Teacher working with students with disabilities

Online Special Education Course Descriptions

This course povides an overview of the philosophies, legislation,  litigation, and methods that serve as the foundation of special education services.

  • Prerequisites: Graduate Standing
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Fall and Summer

This course introduces and examines educational strategies to prepare special educators to make effective pedagogical decisions when working with students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. It also overviews critical issues and practices related to culturally responsive teaching, linguistically additive approaches, special education eligibility, disproportionality in special education, collaboration with general education practitioners, and transition supports.

  • Prerequisites: None
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered:  Fall and every other Summer

This course focuses on understanding development from infancy through childhood, including patterns for children who are at risk or have disabling conditions. It explores the impact of developmental challenges on the infant’s and child’s emerging capacities for engagement in relationships and learning. The importance of the interaction of social, cultural, and interpersonal factors is stressed throughout. A major goal of the course is for students to gain a working knowledge of developmental processes that can be applied to assessment, curriculum development, and intervention planning and implementation.

  • Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Fall

Examines issues in measurement and test development, child finds and screening, eligibility and programmatic assessment, alternative assessment, and team-based assessment of children with disabilities under the age of 5, as well as collaboration with families. Includes a 30-hour practicum.

  • Prerequisites: SED 505
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Spring

Design and evaluation of environments, curriculum development, activity planning, individualized instruction, and adaptations to meet the needs of infants and young children with special needs within inclusive early care and education settings. Also focuses on supporting social and emotional development and play.

  • Prerequisites: SED 505 or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Fall

This course focuses on program administration, the promotion of public policy, and community outreach for diverse early childhood programs, including inclusive programs serving young children with disabilities. Topics include program evaluation and accreditation, leadership, management approaches, managing personnel, finance and budgeting, strategic planning, program evaluation, service delivery systems and models, public policy, and advocacy.

  • Prerequisites: SED 505 or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Fall and Spring

This course examines methods of collaboration, consultation, technical assistance, teaming, and developing partnerships within inclusive environments for young children with disabilities. Students practice collaborative and consultative relationships with families, early care and education program staff, and related service professionals within the practicum setting.

  • Prerequisites: SED 505 or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Every other Spring

Methods for providing early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities at risk for developmental problems and their families. The importance of service provision in a variety of natural environments for infants and toddlers, family-centered and culturally sensitive practices, and team collaboration is emphasized. Students will observe and participate in home-based and inclusive community early care and education settings.

  • Prerequisites: SED 505 or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Spring

Examines state and federal laws and policies that affect individuals with disabilities in both school and the community.

  • Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer

Provides an overview of diagnostic, clinical, and educational approaches for students with autism. Topics include definitions and characteristics under the autism spectrum, historical perspectives on etiology and treatment, curriculum and instructional strategies, and bio-medical interventions. Specific research-based intervention procedures in language development, social behavior, sensory implications, pivotal responses, and academic and functional skills development are examined. Emphasis is placed upon educational and behavioral methods used in school and family settings.

  • Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Fall and Summer

This course focuses on early language and early literacy theory and strategies for teaching and facilitating these skills and behaviors in all young children from birth to age five. It will also focus on language intervention techniques, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and methods for working with English Language Learners. The course uses learning principles and concepts of brain development, family involvement, and assessment application to intervention/instruction.

  • Prerequisites: None
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Spring and every other Summer

Approaches to behavior management and behavior change in educational settings. Examines principles of cognitive behavior modification, social skills training, and crisis intervention.

  • Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Spring and Summer

Examines instructional strategies that have been effective in educating students with severe disabilities. Emphasis on inclusive education models, nonverbal communication strategies, and behavioral supports.

  • Prerequisites: SED 401
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Every Other Spring

A comprehensive introduction to the field of special education, program planning for inclusive settings from theory to practice, and classroom application for accessing the curriculum most suited to the student’s needs.

  • Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Fall and Summer

Examines educational principles and strategies for teaching students with math difficulties.

  • Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Spring

Explores strategies for adapting reading instruction for students with reading difficulties. Topics include theoretical explanations of reading difficulties, multi-tiered systems of support, research-based approaches to intervention, and procedures for evaluating responses to interventions. Addresses the needs of students with high- and low-incidence disabilities as well as students at risk.

  • Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Fall and Spring

Explores strategies for adapting writing expression instruction (for example, grammar, syntax, prewriting, content generation, revision) for students with written expression difficulties. Topics include theoretical explanations of writing difficulties, multi-tiered systems of support, research-based intervention approaches, and evaluation procedures. Addresses the needs of students with high- and low-incidence disabilities as well as other students at-risk for writing difficulties. This course requires access to a student with a disability to complete the course project.

  • Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Spring

Develops knowledge of basic measurement concepts and principles and provides introductory experiences with procedures used to assess the educational performance of students with mild/moderate disabilities.

  • Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Fall and Spring

Provides training in assessing individual learning needs of students with autism spectrum disorders and severe disabilities, emphasizing curriculum-based assessment, diagnostic criteria, ecological inventories, adaptive behavior scales, person-centered planning, and quality of life indicators.

  • Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Spring

Provides training in behavioral assessment, support, and intervention for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Emphasizes evidence-based practices, including functional behavioral assessment and communication training, social skills instruction, self-management, and antecedent and broader environmental interventions.

  • Prerequisites: SED 528 or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Summer

This course will acquaint PreK-12 educators with principles, theories, research, and policies related to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as Assistive Technology (AT). It will examine the historical roots and policies related to UDL and AT, the core requirements of UDL and AT, the application of UDL and AT within various content areas (e.g., reading, mathematics, social studies, science), and systems issues related to meeting the diverse needs of students.

  • Prerequisites: None
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Spring and Summer

Executive function development may be delayed in students with learning difficulties and developmental disabilities. Supporting the development of goal setting, organization, cognitive flexibility, working memory, and self-monitoring is key to advancing the skills of all students. Clear links between executive function development and academic performance are seen in reading, writing, math, and study skills. This course will look at theory and application support.

  • Prerequisites: None
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Summer

Critical components of universal positive behavioral interventions and supports. Focus on a continuum of research-based behavioral practices integrated into a system for all students, using data to evaluate student outcomes and program fidelity.

  • Prerequisites: None
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Fall

Based on the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports model, it addresses the effective implementation of secondary behavioral systems and practices. Emphasizes behavioral interventions, outcome data tools, and fidelity measures for targeted groups of students who require behavioral support and intervention beyond Tier 1 to succeed in school settings. Includes check-in/check-out and group social skills programs.

  • Prerequisites: SED 581 or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Spring

Based on the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports model addresses the effective implementation of Tier III behavioral systems and practices. Focus on comprehensive, multicomponent behavioral interventions, outcome data tools, and fidelity measures for individual students who require intensive behavioral support and interventions beyond Tier I and II to succeed in school settings. 

  • Prerequisites: SED 581 and SED 582 or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Summer

This course examines communication, including an overview of typical social communication and atypical social communication development in autism, assessments of communication, augmentative communication supports, visual supports, and the interrelationships between communication and socialization. Students develop the awareness and the necessary skills to conduct informal observations of social communication abilities to identify supports that match the individual’s learning needs. Students learn strategies to collaborate with teachers, family members, and related professionals to increase social skills and communication. Using a combination of observation, practice sessions, lecture, and project-based learning, students apply their knowledge of social communication and support across the autism spectrum.

  • Prerequisites: SED 528 or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Fall

This course addresses lifespan issues for persons with disabilities, stressing curriculum content and instructional strategies that promote interdisciplinary career development and transition education at all age levels, but with an emphasis on post-school outcomes that lead to independence and high quality of life.

  • Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Every other Fall and Spring
  • Prerequisites: Instructor Permission
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: As needed

Study current issues, problems, and controversies in special education, focusing on professional writing. Typically taken as the first or second course in the master’s program in special education.

  • Prerequisites: Graduate standing
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Fall and Spring

Supervised student teaching experience in special education. May be repeated for a total of 6 credits.

Supervised school-based practice in special education administration. Requires mentoring by a certified special education administrator.

  • Prerequisites: Enrollment in an M.Ed. in Special Education program or Ed.S. in Special Education, Maine teacher certification in special education or related services, three years teaching experience, and instructor permission.
  • Credits: 3 credits
  • Offered: Fall