Western Michigan University
SPED 544
Educating Students with Severe Impairments
3 credits
Distance from
Spring 2005
INSTRUCTOR
Annette C. Skellenger, Ed.D., Associate
Professor
Office: 3506D Sangren Hall
Phone: 387-5944 home: 553-6305 (before 9pm)
E-mail: annette.skellenger@wmich.edu
Web Page: http://homepages.wmich.edu/~skelleng
Office Hours: By appointment
REQUIRED
TEXTS AND READINGS
Sacks,
S.Z. & Silberman, R. K. (1998). Educating
Students Who Have Visual Impairments and Other Disabilities. Baltimore: Paul Brookes.
Smith,
M. & Levack, N. (1996). Teaching
Students with Visual and Multiple Impairments: A Resource Guide.
Austin:Texas School for the Blind.
Students
will also be expected to purchase a hand-out packet from MyCoursepack at 888-496-3433. Students should bring the packet to each class session.
Outlines
for each lecture will be posted on http://homepages.wmich.edu/~skelleng Students are
expected to download outlines to assist with taking notes during the lecture.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Prerequisite: Consent of
the department
This course develops
specific skills in the assessment, prescription, implementation, and evaluation
of educational programs for persons with severe impairments. Course content focuses on the areas of
mobility, communication, sensorimotor development, and self-help skills,
cognition, and adaption behavior.
COMPETENCIES
Objectives will include
knowledge of the following topics:
1. Guiding
principles/best practices for working with children with severe needs.
2. Roles of team members when working with
children with severe needs, including issues of working with families.
3. Techniques for assessing children with
severe needs and development of IEP goals and objectives.
4. General instructional strategies for
teaching children with severe needs, including behavioral techniques,
activity-based instruction, environmental arrangement, and use of routines.
5. Types of communication used by children with
severe needs and methods for facilitating communication.
6. Introduction
to Active Learning and the work of Lili Neilsen.
7. Introduction
to Sensory Integration issues and their impact on learning
8. Special
considerations when working with children with the following
conditions:
deaf-blindness, challenging behaviors, CVI, moderate cognitive impairments,
high cognitive/low motor impairments.
MODES OF INSTRUCTION
1. Didactic/lecture
2. Small and
large group discussion and activities
3. Technology enhanced instruction (e.g., computerized presentations, video viewing and recording).
4. Guest
speakers/panels
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
A. Rapport Activities (50 pts) -
When working with students with severe needs it is imperative that rapport is
established before trying to impact the child’s development. Each 544 student will be paired with a
student with severe disabilities in the community and will interact with this
student on a regular basis, for at least 8 sessions. It is recommended that the student been visited more than 8
times, however, and extra credit will be given for any R.A.s completed beyond
these 8 sessions (2 points for each extra visit). Sessions will move from being primarily observational to
including more and more interaction with the child. Each 544 student will see the student in a variety of settings
(as described in the course-pack) and will complete a Rapport Activities sheet
which will include a variety of activities related to the child’s setting and
other variables. Rapport Activities
sheets will be turned in bi-weekly
unless other arrangements are developed with the instructor. Reports will receive a lower grade if they
are not turned in on an on-going basis or all are turned in together at the end
of the semester. It is best if the
Rapport Activities are turned in
via email. Each Rapport
Activity sheet will be worth 5 points which will be distributed based on both
the quality of the activity and the reflection of the 544 student regarding the
activity.
B. Assigned
Readings Focus Topics (40 pts) — Students will submit a list of 5 things they learned from each
assigned reading that will help them in their work with children with severe
impairments. Students will also include
a short description of how this info will be useful in working with children
with severe needs. These items will
help the student use the knowledge the obtained through the assigned readings
to focus on the information covered in class.
Focus Topics will be turned in as soon as they are complete or no later
than the week after the reading is due.
C.
Class
Activities (20 pts) – Students will practice preparation of
strategies described in lecture. These
include:
a. Prepare
a task analysis of an activity and indicate examples of how one of the students
in our class scenarios might demonstrate partial participation
b. Develop and report on a routine that might be used
with a student with severe needs
D. Mid-term Exam (40 pts) -
Students will complete a short take-home exam approximately mid-semester. Questions will be short answer and will
cover course content to that point.
E. Final Exam (50 pts) -
Students will complete a final exam on the total course content (including
readings, lectures and Rapport Activities).
Questions will be primarily short answer and some short essay. This exam will be open book and open notes
but will be limited to 2 hours (this means you will need to know the info well
and not need to spend a lot of time looking it up).
COURSE GRADE CRITERIA
95 pts - 100 pts = A
90 - 94 = BA
85 - 89 = B
80 - 84 = CB
75 - 79 = C
64 - 74 = D
below 63 = E
NEED FOR ACCOMMODATIONS
Any student with a
documents disability (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing,
etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the professor
and the appropriate Disability Services office at the beginning of the
semester. Accommodations will not be
provided unless officially approved by Disabled Student Resources. The two disability services offices on
campus are: Disabled Student Resources and Services 616.387.2116 or Offices of
Services for Students with Learning Disabilities 616.387.4411
DIVERSITY STATEMENT
The Department of
Educational Studies, Special Education and the Department of Blindness and Low
Vision Studies maintain a strong and sustained commitment to the divers and
unique nature of all learners and to maintain high expectations for each
student.
STUDENT ACADEMIC CONDUCT
Western Michigan
University’s academic honesty and conduct in research policies have been
created and defined by members of its academic community, recommended by its
faculty senate, and adopted by its board of trustees. The Department of Educational Studies Department of Blindness and
Low Vision Studies will adhere to all Student Academic Conduct policies and
procedures as printed in the catalog.
The processes necessary to support these policies are managed and
facilitated by the Office of Student Judicial Affairs. All questions related to academic honesty
will be referred to this office (387.2160).
APA STYLE
The Department of
Educational Studies, Special Education Program has officially endorsed the
style of the American Psychological Association (APA) for the completion of all
written assignments unless stated otherwise.
APA writing procedures are found in:
American Psychological Association, (1994). Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association (4th ed.).
Washington, DC:Author.
Schedule and Assignments
Outlines for each lecture will be posted on http://unix.cc.wmich.edu/~skelleng. Students are expected to download outlines
to assist with taking notes during the lecture.
|
SESSION |
TOPIC |
ASSIGNED READINGS |
Assignment |
|
Class
1 |
Syllabus - Learning Styles – Underlying
Assumptions – Best Practices |
S&S Chapt 1 - S&L
Chapt 3 |
|
|
Class
2 |
Teaming - Family Issues |
S&L Chapt 2 |
|
|
Class
3 |
Teaming
- Role of TCVI/O&M Assessment
- General |
S&S Chapt 3 - S&L
Chapt 4 |
|
|
Class
4 |
FVA - LMA - O&M Development |
S&L
Chapt 5 - S&S Chapt 12 |
|
|
Class
5 |
IEPs -- Communication |
S&S
Chapt 13 – Rowland, Schwiegert & Prickett** |
|
|
Class 6 |
General Instructional
Strategies |
S&L Chapt 6 |
|
|
Class
7 |
Behavior Modification –
Guest Presenter George Haus? |
Westling & Fox, Chapt 7** |
Develop and present an
example of a routine |
|
Class
8 |
Active Learning -- Guest Presenter Colleen LaRose |
Mid-term due |
|
|
Class
9 |
Strategies for Teaching
Vision and O&M – Guest Presenter Jim Judd |
S&S Chapt 4 – S&L
Chapt 14 |
|
|
Class
10 |
Sensory
Integration and Misc – Guest Presenter Sandra Stirnweis – Guest presenter
Berit Miller |
|
|
|
Class
11 |
CVI – Challenging
Behaviors – Guest Presenter Al Poling |
S&S Chapt 9, S&L
Chapts 8&15 |
|
|
Class
12 |
Functional Academics –
High Cognitive/Low Motor |
Coleman & Weinstock**
- S&S Chapt 7 – Wesling & Fox Chapt 17** |
|
|
Class
13 |
Deaf-Blindness |
S&S Chapt 5 S&L
Chapt 11 |
|
** found in course-pack