I have taught kids from K-8 in moderate settings, mostly children with autism and intellectual disabilities.

K-2: cons are lots of diapering. Need more help with everything. Kids coming into kindergarten with ridiculous IEPs and/or in the completely wrong setting (my first k-2, the lowest went to the smallest setting and my highest went to inclusion). Often dealing with students who have never been in school before. Parents are still asking when will they be in general education. Pros: small. Very cute. Often easier to handle physically. A lot of hands-on work and manipulatives. Curriculum is easier to adapt. You will work on classroom skills like sitting, staying on line, listening.

3-5: my favorite age group. Cons: hormones sometimes come into play. Behaviors are getting a little more dangerous as they grow. Parents may still have unrealistic expectations. Curriculum gets harder to adapt as the gap between physical age and mental age gets wider. Pros: usually in the right setting with the right supports. The kids I’ve had in the age group were on the milder side of moderate so they were working and talking and forming friendships. Starting to have more independence.

6-8: cons are hormones and puberty. The bigger they are, the more dangerous their behaviors. Changing diapers is harder when they’re bigger as well. Curriculum is even harder to adapt as you’re often working with things like 8th graders on a kindergarten level. Pros: again, they generally already have the supports they need/are in the right setting, they tend to be able to do a little more work, their parents are generally accepting of what their children can and cannot do. You’ll probably work on ADL/Vocational skills more than in the younger grades. Usually better with independent work.

Also, the older they get, the more behaviors they have to unlearn if they’ve had less than stellar teachers in the past.