SPED - Special Education

SPED 3155. Learning and Behavioral Characteristics of Students with Mental Retardation (4-0-4) Prerequisites: SPED 3255 and Admission to Teacher Education or departmental approval. Characteristics of children, youth and adults with mental retardation. Social, psychological, and educational implications of mental retardation. Historical and political perspectives will also be included.

SPED 3165. Trends and Issues in Mental Retardation (2-0-2) Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education. Trends and Issues in the field of Mental Retardation. Changing populations, inclusion, children with health problems.

SPED 3215. Tests and Measurements in Special Education (3-1-4) Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education or departmental approval. A study of instruments used by classroom teachers in evaluating children with special needs. Practical experiences provided.

SPED 3225. Teaching Mathematics in Special Education (2-2-3) Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education or departmental approval. Basic mathematical concepts including program development, methods, materials, and appropriate educational strategies and procedures for use with children and disabilities. Field experience required.

SPED 3235. Practica and Curricula in Special Education (1-2-2) Prerequisites: SPED 3255 and Admission to Teacher Education. Curriculum development in early childhood, middle grades and secondary programs for children and youth with disabilities. Supervised Practica and observation with diverse populations exhibiting unique management and instructional needs (i.e., children, youth, and adults with severe disabilities).

SPED 3245. Language Development of Children with Disabilities (2-1-2) SPED 3255 and Admission to Teacher Education or departmental approval. Reviews language development and the impact of disabilities on acquisition of language and communication. Field experience required.

SPED 3255. Learning and Behavioral Characteristics of Children and Youth with Disabilities, Gifts, and Talents (2-1-2) Prerequisite: EDUF 2216. Laws influencing special education and Georgia’s guidelines for identification and alternative educational programs for exceptional children. Field experience required.

SPED 3265. Collaboration with Families and Professionals (2-1-2) Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education or departmental approval. Studies of the collaborative process, community service, interagency, and issues related to parenting and the provision of services for children and youth with disabilities. Field experience required.

SPED 3275. Behavior Modification and Management of Students with Disabilities (3-2-4) Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education or departmental approval. Theory and field application of behavior modification techniques. Field experience required.

SPED 4155. The Special Educator in the Public School (3-0-3) Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education. Discussion of legal issues. Referral to placement process, and Individualized Education program (IEP) development.

SPED 4215. Teaching Students with Mental Retardation (3-2-4) Prerequisites: Admission to Teacher Education or departmental approval and SPED 3155. Materials and methods for teaching children with mental retardation including adaptations, modifications and accommodations in the general education classroom. Field experience required.

SPED 4235. Curriculum and Transition Issues for Teachers of Students with Special Needs (2-2-3) Prerequisites: SPED 3255 and Admission to Teacher Education or departmental approval. Provides teachers with an overview of functional curricular approaches useful in preparing children and youth with special needs for transition to non-educational settings (i.e., community and work environment). Emphasis will be in the exploration of functional programming and transitional issues. Field experience required.

SPED 4255. Instructional Strategies for Teaching Children and Youth with Disabilities, Gifts, and Talents (2-1-2) Prerequisites: Admission to Teacher Education and Student Teaching. Students will be presented with information and techniques for designing appropriate instructional strategies for learners with disabilities gifts, and talents. Field experience required.

SPED 4485. Student Teaching in Special Education (0-40-10) Prerequisites: SPED 3255 and 4215 and Admission to Teacher Education and Student Teaching;Co-requisites: EDUF 4116, SPED 4255, and EDUF 4115. Observation and teaching during the entire school day under the guidance of selected classroom teachers.(S/U grading.)

SPED 5205. Learning and Behavioral Characteristics of Children with Disabilities, Gifts, and Talents (2-2-3) Includes learning and behavioral characteristics of children with disabilities, gifts, and talents. Laws influencing special education and Georgia’s guidelines for identification and alternative educational programs for exceptional children. Field experience required.

SPED 5225. Teaching Students with Moderate and Severe Disabilities (3-2-4) Prerequisites: SPED 3255 and admission to Teacher Education. Materials and methods for teaching students with moderate and severe disabilities. Instruction in physical management, organization, and curriculum content lab experience.

SPED 5235. Teaching Students with Mild Disabilities (2-2-3) Prerequisites: Admission to Teacher Education, Post-Baccalaureate Program, or Department Approval. Surveys definitions of "mild disabilities". Investigates the etiology of mild disabilities and the ways in which they impact on the child’s emotional development, academic performance, and social interaction. Explores the various approaches to encouraging the progress of students with mild disabilities and models in included settings. Field experiences required.

SPED 5236. Understanding and Teaching Students with Mild Emotional and/or Behavior Disorders (2-2-3) Prerequisites: SPED 3255; Admission to Teacher Education, Post-Baccalaureate Program, or Department Approval. Characteristics of children and youth with mild emotional and/or behavioral disorders. Etiology and classifications of mild emotional and/or behavioral disorders. Identification and eligibility requirements, programming issues. Analysis of selected best educational practices, methods, techniques, materials, and program models. Examination of current trends and issues in the discipline of mild emotional and behavioral disorders. Field experience required.

SPED 5237. Understanding and Teaching Students with Mild Specific Learning Disabilities (2-2-3) Prerequisites: SPED 3255; Admission to Teacher Education, Post-Baccalaureate Program, or Department Approval. Characteristics of children with mild specific learning disabilities. Etiology and definition of children with mild specific learning disabilities. Identification, laws affecting administrators, teachers, parents, and children with mild specific learning disabilities. Examination of current tends and teaching methods used with children with mild specific learning disabilities. Field experience required.

SPED 5285. Characteristics of the Preschool Child with Disabilities (3-2-4) Characteristics of the preschool child with disabilities, historical current development of the fields of early intervention and preschool services. Field experiences required.

SPED 5286. Teaching the Preschool Child with Disabilities (3-2-4) Information for the effective instruction of young children, birth through age five, with disabilities. Field experiences required.

SPED 6135. Inclusive and Collaborative Practices in Special Education (3-0-3) Prerequisite: Department Approval. Surveys placement practices. Emphasizes main streamed and included models. Explores parent and professional advocacy organizations. Investigates collaborative processes and models.

SPED 6145. Language Instruction for Children with Disabilities (2-0-2) Prerequisite: Department approval. Surveys instructional methods and materials used to teach speaking, listening, reading and writing, to children with disabilities. Emphasizes the teaching of study skills, thematic approaches, and improvement of memory.

SPED 6156. Psychosocial and Emotional Foundations of Behavior Disorders (3-0-3) Prerequisite: EDUF 6115 or Department approval. Theories of personality, types of childhood behavior and/or emotional disorders, classification systems, critique of therapeutic approaches with emphasis on collaboration between and among teachers, clinical psychologists and counselors.

SPED 6175. Lifespan Issues for People with Disabilities (3-0-3) Prerequisite: Department approval. Issues which affect individuals across the Lifespan; e.g. Health care, insurance, social integration, mobility.

SPED 6176. Teaching Adolescents with Learning Problems and Special Needs (3-0-3) Prerequisite: Department approval. Investigates the learning styles and needs of adolescents with learning problems and/or special needs. Examines identification and delineation issues. Application of specific methods and/or materials for teaching adolescents with learning problems and/or special needs.

SPED 6186. Characteristics of Children with Behavior and/or Emotional Disorders (4-0-4) Prerequisite: Department approval. Etiology of behavior and/or emotional disorders. Types of childhood behavior and/or emotional disorders. Identification procedures, eligibility requirements, educational issues, theoretical framework, specific program models, and strategies.

SPED 6187. Nature and Characteristics of Children with Specific Learning Disabilities (4-0-4) Prerequisite: Department approval. Definitions of "Specific Learning Disability", etiology of learning disabilities and their impact on the child’s emotional development, academic performance, and social interaction.

SPED 6188. Learning and Behavioral Characteristics of Students with Mental Retardation (4-0-4) Prerequisite: Department approval. Characteristics of mental retardation. Social, psychological, and educational implications of mental retardation. Historic and political perspectives.

SPED 6215. Teaching students with Mental Retardation (3-2-4) Materials and methods for teaching children with mental retardation including adaptations, modifications and accommodations in the general education classroom.

SPED 6265. Assessment of Exceptional Children and Youth (2-2-3) Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education or Department approval; Corequisite: SPED 6306, 6307 or SPED 6308 depending upon the student’s field of specialization. Surveys the statistics required for assessment of basic learning skills with appropriate clinical expertise. Practice testing and associated skills. Practice writing results of testing. Practices reading and interpreting psychological evaluations. Practices administration, scoring and interpreting informal tests. Practices using test results to develop remedial programs and IEPs.

SPED 6266. Testing Intelligence and Cognitive Functions (2-4-4) Prerequisites: SPED 6265 and SPED 6306/6307/6308; Admission to Graduate or Post-Baccalaureate Program. Students survey diverse theories of intelligence. The cognitive functions of acquisition, storage, retrieval, and execution are studies. Then students examine and practice administering, scoring, interpreting and reporting the results of the WIAS, WPPSI, WISC, Binet, Bayley and Kauffman. Field experiences required.

SPED 6285. Program Development and Curriculum for Gifted Learners (3-2-4) Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education or Department approval. Surveys all current successful strategies and programs being used to implement instruction to children and youth who are gifted. Field experience required.

SPED 6286. Methods and Materials for Teaching Children with Behavior and/or Emotional Disorders (3-2-4) Prerequisite: Department approval. Analysis of selected best practice strategies, methods, techniques and materials. Practice associating materials with appropriate methods. Application rehearsals, survey of classroom therapies. Practice use of classroom therapies.

SPED 6287. Methods and Materials for Teaching Children with Specific Learning Disabilities (3-2-4) Prerequisite: Department approval. Examines the classroom management strategies and the specific methods and materials for teaching children with Specific Learning Disabilities. Observation and participation experiences.

SPED 6288. Learning and Behavioral Characteristics of Gifted Learners (3-2-4) Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education or Department approval. Surveys definition, characteristics, and identification of the gifted. Examines the effects of cultural diversity with an eye toward the provision of appropriate services to gifted children and youth who are traditionally undeserved, disadvantaged, or disabled. Field experience required.

SPED 6289. Teaching the Gifted Learner (3-2-4) Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education or Department approval. Administrative and instructional intervention for gifted learners. Ability grouping, inclusion, enrichment, special classes, acceleration.

SPED 6306. Scales and Inventories for Assessing Children with Behavior Disorders (0-2-1) Prerequisite: Department approval. Corequisite: SPED 6265. Examines various curriculum inventories and other scales and inventories accepted as best practice in the assessment of children with Behavior Disorders with follow up experiences including practice of the administration, scoring, interpretation and reporting of data associated with these instruments.

SPED 6307. Scales and Inventories for Assessing Children with SLD (0-2-1) Prerequisite: Department approval. Corequisite: SPED 6265. Examines assessment of perception. Requires practice in the administration, scoring, interpretation and use of data obtained from various perceptual instruments and from formal reading tests and inventories.

SPED 6308. Scales and Inventories for Assessing Children with Mental Retardation (0-2-1) Prerequisite: Department approval. Corequisite: SPED 6265. Adaptive behavior scales, curriculum inventories, the Battelle, the Bragance and other scales and inventories accepted as best practice in the assessment of children with mental retardation. With practice in their administration.

SPED 6416. Practicum in Behavior Disorders (0-4-2) Prerequisites: SPED 6186, SPED 6265, SPED 6286, and SPED 6306. Participation in a supervised practicum teaching children with developmental disorders who possess Behavior Disorders.

SPED 6417. Practicum in Specific Learning Disabilities (0-4-2) Prerequisite: Department approval; Participation in a supervised practicum teaching children who possess Specific Learning Disabilities.

SPED 6418. Practicum in Mental Retardation (0-4-2) Prerequisite: Department approval. Supervised experiences teaching children with developmental disabilities who are Mentally Retarded.

SPED 6795. Ethical and Legal Issues in Special Education (1-0-1) Prerequisite: Department approval. Corequisite: SPED 6715. Examines the Professional Standards Commission’s Code of Ethics. Surveys CEC’s Code of Ethics. Overviews other Codes of Ethics. Relates best practice to the law, IDEA, and ADA. Discusses Section 504 issues.

SPED 6796. Seminar in Special Education (3-0-3) Prerequisite: Department approval. An integrative seminar involving issues, trends and controversies in the field of Special Education, with emphasis on classroom applications. May be taken twice for credit.

SPED 6797. The Special Education Teacher within the School (2-0-2) Prerequisite: Department approval; Co-requisite: SPED 6796. Surveys cross-categorical, medical and other terminology commonly used in Special Education. Examines the teacher’s administrative tasks; i.e. paperwork, adherence to due process, parental notifications, IEPs, etc. Investigates the impact of law on best practice in Special Education.

SPED 6899. Independent Study (1-3 hours) Prerequisite: Department approval. An integrative directive study of a current, specific issue, problem, or other approved topic. May be repeated for credit.