Course Description
This course will focus on increasing the student's understanding of the psychology and education of the exceptional child. This course is not a methodology course, but will provide an overview of the range of exceptional characteristics that exist and the effects of these on learning, including: physical, mental, emotional, behavioral, and social traits of children and adolescents. Other topics include: legal issues, giftedness (identification/classification/labeling), federal and state legislation, as well as diversity of culture and language. (3 credits)
This course has been approved as a Special Education course for teacher certification in Connecticut.
Prerequisites
- ENG 101: English Composition 1
- ENG 102: English Composition 2
- PSY 101: Psychology (Recommended)
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Identify a wide range of exceptionalities as well as investigate the conceptions of giftedness.
- Identify significant legislation and the due process rights allowed individuals who are being assessed and identified as eligible for special education services.
- Critically evaluate major psychological theories (cognitive, behavioral, social, emotional and learning), and research in the field of special education pertaining to children and adolescents.
- Discuss the role of the regular education teacher in meeting the learning challenge(s) of/with exceptional students through exploration of a variety of instructional strategies.
- Improve critical thinking skills, as evidenced through written work and oral communications
General Education Outcomes (GEOs)
Please check the applicable GEOs for this course, if any, by outcomes at GEO Category Search, or by subject area at GEO Discipline Search.
Course Activities and Grading
| Assignments | Weight |
|---|---|
Discussion Board Questions | 30% |
Chapter Assessments | 20% |
Other Written Assignments: Activities; Exercises, and Applications | 30% |
Midterm Exam (Week 4) | 10% |
Final Exam (Week 8) | 10% |
Total | 100% |
Required Textbooks
Available through Charter Oak State College's online bookstore
- Friend, Marilyn. Special Education: Comtemporary Perspectives for School Professionals. 5th ed. Pearson, 2018. ISBN-10: 0-13-489500-2 or ISBN-13: 978-0-13-489500-0
Course Schedule
Note: There are two topics covered each week with the exception of week 8.
Week | SLOs | Recommended Readings and Exercises | Assignments |
1 | 1,2,3,4 | Topic: Understanding Special Education
|
|
Topic: The Personnel and Procedures of Special Education
| |||
2 | 1,3,4,5 | Topic: Multicultural and Bilingual Perspectives
|
|
Topic: Collaboration in Special Education
| |||
3 | 1,2,3,4,5 | Topic: Students with Specific Learning Disabilities
|
|
Topic: Students with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder
| |||
4 | 1,2,3,4,5 | Topics: Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
|
|
Topic: Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
| |||
Midterm Exam | |||
5 | 1,2,3,4,5 | Topic: Students with Speech and Language Disorders
|
|
Topic: Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
| |||
6 | 1,2,3,4,5 | Topic: Students with Deafness and Hearing Loss
|
|
Topic: Students with Visual Impairments
| |||
7 | 1,2,3,4,5 | Topic: Students with Orthopedic Impairments, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Other Health Impairments
|
|
Topic: Students with Severe and Multiple Disabilities
| |||
8 | 1,2,3,4,5 | Topic: Students Who Are Gifted and Talented
|
|
Final Exam | |||
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.