TEAS 4012 / 5012 / 6012
Specialized Methods of Instruction: Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
4 Credit Hours

Course Information

Course Description:

This course will examine intervention strategies to promote optimal development for developmentally delayed and at risk children birth to age 3.  Public law 105-17, various service delivery models, intervention techniques and procedures, curriculum and individualized family service programs will be explored. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of the primary caretaker as major change agent for the child. Fifteen hours of field experience or a service learning project in infant/toddler programs will be required. This course will involve online collaboration, interactive case studies and assignments directly related to service delivery for young children and their family.

Course Objectives:

1.     Evaluate and design processes and strategies that support transitions among hospital, home,    infant/toddler, preprimary, and primary programs. (DEC)

2.       Develop an IFSP and IEP, incorporating both child and family outcomes, in partnership with family members and other professionals. (DEC)

  1. Identify functions of teams as determined by mandates and service delivery needs of children and families. (DEC)

4.       Incorporate information and strategies from multiple disciplines in the design of intervention strategies. (DEC)

5.       Select, develop, and evaluate developmentally and functionally appropriate materials, equipment, and environments. (DEC)

6.       Plan for and link current developmental and learning experiences and teaching strategies with those of the next educational setting. (NCATE/CEC)

7.       Develop and select learning experiences and strategies that affirm and respect family, cultural, and societal diversity, including language differences. (NCATE/CEC)

8.       Develop and use formative and summative program evaluation to ensure comprehensive quality of the total environment for children, families, and the community. (NCATE/CEC)

9.       Select intervention curricula and methods for children with specific disabilities including motor, sensory, health, communication, social-emotional, and cognitive disabilities. (NCATE/CEC)

10.    Make specific adaptations for the special needs of children who have unique talents, learning and developmental needs, or specific disabilities. (NCATE/CEC)

11.    Provide consultation and training in content areas specific to services for children and families and organization/development programs. (NCATE/CEC)

12.    Read and critically apply research and recommend practices. (NCATE/CEC)

13.    Ability to work with service providers, both public and private, in order to integrate children with disabilities in regular settings. (DOE)

14.    Knowledge of and respect for cultural diversity among young children with disabilities and their families. (DOE)

15.    Analyze and evaluate field experiences, including supervised experience in working with families and other professionals. (DEC)

16.    Communicate options for programs and services at the next level and assist the family in planning for transition. (DEC)

17.    Recognize signs of emotional distress, child abuse, and neglect in young children and follow procedures for reporting known or suspected abuse or neglect to appropriate authorities. (NCATE/CEC)

18.    Ability to work with families in evaluating their child's progress, identifying their strengths and needs, and setting goals. (DOE)

  1. Ability to implement developmental infant intervention curricula using developmentally appropriate methods such as physical and sensory stimulation, activity-based instruction, and parent-mediated instruction. (DOE)
  2. Ability to provide instructional support in a variety of service delivery settings including the home, center, clinic, preschool and school. (DOE)

Prerequisites and Corequisites:

TEAS 4001, TEAS 4003, TEAS 4004, TEAS 4005, TEAS 4006, TEAS 4007, TEAS 4010

Course Topics:

1.     Systems of Early Intervention

2.     The Ecology of Human Development

3.     Funding and Legislative Issues

4.     Culture and Diversity

5.     Resource-Based Early Intervention

6.      Family Systems Theory

7.      The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

8.       Home-Based Early Intervention

9.       Issues in Quality Childcare

10.   Early Intervention Programs

11.   Transition Planning

12.   The Interrelationship of Contexts

13.   Emerging Trends in ECSE

Specific Course Requirements:

Class Activities and Requirements Students are responsible for reading the text and accompanying modules prior to completing the quiz for each module.  Each graduate student will be assigned a topic for which he/she will develop a website to share with the class. The student should be prepared to upload the website on his/her student account or through their private Internet Service Provider (ISP.)  Undergraduate students will be required to design a resource list for parents (10%)

 

There will be thirteen quizzes (one to accompany each module) you should complete the quizzes in order.  There will be one comprehensive final exam.  These will require that you utilize class discussions, class notes and outside readings. (60%)

 

Each student is required to develop a unit plan for working with infants/toddlers with exceptionalities and their families.  The purpose of this project is help the student learn more about specific strategies for working with infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities.  (20%)

 

Each student will participate in a 15-hour field experience of an early childhood program. The student will turn in a log that includes details about the field experience. For students already working in an environment with infants and toddlers a field-related project will be substituted. All projects must be approved by the instructor. This will be worth 100 points.  (10%)

Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements

Required Textbooks:

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
http://rodp.bkstr.com

Supplementary Materials:

The Early Intervention Dictionary: A Multidisciplinary Guide to Terminology (Second Edition)
by Jeanine Coleman, Woodbine House Publishers, (ISBN #  1-890627-05-04)

Hardware Requirements:

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include...

Software Requirements:

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include...(Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Word, Microsoft EXCEL, Powepoint reader).

Instructor Information

Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.

Assessment and Grading

Testing Procedures:

Each module will have quiz which accompanies it. When you finish reading the text or assigned articles, read the module then take the quiz.  You may only take a quiz one time so please read,   study and prepare before attempting to take a quiz.  The final will be essay style and it will be comprehensive.  The final will require you to synthesize and apply information you have learned.

Grading Procedure:

Point Range          Point Range      Letter Grade

895-1000                   90-100                   A

855-894                     86-89                     B+

835-854                     83-85                     B

795-834                     80-82                     B- 

755-794                     76-79                     C+

735-754                     72-75                     C

700-734                     70-71                     C-

Below 700                 69-                         F

Assignments and Participation

Assignments and projects  Assignments and Participation

After completed each module the student should respond to the discussion board for that module and complete the required quiz for that module.  It is the responsibility of the student to contact the instructor in the planning and implementation of service learning field placement and projects related to field experience.

Class Participation

In order to benefit from this class all students are required to participate in discussion forums, and via other methods described by the instructor.  Some projects and quizzes are required by a certain time and you will be penalized if you are late unless arrangements are made prior to the due date.

Punctuality

It is easy to get behind in an internet course so punctuality in turning in assignments and answering emails sent to you by the instructor is imperative.  In the event the instructor is unavailable for more than 24 hours (such as when attending a conference or educational meeting) the students will be notified.

Course Ground Rules

As a participant in TEAS 4012 full participation is required. You are expected to communicate with other students in team projects and learn how to navigate in WebCT and the email system, as well as any chat rooms or bulletin boards set up for the class.  You are required to keep abreast of course announcements and adhere to explicit deadlines.  You will need to use the assigned college or university e-mail address as opposed to a personal e-mail address.  If you are experiencing technical difficulty you must address technical problems immediately.  No excuses will be allowed for late assignments due to technical problems not reported immediately. Please observe course etiquette at all times.

Guidelines for Communications

Email:
  • Always include a subject line.
  • Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
  • Use standard fonts.
  • Do not send large attachments without permission.
  • Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
  • Respect the privacy of other class members

Discussion Groups:
  • Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.
  • Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
  • Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other's ideas.
  • Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
  • Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
  • Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
  • Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Chat:
  • Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.
  • Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.
  • Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.
  • Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.
  • Be constructive in your comments and suggestion

Web Resources:

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses.

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the left to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support

Telephone Support:

If you are having problems logging into your course,
timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the AskRODP Help Desk by calling

1-866-550-7637 (toll free)

or go to the AskRODP website at:

http://help.rodp.org