Special educators can feel a little like unicorns: rare, highly valued and in demand everywhere. When one of those professionals leaves, schools can find themselves trying to solve a very immediate problem with limited options.

Sudden vacancies happen. Caseloads shift. A complex IEP brings uncharted territory. A compliance deadline is approaching while a parent is on the phone looking for answers.

Talking about Artificial Intelligence in special education raises an especially interesting question: Can AI really write an Individualized Education Program?

Educators—especially those who work in special education—usually realize that when a student acts out, shuts down, or disrupts a lesson, they’re not looking for a fight. Instead, they are signaling an unmet need, whether derived from trauma, neurodivergence, sensory overload, or skill deficits in emotional regulation.

But there’s a persistent and serious gap between understanding this philosophy intellectually and having the operational capacity to respond when it happens. Across the country, schools are facing escalating behavioral needs, while the human bandwidth required to manage them keeps getting stretched thinner. Moving from a compassionate mindset to sustained, proactive support requires physical, well-trained capacity on the ground.

Carol Foster is a school psychologist with Nyman Associates, whose work often extends far beyond the evaluation report.

Early in her career, while working in an impoverished school district, Carol evaluated a child with severe autism. During the parent conference, she learned the family had no heat in their home. She couldn't imagine a child, especially one with autism, going home to a house without heat. So she drove to a local oil company and arranged for a delivery.

When Campbell Dukovich tells people she "plays with food for a living," she's not kidding, but the work she does goes far deeper than that.

As a Speech & Feeding Therapist and Early Intervention Lead at Jabbergym in Sacramento, CA, Campbell supports families navigating the complex journey of feeding therapy, from progressing textures and building oral motor skills to weaning from g-tubes. She also leads an incredible team of child development specialists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech therapists. This summer, she added "camp counselor" to her job description, helping host Jabbergym's first-ever “Feeding Explorers” feeding camp, free of charge for 11 families!

For students navigating the world with unique needs, the right support system can literally open up the world to them. One of those world-openers is Cheryl Ulicny, a superstar Teacher of the Deaf (TOD) with Point Quest Group whose incredible work has not only transformed the life of one first-grader but has also unified an entire school community.

Her work recently gained national attention when CBS Sunday Morning featured the extraordinary story of Ben, a first-grade student whose classmates, teachers, and school staff at Campton Elementary in New Hampshire embraced American Sign Language (ASL) to ensure he felt connected and included.

For 17 years, Bryna Von Dorsten has been a driving force behind Point Quest Group's behavioral health programs. As Senior Director of In-District Services, she oversees the clinical and operational direction of behavioral health services across California, working alongside public school districts and charter schools to support students with special needs.

For decades, the American education system has relied on a quiet, unsustainable assumption that the "heroic educator" will always be there to fill the gaps. We’ve counted on special education teachers, paraprofessionals, and therapists to work through lunch, skip planning periods, and sacrifice their mental health to ensure that students with disabilities receive the services they deserve.