SPED/530 - Introduction to Learners with Special Needs

Course Description

This course is designed to provide an overview for working with exceptional learners, ages 3 years to 21 years. Participants explore methods to instruct and assess learners with special needs and create individualized education programs. Historical perspectives, special education law, and current policies and practices are examined.

This graduate course is 4 weeks.

PLEASE NOTE:
Attendance and participation are mandatory in all university courses, and specific requirements may differ by course. If attendance requirements are not met, a student may be removed from the course. Please review the Course Attendance Policy in the Catalog for more information.

This course is not available for enrollment to residents of Alabama, Arkansas, and Kentucky.

Course Objectives

Introduction to Special Education and Learners with Disabilities, Special Gifts, and Talents; Cultural Differences and Communication with Families

• Justify the need for special education.
• Differentiate the needs of exceptional learners and non-exceptional learners.
• Identify common characteristics of learners with disabilities.
• Identify common characteristics of learners with special gifts and talents.
• Describe strategies for differentiating instruction for learners with disabilities and learners with special gifts and talents.
• Identify cultural differences that affect learning.
• Determine strategies for addressing cultural differences.
• Determine strategies for communicating with families of special education students.

Individualized Education Programs and 504 Plans

• Create behavior intervention plans for learners with disabilities.
• Compare individualized education programs and 504 plans.
• Create individualized education programs for learners with disabilities.

Special Education Law and Low-Incidence Disabilities

• Analyze recent litigation that involves special education.
• Identify the characteristics of learners with low-incidence disabilities.

Response to Intervention, Communication Disorders, and Autism Spectrum Disorders

• Evaluate a response to intervention plan.
• Describe common communication disorders.
• Identify characteristics of autism spectrum disorders.

Disclaimers

The University of Phoenix reserves the right to modify courses.

Although our continuing teacher education courses are accepted by some state agencies in the United States toward teacher certifications and endorsements, this may not be the case in all states or foreign jurisdictions. If you plan to use courses for certification or endorsement, please check with your own state agency and your school district for applicability. Continuing teacher education courses are not eligible to apply to degree programs at University of Phoenix. These courses are not eligible for federal financial aid.

Transferability of credit is at the discretion of the receiving institution. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm whether or not credits earned at University of Phoenix will be accepted by another institution of the student’s choice.

While widely available, not all programs are available in all locations or in both online and on-campus formats. Please check with an Enrollment Representative.