ECE 217: The Exceptional Learner

Course Description

This is an introductory methods course for students learning to work with young children with disabilities. The course provides an overview of special needs children and their families, including types of disorders, treatments for disorders, and how relationships with parents provide an integral role in ensuring early intervention occurs. Students will learn laws related to special education and how the process for referral works. By the end of this course, students should understand inclusion and be able to both design classroom environments as well as utilize effective strategies that are supportive of inclusive teaching. 3 hours of field experience (observation) required for completion of this course. Students must also pass the key assessment with a score of ‘met’ to earn credit for this course. A passing grade of ‘C’ or above is required for this course key assessment. (3 credits)

Prerequisites

ECE 101: Introduction to Early Childhood Education
ECE 247: Child Development: Birth to Eight

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

Articulate the importance of being a reflective practitioner and identify strategies for cultivating a reflective mindset. [Standards 6d, 6e]
Describe the historical context, theoretical foundations, and inclusion in early childhood education. [Standards 1c, 6a]
Explain the developmental milestones and learning processes of how all children learn in each domain from birth to age 8 [1a, 1b, 1c]
Identify characteristics of effective learning environments together with an understanding of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and developmentally appropriate practices, including strategies for incorporating play and promoting health, safety, and nutrition. [Standards 4b, 4c]
Discuss strategies for engaging families and communities in supporting all children's learning and development, including effective communication and the use of professional communication skills and technology-mediated strategies. [Standards 2a, 2b, 2c, 6c]
Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in early childhood education. [Standards 1b, 1c, 2a, 4c, 6b]

Course Activities and Grading

Assignments	Weight
Discussions (Weeks 1-8)	25%
Written Assignments (Weeks 1-7)	25%
Blogs (Weeks 1-8)	25%
Key Assessment (Week 8)	25%
Total	100%

Required Textbooks

Available through Charter Oak State College's Book Bundle

Billante, P. (2022) The essentials: Supporting young children with disabilities in the classroom. NAEYC. ISBN-13:9781938113857. Digital Text

Additional Resources

Students will be able to access the publisher’s website for The Exceptional Child supplemental materials.
Any additional materials will be available via free resources on the Internet. https://www.reflectcore.org/

Course Schedule

Week	SLOs	Readings and Exercises	Assignments
1	1,2	Topics: Introduction to Exceptional Learners Read and Review: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Supporting All Children Using the Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards: Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners, pages 3-7 and 21-24 (you may also want to bookmark this resource and refer to it throughout the course.	Read and review assigned materials Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture Material Post to Blog Submit Assignment: Parent Pamphlet on IDEA Rights
2	1,3,4,5	Topics: Developmentally Appropriate Practice, Inclusion, and Universal Design Read and Review: Read Chapter 3 Read Chapter 4 Read Supporting All Children Using the Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards: Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners Access, Participation and Benefit (page 5) Developing a Process to Support Inclusive Practices (pages 8-9) Intentionally Supporting All Children (pages 10-17)	Read and review assigned materials Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture Material Post to Blog Submit Assignment: Individualized Supports Activity Matrix
3	1,2,3	Topic: Understanding and Addressing Challenging Behavior in Young Children Read and Review: Read Chapter 5 Watch video Understanding Challenging Behavior in Young Children (CECE Early Childhood Videos at Eastern CT State University)	Read and review assigned materials Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture Material Post to Blog Submit Assignment: Addressing Challenging Behavior Submit Assignment: Observation Planning
4	1,2,3,4	Topic: Understanding Speech and Language Impairments and Autism Spectrum Disorder in Young Children Read and Review: Read Chapter 6 Read Chapter 7 Supporting All Children Using the Connecticut Early Learning & Development Standards: A Guide to Domains & Strands (No required reading, but you will want to bookmark this resource and refer to it often. For each Strand in the CT Early Learning and Development Standards (CT ELDS), there is a section on strategies to support diverse learners in the early childhood classroom.)	Read and review assigned materials Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture Material Post to Blog Submit Assignment: Collaborative Support Plan for Speech and Language Development Conduct 1 field experience hour, observing children for the Week 8 Final Project/Key Assessment
5	1,2,4	Topics: Understanding Visual and Hearing Impairments in Young Children Read and Review: Read Chapter 8 Supporting All Children Using the Connecticut Early Learning & Development Standards: A Guide to Domains & Strands (No required reading, but you will want to bookmark this resource and refer to it often. For each Strand in the CT Early Learning and Development Standards (CT ELDS), there is a section on strategies to support diverse learners in the early childhood classroom.)	Read and review assigned materials Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture Material Post to Blog Submit Assignment: Amalia Case Study Conduct 1 field experience hour, observing children for the Week 8 Final Project/Key Assessment
6	1,2,4,5	Topics: Understanding Physical Disabilities and Intellectual Disabilities in Early Childhood Settings Read and Review: Read Chapter 9 Read Chapter 10 Supporting All Children Using the Connecticut Early Learning & Development Standards: A Guide to Domains & Strands (No required reading, but you will want to bookmark this resource and refer to it often. For each Strand in the CT Early Learning and Development Standards (CT ELDS), there is a section on strategies to support diverse learners in the early childhood classroom.)	Read and review assigned materials Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture Material Post to Blog Submit Assignment: Inclusive Strategies and Collaborative Support Plan Conduct 1 field experience hour, observing children for the Week 8 Final Project/Key Assessment
7	1,2,4,5	Topics: Understanding and Supporting Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Learning Disabilities Read and Review: Read Chapter 11 Read Chapter 12 Supporting All Children Using the Connecticut Early Learning & Development Standards: A Guide to Domains & Strands (No required reading, but you will want to bookmark this resource and refer to it often. For each Strand in the CT Early Learning and Development Standards (CT ELDS), there is a section on strategies to support diverse learners in the early childhood classroom.)	Read and review assigned materials Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture Material Post to Blog Submit Assignment: Inclusive Support and Family Collaboration Plan for Children with ADHD and Learning Disabilities Conduct 1 field experience hour, observing children for the Week 8 Final Project/Key Assessment
8	3,4,6	Topics: Legal and Ethical Considerations for Supporting Children with Diverse Needs Read and Review: Review Chapter 2 Identifying the Needs of Young Children with Disabilities Watch video Including Samuel I	Read and review assigned materials Participate in the Discussions Review the Lecture Material Post to Blog Submit Key Assessment Complete Course Evaluation

Key Assessments:

Students enrolled in the Associate of Science or Bachelor of Science degree program in Early Childhood Education must successfully complete one assignment in each class that is designed to demonstrate growth in the areas of key competency required of early childhood teachers. The key assessment for this course is the classroom observation assignment. Students will observe a child in an inclusive early learning setting, analyze IEP or IFSP goals and make recommendations for teaching based on the child’s needs as they relate to the goals.

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.