Psychology 2043A-650 (Online)
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.
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, Psychology 2320A/B, Psychology 3320F/G, Psychology 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.
0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Sarah Smits-Bandstra, Ph.D., SLP Reg. CASLPO
Office and Phone Number: 647-407-4154 (no office)
Office Hours: Online (Zoom, Skype, facetime, email or phone) Mondays and Fridays 9am – 3pm
Email: smitsbandstra@gmail.com
Teaching Assistant: Chloe Lau
Virtual Office Hours: On appointment
Email: clau263@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Online
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 (you will need to login you’re your regular UWO username and password) 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) uwo.ca
- Ask ITS uwo.ca - get immediate answers to some of our more common inquiries
SDC’s Learning Skills Services: Rm 4100 WSS, www.sdc.uwo.ca/learning
LS counsellors are ready to help you improve your learning skills. They offer presentations on strategies for improving time management, multiple-choice exam preparation/writing, textbook reading, and more. Peer support is offered throughout the Fall/Winter terms in the drop-in PAL Centre, and Individual Counselling is available year round.
Connecting with the Course Instructor:
- When you email me, you can expect a response within 2 business days (Not Sat, Sun and holidays). I will do my best to respond within the hour on Mondays and Fridays between 9 AM and 3 PM.
- I plan to grade the exams, discussion posts and assignments within ten 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 post any questions you have on the online forum “I Have a Question…”. If is it urgent, email me instead at smitsbandstra@gmail.com.
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).
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
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 Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Kirk, S., Gallagher, J., Coleman, M. R. (2016). Educating Exceptional Children (14th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. ISBN-13: 978-1-285-45134-3, or ISBN-10:1-285-45134-1.
This textbook, and this edition of the textbook is critical for success in the class. 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 assessment and intervention methods
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course is designed to provide an overview of the major developmental disorders affecting children and an understanding of various broad categories of exceptionality (intellectual and learning; communication; sensory; neurological), including the way they are identified/diagnosed/categorized, their aetiology and frequency. The goal is to gain an understanding of the impact of these disorders on children’s functioning and techniques (school-based and otherwise) that may be used to assist with their development.4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
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Learning Outcomes |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
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Depth and Breadth of Knowledge: -Identify seminal legislation regarding education of children with exceptionalities in Canada. |
Powerpoint lectures Video lecture
|
Multiple choice exams |
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Knowledge of Methodologies: -Describe culturally sensitive techniques and/or instruments for comprehensive assessment of children with exceptionalities.
|
Powerpoint lectures Video lectures Application assignment and class discussion |
Multiple choice exams Application assignment |
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Application of Knowledge: -Evaluate the strengths and challenges of children with exceptionalities including consideration of assessment information, culture and wider social context. -Analyse relevant evidence-based intervention strategies for modification of the educational setting and the wider social context of children with exceptionalities.
|
Powerpoint lectures Video lectures Application assignment and class discussion |
Multiple choice exams Application assignment |
|
Communication: -Describe the causes, characteristics, and considerations for assessment and intervention specific to common exceptionalities experienced by children (e.g., ADHD, vision impairment, autism). |
Powerpoint lectures Video lectures Application assignment and class discussion |
Multiple choice exams Application assignment |
5.0 EVALUATION
*In the case of lock down due to Covid-19, no changes will be made to the assessments and evaluations listed below.
* Note that per departmental policy, course grades will NOT be rounded.
Activities you must complete to be successful in this course.
Syllabus Quiz: (0.5% 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 how to obtain the best learning outcome. Late submissions will be given zero.
Class Discussion Introduction: (0.5% of your final grade). Late submissions will be given zero.
Exams: Midterm (open book, online, 31%) Final Exam (38%). Self-reported absences cannot be used for the midterm or final exam. The midterm and exam will consist of multiple choice questions. The final exam is cumulative and will cover the entire course.
Application Assignments: (5 worth 6% each or 30% of your final grade) will require analysis and evaluation of content presented in the readings and lectures to help you process and learn the material in a meaningful way. Late submissions will be given zero.
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 Western's 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
6.0 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
Midterm: Open book, online, Saturday Oct 17
Final Exam: TBA (exam period Dec 11 - Dec 22)
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
All supplementary lecture material will be delivered through OWL. All class requirements (e.g., syllabus quiz, discussions, assignments) are due on Mondays at 11:59 pm (except Thanksgiving: Monday October 12).
Week Topic and Reading Due
9 Sept Introduction to the course/syllabus
14 Sept Chapter 1: Exceptional Children and their families Syllabus Quiz and Class
Discussion Introduction
(Due Sept 21 at 11:55pm)
21 Sept PDF readings: History and Social Forces in Special Education
Assignment One
(Sept 28 at 11:55pm)
28 Sept Chapter 3: Early Intervention Assignment Two
(Due Oct 13 at 11:55pm)
5 Oct Chapter 4: Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
12 Oct Chapter 5: Autism Spectrum Disorders
Midterm – Sat Oct 17
19 Oct Chapter 6: Learning Disabilities Assignment Three
(Due Oct 26 at 11:55pm)
26 Oct Chapter 7: ADHD
2 Nov Fall Break
9 Nov Chapter 9: Communication Disorders (not on midterm 2, on final exam)
Assignment Four
(Due Nov 16 at 11:55)
16 Nov Chapter 10: Special Gifts and Talents
23 Nov Chapter 11: Hearing Impairments Assignment Five
(Due Nov 30 at 11:55)
30 Nov Chapter 12: Visual Impairments
7 Dec Review readings Extra Credit Assignment
(Due Dec 7 at 11:55pm)
Final Exam (Between Dec 11-22) (cumulative)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
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
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/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
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
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
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
- 2020-2021 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute lecture notes, wiki material, and other course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
