Prepares early childhood professionals to teach young children with exceptional needs as well as collaborate with their families in an early childhood classroom or community based special education environment. Provides an overview of special education history, theory, models and laws pertaining to young children. This course includes the different exceptional needs young children may have as well as behavioral techniques designed to address them. Disabilities reviewed in this course will include but are not limited to developmental delay, autism, visual, hearing, and physical impairment, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury, and Down syndrome. This course provides the learner with an understanding of inclusion, community integration, and family/professional collaboration.
Goals, Topics, and Objectives
- Special Education Theory and Law
- Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Referral Process
- Community and Parent Collaboration
- Early Intervention Services
- The Learning Environment
- Emotional and Behavioral Techniques
- Developmental Delay
- Autism
- Congenital Disorders/Birth Defects
- Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
- Learning Disorders
- Hearing Impairment
- Visual Impairment
- Physical and Other Health Impairments
- Apply special education theory to practice.
- Identify the different special education laws and practices.
- Compare and contrast an IFSP to the IEP referral process.
- Compare and contrast different early childhood assessment tools.
- Collect behavioral data on a child with exceptional needs.
- Identify and locate effective early childhood intervention services.
- Create a barrier free exceptional child learning environment.
- Explain the importance of community and parent collaboration.
- Identify the multiple at-risk factors contributing to the development of the following exceptional child disorders: developmental delay, autism, emotional and behavioral disorders, learning disorders, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), congenital disorders/birth defects, hearing impairment, visual impairment, physical and other health impairments – fine and gross motor skills.
- Identify the characteristics of young children who demonstrate the following exceptional child disorders: developmental delay, autism, emotional and behavioral disorders, learning disorders, ADHD, congenital disorders/birth defects, hearing impairment, visual impairment, physical and other health impairments – fine and gross motor skills.
Assessment and Requirements
Assessment may include but not be limited to:
- Special education professional interview.
- Case study identifying the disability the student has as well as locating resources for the parents of the child.
- Create measurable goals and objectives.
- Create their own early childhood assessment for a disorder.
- Complete an IFSP/IEP.
- Create a barrier free early childhood classroom including space, material, equipment, developmentally appropriate centers.
- Write up progress notes following a mock meeting with a family regarding their child.
- Collect data on a child’s behavioral progress from a case study.
- Written or objective assessments.
This course should be taken before EDU 201 and EDU 202.
Textbooks selection as determined by the department.