![A teacher assisting a young student with a disability](https://online.umaine.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/72/2020/07/iStock-577325084-e1655979551544.jpg)
Special Education Course Descriptions
Provides an overview of the philosophies, legislation, and litigation, and methods that serve as the foundation of special education services.
- Prerequisites: Graduate Standing
- Credits: 3 credits
- Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Focuses on understanding development from infancy through childhood, including patterns for children who are at-risk or have disabling conditions. The impact of developmental challenges on the infant’s and child’s emerging capacities for engagement in relationships and learning is explored. The importance of the interaction of social, cultural, and interpersonal factors are 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: Fall and 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 and Spring
Focuses on planning, implementing and evaluating developmentally appropriate curricula and interventions for inclusive early care and education programs. Emphasis on the design and adaptation of environments, materials, and activities to promote full participation by infants and young children with developmental delays and disabilities.
- Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor permission
- Credits: 3-6 credits
- Offered: Fall and Spring
Focuses on program administration and 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 Summer
- Prerequisites: TBD
- Credits: 3 credits
- Offered: TBD
Examine 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, the staff of early care and education programs, and related service professionals within the practicum setting.
- Prerequisites: SED 505 or instructor permission
- Credits: 3 credits
- Offered: Fall and Spring
Methods for providing early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities or who are at risk for developmental problems and their families. The importance of service provision in a variety of natural environments for infants and toddlers, as well as family-centered and culturally-sensitive practices and team collaboration, are emphasized. Students will observe and participate in home-based settings and inclusive community early care and education settings.
- Prerequisites: SED 505 or instructor permission
- Credits: 3 credits
- Offered: Fall and 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 the development of academic and functional skills are examined. Emphasis placed upon educational and behavioral methods used in school and family settings.
- Prerequisites: Graduate standing or instructor permission
- Credits: 3 credits
- Offered: Fall
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: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Examines instructional strategies that have been effective in the education of students with severe disabilities. Emphasis on models of inclusive education; 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 response 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
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 approaches to intervention, and procedures for evaluation. 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). The course will examine the historical roots and policies related to UDL and AT, core requirements of UDL and AT, 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: 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 are key in advancing the skills of all students. Clear links between executive function development and academic performance are seen in reading, writing, and math, as well as 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, and 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, 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.
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 social 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 Spring
- Prerequisites: Instructor Permission
- Credits: 3 credits
- Offered: As needed
Study current issues, problems, and controversies in special education with a focus 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, Spring, and Summer
Supervised student teaching experience in special education. May be repeated for a total of 6 credits.
- Prerequisites: Enrollment in an M.Ed. in Special Education program and instructor permission
- Credits: 1-6 credits
- Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Students identify a significant problem or issue in the field of early intervention and use a collaborative approach of inquiry to address the issue. The project requires the student to demonstrate competencies in action research, reflective practice, collaboration, leadership, and systems change at the micro or macro level.
- Prerequisites: Instructor Permission
- Credits: 3 credits
- Offered: Spring
Methods of supporting emotional competence and self-regulation, attachments and parent-infant relationships, play, peer interaction, and friendships of infants and young children including children with disabilities.
- Prerequisites: SEI 505 or instructor permission
- Credits: 3 credits
- Offered: May Term