2043A-200
Psychology 2043A-200
Exceptional Children: Developmental Disorders
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
Welcome to Exceptional Children: Developmental Disorders! I am certain we will learn a great deal together and have a great semester – Sarah Smits-Bandstra
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
This half course will cover theory and treatment related to major childhood disorders affecting learning and development, including autism, learning disabilities, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and physical handicaps.
Antirequisites: Psychology 2041, 2320A/B, 3320F/G, 3434E
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
Blended (Part face to face, part online) equivalent to 3 lecture hours, 0.5 course.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Sarah Smits-Bandstra, Ph.D., Reg. CASLPO
Office and Phone Number: 647-407-4154
Office Hours: Online (skype, email or OWL discussion board) or by phone Mondays and Fridays 9 am – 300 pm (or by appointment).
Email: smitsbandstra@gmail.com
Teaching Assistant:
Office
Office Hours:
Email:
Time and Location of Classes:
Mondays 7-10 pm, Room: 146 University Community Center. There will be only 4 Monday classes from 7-10 PM during the semester that require mandatory attendance. The rest of the course will be online.
*Please note the following dates in your agenda/phone/organizer/calendar.
Sept 12, Monday 7 to 10 p.m. UCC-146
Oct 3, Monday 7 to 10 p.m. UCC-146
Nov 7, Monday 7 to 10 p.m. UCC-146
Final Exam, Dec, TBA
Discussions or assignments are always due by Monday at 4 PM on OWL. All assignments and class discussions can be done earlier than the due date, but will not be accepted (exams), or will lose 10% of the assignment/discussion grade each day after the due date.
Connecting with the Course Instructor:
- When you email me, you can expect a response within 2 business days (Sat, Sun and holidays do not count). I will do my best to respond immediately on Mondays and Fridays between 9 AM and 230 PM. I plan to have the TA for the course respond to each of your online discussion posts. This response will be made within 5 business days.
- I plan to grade the assignments within 5 business days of when the assignment is completed to leave you with time to incorporate instructor feedback into your next assignment. You will be expected to carefully review feedback and apply suggestions for improvement. Feedback is given to support your success and develop your skills.
- You can use the “Self-Review” questions to prepare for each exam. Please feel free to ask me questions about what the correct answers for the Self-Review questions should be. Be sure to complete your Self-Review early so you have time to ask questions or do research for your exams. It is not realistic to expect an email response from me one hour before an exam.
- You can post any questions you have on the online forum “I Have a Question…”.
- I will do my very best to meet the above deadlines for feedback unless I have exceptional circumstances (in which case, you will receive notification of when to expect a response).
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
Technological Support Services:
▪ By Phone: 519 661-3800 or Ext. 83800
▪ In Person: Support Services Building - our drop in counter is on the main floor right inside the front doors
▪ By JIRA: Create a JIRA ticket at https://jira.uwo.ca/secure/CreateIssue.jspa?pid=10920&issuetype=6
▪ By Webform (if your password does not work to create a JIRA ticket) itshelp.uwo.ca
▪ Ask ITS askits.uwo.ca - get immediate answers to some of our more common inquiries
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Kirk, S., Gallagher, J., Coleman, M. R., & Anastasiow, N. (2015). Educating Exceptional Children (14th edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
ISBN-13: 978-1-285-45134-3, or ISBN-10:1-285-45134-1. This textbook is essential for success. You will need it to follow along with the online lectures and complete the assignments and class discussions. This text was chosen because it is a comprehensive overview of the causes, prevalence, symptoms/characteristics and evidence-based interventions for children with exceptionalities. It also presents critical information about culturally sensitive for assessment and intervention methods.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this course, the successful student should be able to:
- Identify seminal legislation regarding education of children with exceptionalities in Canada.
- Describe culturally sensitive techniques and/or instruments for comprehensive assessment of children with exceptionalities.
- Evaluate the strengths and challenges of children with exceptionalities including consideration of assessment information, culture and wider social context.
- Identify relevant evidence-based intervention strategies for modification of the educational setting and the wider social context of children with exceptionalities.
- Describe the causes, characteristics, and considerations for assessment and intervention specific to common exceptionalities experienced by children (e.g., ADHD, vision impairment, autism).
5.0 EVALUATION
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf ):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
Below are activities you must complete to be successful in this course.
- Syllabus scavenger hunt (1%)
- Exams (3 exams worth 20% each or 60% of your final grade)
- Assignments (2 assignments worth 15% each or 30% of your final grade)
- Post and Reply to Class Discussions (3 discussions worth 3% each or 9% of your final grade).
Syllabus Scavenger Hunt: (1% of your final grade). You are required to review the syllabus so you know what to do if you need support, an extension, if you are sick or absent, and where to concentrate your energy and time to get the best learning outcome.
Exams: Three exams (20% each or a total of 60% of your final grade). They will consist of multiple choice and “select all the apply”. Each exam will test the material covered in the preceding unit in the textbook and lectures. Exams are non-cumulative however concepts in later lectures build on those that we learned in the early classes. Not everything in the lecture will be in the readings, and not everything in the readings will be discussed in the lectures. But assume that all of it will be on the exam.
Assignments: Two written assignments (15% each or a total of 30% of your final grade). These assignments will require analysis and evaluation of content presented in the readings and lectures to help you process and learn the material in a more meaningful way. Each assignment will be a 500-word essay (single space, 12pt font, Times New Roman) presenting assessment and intervention ideas for a case study of a child with exceptionalities.
Class Discussion: Three class discussions (3% each or a total of 9% of your final grade). Students will be divided into small discussion groups. You will be required to post your personal reflections on course material and reply to other students within your group.
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
EXAM ONE: Oct 3, Monday 7 to 10 p.m. UCC-146
EXAM TWO: Nov 7, Monday 7 to 10 p.m. UCC-146
FINAL EXAM: Dec, TBA
Make-ups for missed exams are handled by the student's Academic Counsellor’s office, not by the professor. They are provided only in cases of illness on the day of the exam, or for compassionate reasons. No make-up exams without proper documentation).
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Students will complete Modules 1 through 11 in this course, approximately one for each week. Modules are found on the OWL course homepage. Each module includes a brief description, module-level learning objectives, and an estimated time to complete.
MODULE DATE LECTURE STYLE TOPIC READING DUE
Module 1 12 Sep Face to Face Exceptional Children & their Families Chapter 1
Module 2 19 Sep Online History & Social Forces in Special Education Ontario Ministry Post and Reply 1
of Education PDF Syllabus Scavenger
Reading Pkg on Hunt Due Mon Sep 19 at 4 pm
OWL
Module 3 26 Sep Online Early Intervention Supports & Services Chapter 3 Self-Review
3 OCT FACE TO FACE EXAM 1 CHAPTERS 1-3
Module 4 10 Oct Online Children with Intellectual & Developmental Chapters 4 Post and Reply 2
Disabilities Due Oct 10 at 4 pm
Module 5 17 Oct Online Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Chapter 5 Assignment 2 Due Oct 17 at 4 pm
Module 6 24 Oct Online Children with Learning Disabilities Chapter 6
Module 7 31 Oct Online Children with Attention Deficit and Chapter 7 Self-Review
Hyperactivity Disorders
7 NOV FACE TO FACE EXAM 2 CHAPTER 4-7
Module 8 14 Nov Online Children with Communication, Language, Chapter 9 Post and Reply 3
and Speech Disorders Due Nov 14 at 4 pm
Module 9 21 Nov Online Children with Special Gifts & Talents Chapter 10 Assignment 3
Due Nov 21 at 4pm
Module 10 28 Nov Online Children with Hearing Impairments Chapter 11
Module 11 5 Dec Online Children with Visual Impairments Chapter 12 Self-Review
TBA-DEC FACE TO FACE FINAL EXAM CHAPTER 9-12
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2016/pg117.html
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2016 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.
