye levels and perceptual skills.Medium
69
Prepare lesson materials, bulletin board displays, exhibits, equipment, and demonstrations.Medium
74
Laminate teaching materials to increase their durability under repeated use.Medium
62
Participate in teacher-parent conferences regarding students' progress or problems.Medium
54
Most exposed

Where AI can do more

Routine, digitized, and highly repeatable tasks face the greatest pressure.

  1. Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play.76
  2. Grade homework and tests, and compute and record results, using answer sheets or electronic marking devices.76
  3. Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.74
  4. Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations.74
Hardest to automate

Where people still matter

These tasks score lowest on automation feasibility—physical presence, judgement, accountability and real-world variability all resist end-to-end automation.

  1. Carry out therapeutic regimens, such as behavior modification and personal development programs, under the supervision of special education instructors, psychologists, or speech-language pathologists.01
  2. Distribute teaching materials, such as textbooks, workbooks, papers, and pencils, to students.02
  3. Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage.03
  4. Participate in teacher-parent conferences regarding students' progress or problems.04
  5. Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.05
Where else this work leads

Related occupations

Occupations O*NET links to this one. Relatedness reflects shared work, not a claim that these roles are safer.

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Beyond AI capability

Adoption and labour-market outlook

Structural factors are kept separate from raw capability so you can see what actually resists automation. Adoption pressure and labour-market resilience are still provisional models—25% of this occupation’s replacement-risk weight rests on them.

Human dependency50
Physical dependency43
Adoption pressure32
Labour-market resilience59
Methodology & sources

O*NET 30.3 occupational data interpreted through the JobsVsAI capability, automation and structural-constraint models.

Confidence79/100
CalculatedAug 21, 2026
Read methodology →