SPED 456: Human Development: Exceptionality

This course examines physical, cognitive, communication, and social-emotional exceptionalities from childhood to early adulthood, emphasizing the commonalities between students with disabilities and their nondisabled peers within diverse environmental contexts. Participants explore how developmental variations (including the impacts of culture, socioeconomic status, health, and environmental safety) influence readiness to learn, gaining skills to create nurturing classrooms that foster community and mutual respect. The course focuses on students with disabilities, covering disability categories, identification, remediation, and the legal frameworks of state and federal special education law. Candidates develop proficiency in promoting student progress within the general education curriculum through research-validated co-teaching, individualized instruction, and positive behavioral support. By analyzing formal and informal assessment data and reflecting on the history and philosophy of education, participants learn to foster productive home-school relationships and manage the needs of students with mild, moderate, severe, and multiple disabilities. Declaration of major or minor in education or permission of instructor required.