Educating Children and Adolescents with Special Needs

SCH SN512 - Educating Children and Adolescents with Special Needs

Credits: 3

This course provides an overview of P-12 students with disabilities who require special education services, Section 504 accommodations, and/or other specialized educational supports.  The course devotes significant attention to legal mandates that have shaped current practices.  Students examine characteristics and educational needs of children and adolescents with high incidence disabilities (i.e., learning disabilities, intellectual impairments, emotional and behavioral disorders, executive functioning impairments, and speech and language disabilities), and an introduction to children with low incidence disabilities.  Particular emphasis is placed on (1) identifying appropriate evidence-based interventions; (2) establishing positive relationships with parents and guardians and identifying common parental perspectives; (3) limitations of prevailing systems for service delivery; (4) universal design for learning; and (5) social influences on onset and treatment of disabilities.  Other topics include disproportionality in special education, inclusion, transitional planning, and assistive technology.