Special Education 472

EDSP 472: Characteristics of Students with Disabilities who Access the General Education Curriculum

Prerequisites: EDSP 360 or EDSP 361 or PSYC 401

Credit Hours: (3)

This course provides future educators an understanding of definitions, characteristics, and the learning and behavioral support needs of students with disabilities who are accessing the general education curriculum at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Characteristics and educational needs of students with learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, emotional and behavioral disabilities, other health impairments, traumatic brain injury, developmental delays, autism, multiple disabilities, and orthopedic impairments will be addressed. Students will understand how the experiences of individuals with disabilities can impact families, as well as how disabilities may affect the individual’s ability to learn, interact socially, and live as a fulfilled, contributing member of their communities.

Note(s): Cultural or Behavioral Analysis designated course.

Detailed Description of Content of Course

The course allows future educators to understand how disabilities can interact with the domains of human development and to learn how educators can use this knowledge to respond to the varying abilities and behaviors of individuals with disabilities. This course examines key topics, such as cognitive functioning, including attention, memory, perception, and critical thinking. Additional characteristics, including language development, social development, emotional and behavioral regulation, and medical aspects, will be examined. Students in this course will understand how the level of severity of disabling conditions, as well as factors relating to age/developmental level, cultural/ethnic, and socioeconomic background, affect participation in the general education curriculum.

Course concepts will address:

•Physical, social, psychological, behavioral, academic, and medical characteristics of students with disabilities and how these characteristics impact varying aspects of student learning

•Characteristics and effects of the cultural and environmental milieu of the student with disabilities

•The impact of disabilities on reading, academic skills, critical thinking, and social skills

 

Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

Readings, lecture and online modules, class discussion, analysis of case studies, writing assignments, and other application activities, which may include presentations 

 

Goals and Objectives of the Course

Goals, objectives, and assignments address the Virginia Department of Education regulations for preparing educators and the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Initial Preparation Standards and Specialty Set Knowledge and Skill Items. Specialty sets included in this course cover competencies for the Individualized General Curriculum and Individualized Independence Curriculum. 

Having successfully completed this course, the student will be able to:

1.Describe the differing ways of learning of individuals with disabilities including those from culturally diverse backgrounds. 

2.Describe the psychological and social-emotional characteristics of individuals with disabilities. 

3.Describe the impact of sensory impairments and their impact on learning and experience. 

4.Describe the impact of physical and health disabilities on individuals, medical aspects of conditions affecting individuals with disabilities, the impact on families and society, and explain the common etiologies.

5.Provide educational implications of characteristics of various disabilities, including the impact of disabilities on reading, auditory and information processing, academic skills, critical thinking, and social skills. 

6.Identify characteristics and effects of the cultural and environmental milieu of individuals with disabilities and their families. Discuss issues in definition and identification procedures for students from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, the influence of family systems and the role of families in supporting development. 

7.Discuss variations in beliefs, traditions, and values across and within cultures and how these cultural perspectives influence relationships among families, schools, and communities as related to instruction for students with disabilities.  

8.Describe the impact of learners’ attitudes, interests, and values on instruction and career development. 

9.Identify research-supported strategies, appropriate levels and types of support and/or adaptations, including technology, to address the needs of individual students

 

Assessment Measures

Assessment Measures may include, but are not limited to:

•Exams

•Participation in class discussions

•Written assignments

•Case study analysis

•Demonstration of knowledge on research-supported strategies 

 

Other Course Information

None

 

Review and Approval

Revised April, 2009

March 01, 2021