Yo Greg! You might not get a lot of insight from Bilks' post as he and I ended up chatting about it on msn. His dealt specifically with ABA home therapy (which you actually could probably do also).
Anyway, on to your questions: Special Ed is always in demand. Since you are male, you have a distinct advantage. It seems like the majority of kids with disabilities (particularly autism) are male. At some point, female teachers have severe difficulties physically working with the kids. Misha is the only girl in her class of seven and they have a male aide in their room. It is actually one of their boasting points. The male students literally take to him like a duck to water. And his ability to physically help when students become agitated is greatly appreciated by the other aides/teacher in the room. I think you could easily secure employment as an aide in the special ed room.
Another thing to think of is that special ed teachers and aides are very difficult to replace when they call in sick. Subbing in that situation would be easy as well.
Outside the school system, contact the local Autism Society, Downs' Syndrome, United Cerebral Palsy, etc and offer up your services as a babysitter. Special Needs babysitters start at $10 and go to $15 per hour. I have ONE babysitter that I trust completely with the girls and she is paid $12 per hour. If you are interested in doing any type of therapy with kids, let the Autism Society know that you are available for therapy with any home programs that are willing to train you. This also gives you great resume fodder. The therapy that you will be doing will be mostly in helping children learn self-help skills (dressing, brushing teeth, etc) and coloring, drawing straight lines, etc. There is always a shortage for therapists. Male therapists in particular are wanted to work with boys. Pay would start at $15 - $25 per hour. (All the pays are based on Alabama scale, you are probably in an area where they would charge more).
And finally, on a side note, VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) is a branch of the Peace Corps and allows you to remain in your hometown or one nearby and still do volunteer work. It pays peanuts but it is fun. I did that for a year following college and gained a great insight into the world of social services.
Anyway, on to your questions:
Special Ed is always in demand. Since you are male, you have a distinct advantage. It seems like the majority of kids with disabilities (particularly autism) are male. At some point, female teachers have severe difficulties physically working with the kids. Misha is the only girl in her class of seven and they have a male aide in their room. It is actually one of their boasting points. The male students literally take to him like a duck to water. And his ability to physically help when students become agitated is greatly appreciated by the other aides/teacher in the room. I think you could easily secure employment as an aide in the special ed room.
Another thing to think of is that special ed teachers and aides are very difficult to replace when they call in sick. Subbing in that situation would be easy as well.
Outside the school system, contact the local Autism Society, Downs' Syndrome, United Cerebral Palsy, etc and offer up your services as a babysitter. Special Needs babysitters start at $10 and go to $15 per hour. I have ONE babysitter that I trust completely with the girls and she is paid $12 per hour. If you are interested in doing any type of therapy with kids, let the Autism Society know that you are available for therapy with any home programs that are willing to train you. This also gives you great resume fodder. The therapy that you will be doing will be mostly in helping children learn self-help skills (dressing, brushing teeth, etc) and coloring, drawing straight lines, etc. There is always a shortage for therapists. Male therapists in particular are wanted to work with boys. Pay would start at $15 - $25 per hour. (All the pays are based on Alabama scale, you are probably in an area where they would charge more).
And finally, on a side note, VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) is a branch of the Peace Corps and allows you to remain in your hometown or one nearby and still do volunteer work. It pays peanuts but it is fun. I did that for a year following college and gained a great insight into the world of social services.
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