The growing number of children with disabilities studying in various institutional settings has made
it necessary to analyze educational programs for special needs teachers in terms of their relevance.
In the field of special psychology and correctional pedagogy, traditional specializations (speechlanguage
therapy, oligophrenopedagogy, surdopedagogy) cannot adequately meet society’s needs
for psychological and pedagogical support for all types of students with mental and physical health
disorders. The authors identified general trends in the training of special education teachers while
studying educational programs for bachelor’s and master’s degrees in special education offered by
higher education institutions under the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. Persons
with disabilities, whose education and psycho-pedagogical assistance are not given by professional
workers, were identified. The factors that influence the development of new educational programs,
as well as their validity and importance for providing correctional and pedagogical aid to students
with special educational needs, are investigated.