University of Arkansas, College of Education and Health Professions
DEPARTMENT OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
“The Scholar-Practitioner Model”
I.
Program Affiliation:
Special Education
Course Number and Title:
CIED 576V Teaching Children with Severe
Disabilities
Catalog Description:
Methods and materials for teaching persons
with severe disabilities including severe
mental retardation, autism, and severe
physical disabilities.
Prerequisites:
Admission to Graduate School
Professor:
Special Education Faculty
II.
Relationship to Knowledge Base:
ADVANCE LEVEL (M.Ed.)
This course is an advanced course at the master's level in the specialty studies.
The Scholar-Practitioner model at this level will pursue an in-depth study of the
characteristics of individuals with severe disabilities while emphasizing advance
learning in the specialty studies and the social and behavioral studies in the
substantive areas.
III.
Goal
The goal of this course is to prepare students who will be knowledgeable
concerning the identification of individuals with moderate, severe, and profound
disabilities. The students will demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of
individuals with moderate, severe, and profound disabilities and their
implications in terms of service provision.
IV.
Competencies
Based on the “CEC Special Education Content Standards” (last modified
on Wed, Jan 16, 2002)
NOTE: The products developed as evidences of learning will be useful at the transition
point when you prepare your portfolio for admission to Practicum and later with your
application for master’s comprehensive examination.
Standard 2: Development and Characteristics of Learners (Scholar-Practitioner
Tenets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Special educators know and demonstrate respect for their students first as unique
human beings. Special educators understand the similarities and differences in
human development and the characteristics between and among individuals with
and without exceptional learning needs. Moreover, special educators understand
how exceptional conditions can interact with the domains of human development
and they use this knowledge to respond to the varying abilities and behaviors of
individual’s with exceptional learning needs. Special educators understand how
the experiences of individuals with exceptional learning needs can impact
families, as well as the individual’s ability to learn, interact socially, and live as
fulfilled contributing members of the community.
Product: Develop a chart of typical child developmental milestones v.
atypical (select a disability)
Standard 3: Individual Learning Differences (Scholar-Practitioner Tenets 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7)
Special educators understand the effects that an exceptional condition can have on
an individual’s learning in school and throughout life. Special educators
understand that the beliefs, traditions, and values across and within cultures can
affect relationships among and between students, their families, and the school
community. Moreover, special educators are active and resourceful in seeking to
understand how primary language, culture, and familial backgrounds interact with
the individual’s exceptional condition to impact the individual’s academic and
social abilities, attitudes, values, interests, and career options. The understanding
of these learning differences and their possible interactions provide the foundation
upon which special educators individualize instruction to provide meaningful and
challenging learning for individuals with exceptional learning needs.
Product: Book review on a book concerning autism written by Donna
Williams, Temple Grandin, or other author with personal experience with
autism.
Standard 4: Instructional Strategies (Scholar-Practitioner Tenets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Special educators possess a repertoire of evidence-based instructional strategies to
individualize instruction for individuals with exceptional learning needs. Special
educators select, adapt, and use these instructional strategies to promote
challenging learning results in general and special curricula and to appropriately
modify learning environments for individuals with exceptional learning needs.
They enhance the learning of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance
skills of individuals with exceptional learning needs, and increase their selfawareness, self-management, self-control, self-reliance, and self-esteem.
Moreover, special educators emphasize the development, maintenance, and
generalization of knowledge and skills across environments, settings, and the
lifespan.
Product: Paper on including a child with a mobility disability and develop a
classroom floor plan supporting his/her inclusion in a general education
class.
Standard 6: Language (Scholar-Practitioner Tenets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Special educators understand typical and atypical language development and the
ways in which exceptional conditions can interact with an individual’s experience
with and use of language. Special educators use individualized strategies to
enhance language development and teach communication skills to individuals
with exceptional learning needs. Special educators are familiar with
augmentative, alternative, and assistive technologies to support and enhance
communication of individuals with exceptional needs. Special educators match
their communication methods to an individual’s language proficiency and cultural
and linguistic differences. Special educators provide effective language models,
and they use communication strategies and resources to facilitate understanding of
subject matter for individuals with exceptional learning needs whose primary
language is not English.
Product: Develop an assistive technology communication plan
Standard 7: Instructional Planning (Scholar-Practitioner Tenets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Individualized decision-making and instruction is at the center of special
education practice. Special educators develop long-range individualized
instructional plans anchored in both general and special curricula. In addition,
special educators systematically translate these individualized plans into carefully
selected shorter-range goals and objectives taking into consideration an
individual’s abilities and needs, the learning environment, and a myriad of
cultural and linguistic factors. Individualized instructional plans emphasize
explicit modeling and efficient guided practice to assure acquisition and fluency
through maintenance and generalization. Understanding of these factors as well as
the implications of an individual’s exceptional condition, guides the special
educator’s selection, adaptation, and creation of materials, and the use of powerful
instructional variables. Instructional plans are modified based on ongoing analysis
of the individual’s learning progress. Moreover, special educators facilitate this
instructional planning in a collaborative context including the individuals with
exceptionalities, families, professional colleagues, and personnel from other
agencies as appropriate. Special educators also develop a variety of individualized
transition plans, such as transitions from preschool to elementary school and from
secondary settings to a variety of postsecondary work and learning contexts.
Special educators are comfortable using appropriate technologies to support
instructional planning and individualized instruction.
Product: Instructional plan for teaching the use of the assistive technology
communication plan developed in Standard 6.
V.
Content
A. Definitions and Characteristics
A. Philosophy and Best Practices
B. Collaboration with Parents, Professionals, and Paraprofessionals
C. Assessment/Diagnosis/Evaluation
D. General Instructional Procedures
E. Specific Instructional and Management Procedures
F. Instructional Considerations for Young Children
G. Instructional Considerations for Transition and Adult Services
H. Current Issues
VI.
Evaluation
All written assignments are to be prepared on a computer or typewriter. Typos,
misspellings, and grammar errors will result in a lower grade. APA (5th ed.)
format is to be used when preparing and citing materials. Avoid language that is
sexist, cultural biased, reinforcing of stereotypes, or offensive to persons with
disabilities. The instructor will assess the content of each chapter and its
assigned readings through products and examinations. Products must be
submitted by the due date published in the syllabus. Assignments will be
completed; otherwise, the student will earn an “F” in the course
Bonus Points
Students showing evidence of belonging to a professional organization (AAMR,
CEC, or TASH) can earn a total of 5 bonus points. A copy of the membership
card(s) will be accepted as evidence.
VII.
Syllabus Change
The Instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If
changes are made, advance notification will be given to the class.
VIII. Grading Scale
A (93-100%)
B (85-92%)
C (77-84%)
D (70-76%)
F (0-69%)
IX.
X.
Academic Honesty
The application of the University of Arkansas Academic Honesty Policy, as stated in
the Student Handbook will be fully adhered to in this course. Grades and degrees
earned by dishonest means devalue those earned by all students; therefore, it is
important that students are aware of the University of Arkansas Academic Honesty
Policy. Academic dishonesty involves acts that may subvert or compromise the
integrity of the educational process.
Accommodations
Students with disabilities requesting reasonable accommodations must first
register with the Center for Students with Disabilities. The CSD is located in the
Arkansas Union, room 104 and on the web at:
http://www.uark.edu/ua/csd/applications.htm. The CSD provides documentation
to students with disabilities who must then provide this documentation to their
course instructors. Students with disabilities should notify their course instructors
of their need for reasonable accommodations in a timely manner to ensure
sufficient time to arrange reasonable accommodation implementation and
effectiveness. A typical time frame for arranging reasonable accommodations for
students who are registered with the CSD is approximately one to two weeks.
XI. Classroom Behavior
Appropriate classroom behavior is expected of the instructor and all students.
Inappropriate and disruptive classroom behavior (inappropriate language and
gestures, class disruptions, disrespect to other students or instructor, and other
behavior as determined by the instructor) will not be tolerated and will result in
possible removal from the class and /or disciplinary action as per the student
handbook.
XII.
Inclement Weather Policy
Students in special education classes should use discretion in making the
decisions concerning their personal safety. In general, if the Fayetteville School
District has closed the schools, classes will not meet. For further information,
please call the Special Education Office (479-575-3548) or contact your professor
directly.
University closing announcements are also made on KAUF Radio, 91.3 as well as
local radio and television stations. The University’s inclement weather site is
updated frequently on both UARKINFO and University Online at
http://pigtrail.uark.edu/info/weather.nclk.
XIII. Course Resources
University of Arkansas Mullins Library
Computer Laboratories-Graduate Education Building
XIV. Research Base
Text(s)/Readings
Westling, D.L., & Fox, L. (2004). Teaching students with severe disabilities
(3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Merrill.