SPED 530 - Impact on Learning & Diversity/Support for all Students
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 1
1. How can teachers set effective expectations for students?
2. Why is it necessary to define and measure behavior?
3. How can teachers communicate directly and honestly?
4. Why should teachers model and teach self-control?
5. Why and in what way(s) should teachers be aware of students’ culture?
6. How does the past influence the future in the field of behavior disorders?
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 2
1. In what ways are emotional or behavioral disorders disabling conditions?
2. How do professionals decide when behavior should be considered “disordered?”
3. How do we define emotional or behavioral disorders?
4. The identification of children and youth with behavior disorders requires practitioners to make
a series of arbitrary decisions. Why is this so?
5. What is the difference between prevalence and incidence?
6. What percentage of the school-aged population is currently identified with emotional or
behavioral disorders? How does this compare to estimates of the true prevalence of EBD?
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 3
1. How did humane and effective treatment for students with EBD evolve across history?
2. Historically, what advances occurred during the nineteenth century related to children and
youth with EBD?
3. Describe the types of treatment options available to students with EBD during the nineteenth
century.
4. What are the major recent trends in the field of special education?
5. How do current issues and trends in special education relate to historical issues and trends?
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 4
1. Why must one understand a variety of conceptual models if one is to be effective in
educating students with EBD?
2. What are the contributions and limitations of the biological model?
3. When applying a behavioral model, how are interventions approached and implemented?
4. Which conceptual models have the most to offer special education?
5. How does the social-cognitive approach guide the education of students with EBD?
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 5
1. Why are biological factors used to explain EBD?
2. How do individuals develop schizophrenia?
3. Is there a relationship between brain damage and EBD?
4. How does temperament contribute to EBD?
5. Why do teachers need to know about biological causes of EBD?
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 6
1. What is the appeal of explaining EBD using family factors?
2. How does family definition and structure influence the development of EBD?
3. What are effective and ineffective methods of child management?
4. How does child abuse occur?
5. What external pressures affect families?
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 6
1. What is the appeal of school factors as causal explanations of EBD?
2. What is the observed average intelligence of students with mild or moderate emotional or
behavioral disorders?
3. What is the average academic achievement of most students with emotional or behavioral
disorders?
4. What are the implications of academic underachievement?
5. What behaviors are predictive of school success and failure?
6. How do intelligence, achievement, and antisocial behavior affect later adjustment?
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 7
1. What is the appeal of school factors as causal explanations of EBD?
2. What is the observed average intelligence of students with mild or moderate emotional or
behavioral disorders?
3. What is the average academic achievement of most students with emotional or behavioral
disorders?
4. What are the implications of academic underachievement?
5. What behaviors are predictive of school success and failure?
6. How do intelligence, achievement, and antisocial behavior affect later adjustment?
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 8
1. What appeal do cultural factors have as causal explanations for EBD?
2. What are some examples of conflicting cultural values that relate to EBD?
3. What are the problems in evaluating the effects of cultural factors relative to EBD?
4. How are biology, family, school, and culture interrelated as causal influences?
5. How does the mass media affect the behavior of children and youth?
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 9
1. What are attention and activity disorders and what is their prevalence?
2. What causes ADHD?
3. Can ADHD be prevented?
4. How do we assess for attention disorders?
5. What educational interventions are appropriate for students with attention and activity
disorders?
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 10
1. What is the definition and prevalence of overt conduct disorder?
2. What is covert conduct disorder and how is it different from overt conduct disorder?
3. What are the causes of overt conduct disorder, and how can overt conduct disorder be
prevented?
4. How do we assess and intervene in cases of overt conduct disorder?
5. Are there any interventions for covert conduct disorder that are effective?
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 11
1. What is juvenile delinquency?
2. What are the causes of delinquency? How is delinquency prevented?
3. How do street gangs function?
4. What factors increase the likelihood of substance abuse? How is substance abuse best
prevented?
5. Why is sexual activity among adolescents of concern?
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 12
1. What types of anxiety related disorders affect children?
2. How should teachers respond to and remediate anxiety related disorders?
3. What types of characteristics are students with Tourette’s syndrome likely to exhibit?
4. Are there any anxiety related disorders that can be addressed solely through a classroom
intervention?
5. When should an educator be concerned about a child’s anxiety?
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 13
1. How is depression different from feeling blue?
2. What is the prevalence of depression?
3. What factors contribute to or cause depression?
4. What are the major models of depression that guide intervention?
5. How prevalent is suicidal behavior across ages, genders, and ethnicities?
6. What can be done to prevent youth suicide?
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 14
1. How is depression different from feeling blue?
2. What is the prevalence of depression?
3. What factors contribute to or cause depression?
4. What are the major models of depression that guide intervention?
5. How prevalent is suicidal behavior across ages, genders, and ethnicities?
6. What can be done to prevent youth suicide?
FOCUS QUESTIONS – Unit 15
1. What is the importance of reliability and validity in the screening and classification of EBD?
2. What is the purpose of screening for EBD?
3. What are the challenges in screening for EBD?
4. Why is it important to have a convergence of judgments?
5. What role do pre-referral strategies play?
6. What elements must IEPs contain?
7. What is the difference between diagnosing EBD and assessing EBD?
8. What functions does the multi-disciplinary (MDT) serve?
9. What is the purpose of evaluation, as compared to screening?
10. What is manifestation determination, and why might it be particularly important for students
with EBD?