This course has an assignment that is due by 11:55 pm Central Standard Time on Wednesday night of the first week of class.  Failure to complete this assignment will result in your removal from the course for non-participation.

Kirk, Samuel; Gallagher, James; Coleman, Mary Ruth; and Anastasiow, Nick.  Educating Exceptional Children, 14^th Edition. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. 2015. ISBN 13: 978-1-285-45134-3

This course focuses on the educational and psychological characteristics of students with disabilities, mild to severe. Information useful for selecting and developing intervention programs for students with disabilities will be explored. Research in the field with emphasis on the study of instructional approaches emphasizing specific methods and materials will be introduced.

Upon successful completion of the course, each participant should be able to:

• Understand the importance of early identification of children with exceptionalities.
• Recognize the role of the government (IDEA) and special education legislation.
• Identify the Information Processing Model with students with Learning Disabilities.
• Understand the special characteristics of children with Autism.
• Identify effective interventions / teaching techniques to use with students with disabilities.
• Identify the neurological, genetic, and environmental causes of ADHD.
• Understand the concept of differentiated instruction involving students with disabilities.
• Identify effective strategies (Behavior Intervention Plan) in working with students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.
• Understand the characteristics of children with communication, language, and speech disorders.
• Identify the variety of assistive technology that can be used with students with disabilities.
• Identify specific interventions used with students with visual or hearing impairments.
• Recognize the transition for students with multiple and / or severe disabilities.