Psychology 2043A-650
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.
WESTERN UNIVERSITY
LONDON CANADA
Department of Psychology
2021 - 2022
Psychology 2043A Section 650
Exceptional Children: Developmental Disorders
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.
Antirequisite: 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. 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.
Prerequisite: Not Applicable
Lecture Hours: 3h
Course Weight: 0.5
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Anna Blumenthal, PhD
Office and Phone Number: no office
Office Hours: Wed & Friday 3-5pm, or by appointment (on Zoom)
*beginning September 15th
Email: ablumen@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Hana Abbas
Office: no office
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: habbas23@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Asynchronous
Delivery Method: Virtual
* Occasional guest lectures might be live. However, these will be recorded and made available for students who cannot make the live session.
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness @Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ 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.
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.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Fletcher, J. M., Lyon, G. R., Fuchs, L. S., & Barnes, M. A. (2018). Learning disabilities: From identification to intervention. Guilford Publications.
Pennington, B. F., McGrath, L. M., & Peterson, R. L. (2019). Diagnosing learning disorders: From science to practice. Guilford Publications.
Listed above are the textbooks most heavily drawn from, but we will also utilize chapters from other textbooks, scientific articles/ reviews, blog posts, articles in the popular press, podcasts, and/or videos. A digital version of all materials will be supplied on OWL.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES & LEARNING OUTCOMES
Course objectives: Overview
|
Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
|
Depth and Breadth of Knowledge. 1. Gain an understanding of how exceptional children are defined today, current controversies, and current educational strategies. Learn about how this differs historically and globally, and what forces shape this 2. Identify high and low incident exceptionalities, describe their causes, characteristics, and considerations for interventions (e.g., Autism, ADHD, vision impairment, etc.) |
Readings Forum discussion Powerpoint Lecture
|
Forum discussion Exam |
|
Knowledge of Methodologies. 3. Identify the tools/techniques used to identify and assess potential exceptionalities. Critique their cross-cultural appropriateness. 4. Develop a sense of methods used in basic research (i.e., twin studies, fMRI, etc.) |
Readings Forum discussion Powerpoint Lecture
|
Forum discussion Exam |
|
Application of Knowledge. 5. Gain in-depth knowledge from a specialist (educator, researcher, clinician, activist, etc.) |
Readings Guest lectures & Generating questions for guest lectures Interview a specialist
|
Generating questions for guest lectures on the forum Interview a specialist assignment |
|
Communication Skills. 6. Communicate current knowledge and ongoing open questions through an oral or written format |
Interview a specialist, share your knowledge through a podcast or blog |
Interview a specialist assignment |
5.0 EVALUATION
Course performance will be evaluated based on four different sources:
- Exam 1 15% of total grade
- Exam 2 15% of total grade
- Exam 3 15% of total grade
- Assignment 1 (written or oral) 35% of total grade
- Forum posts 20% of total grade
5.1 POLICY ON MISSING COURSEWORK
Course components will be rescheduled if missed due to illness or other extenuating circumstances. You are responsible for reviewing section 11.0 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.
There will be a penalty for late submission of assignment 1 (10% per day).
The expectation for course grades within the Psychology Department is that they will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level to 2099-level courses
72% 2100-2999-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
Note that in the event that course grades are significantly higher or lower than these averages, instructors may be required to make adjustments to course grades. Such adjustment might include the normalization of one or more course components and/or the re-weighting of various course components.
Policy on Grade Rounding: Please note that although course grades within the Psychology Department are rounded to the nearest whole number, no further grade rounding will be done. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade; nor will requests to change a grade because it is needed for a future program be considered. To maximize your grade, do your best on each and every assessment within the course.
6.0 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
Forum posts: Due 11:55 pm before each course date listed on the class schedule (section 7.0). The default forum post will be to write at least one comment or question in your discussion group based on the reading (this includes responding to a comment by someone else in your group). Sometimes the post will be more specific, for example to generate a question based on the last guest lecture. This will be announced.
Tests: multiple choice & short answer, open-book, online. Dates are as follows, note that tests are due by 11:55pm the night before the scheduled course:
Test 1: Released September 27th, due October 3rd 11:55pm
Test 2: Released November 8th, due November 14th 11:55pm
Test 3: Released November 29th, due December 7th 11:55pm
Assignment 1: Interview a specialist & create either a podcast or blogpost. Due November 7th 11:55pm. See “Assignments” on OWL for details.
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
|
|
|
|
|
|
Class |
Date |
Topic |
Reading |
|
1 |
September 8 |
Course overview;
|
-Syllabus -Chapters 1-2 (Fletcher) *Forum post (Introduce yourself) |
|
2 |
September 13 |
Introduction to developmental disorders Are learning disorders real? Classification & definition: The problem of identification Assessment
|
-Chapters 1-4 (Fletcher) *Forum post |
|
|
September 16 |
Last day to add |
|
|
3 |
September 20 |
Instructing students with disabilities
Brain mechanisms of disorders
|
-Chapter 5 (Fletcher) -Chapter 7 (Pennington) *Forum post
|
|
4 |
September 27 |
Intellectual disabilities
|
-Chapter 14 (Pennington) *Forum post |
|
5 |
October 4 |
Learning Disabilities Guest Lecture, Dr. Rebecca Merkley: Neurodiversity, diagnosis, & stigma: Implications for educational policy
|
-Grigorenko et al. -Sonuga-Barke *Forum post
|
|
|
October 11 |
No class – Thanksgiving |
|
|
6 |
October 18 |
Learning Disabilities II A deeper dive: dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia
|
- Chapters 10&11 (Pennington) -Nadine Gaab (video) -John Gabrieli (blog post) *Forum post (questions from guest lecture(s))
|
|
7 |
October 25 |
ADHD
|
-Chapter 12 (Pennington) -TBA *Forum post |
|
|
November 1 |
No class (Fall reading week |
|
|
8 |
November 8 |
Autism Spectrum Disorders Guest lecture: Early detection through fetal imagining, Dr. Emily Nichols Guest lecture: Neural network differences, (almost) Dr. Kathleen Lyons
|
-Chapter 1 (Fletcher-Watson) -Simon Baren-Cohen (Scientific American blog -Bailin(Scientific American blog) *Forum post |
|
|
November 12 |
Last day to drop
|
|
|
9 |
November 15 |
Communication Disorders Guest Lecture: TBA, Dr. Alex Cross Guest Lecture: Communication Disorders & Bilingualism in the Public School System Megan Gorey (SLP)
|
-Chapter 9 (Pennington) -Kuiack & Archibald (blog post) -TBA *Forum post (questions from guest lecture(s))
|
|
10 |
November 22 |
Hearing and Vision Impairments |
-Chapter 11-12 (Kirk) -Invisibilia:How to become Batman (podcast) -Atlas Obscura (news article) -Atlantic-Ringo (news article) -NYtimes-Katz (news article) *Forum post (questions from guest lecture(s))
|
|
11 |
November 29 |
Special gifts and talents
|
-TBA *Forum post |
|
12 |
December 6 |
Translating Science to Action: Community Resources Guest Lecture: Paul Cook, The Learning Disabilities Association – London Region Guest Lecture: Colin King, Mary J. Wright Child and Youth Development Clinic LAST CLASS! |
-TBA *Forum post |
8.0 LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron peoples, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum.
With this, we respect the longstanding relationships that Indigenous Nations have to this land, as they are the original caretakers. We acknowledge historical and ongoing injustices that Indigenous Peoples (e.g. First Nations, Métis and Inuit) endure in Canada, and we accept responsibility as a public institution to contribute toward revealing and correcting miseducation, as well as renewing respectful relationships with Indigenous communities through our teaching, research and community service.
9.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence 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 offences. 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 will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.
Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
10.0 POLICY ON THE USE OF EXAM PROCTORING SOFTWARE
When examinations and tests cannot be given in person (e.g., in courses coded as Distance Studies; in the event of a lockdown order), they may be conducted using either a monitoring platform such as Zoom or a remote proctoring service, such as Proctorio. If Zoom is used for exam invigilation, you will be required to keep your camera on for the entire session, hold up your student card for identification purposes, and share your screen with the invigilator if asked to do so at any time during the exam. The exam session using Zoom will not be recorded.*
If a remote proctoring service is used, the service will require you to provide personal information (including some biometric data). The session will be recorded. The instructor will alert you to the use of this software as close as possible to the start of the term, however, in the event that in-person exams are unexpectedly canceled, you may only be given notice of the use of a proctoring service a short time in advance. More information about remote proctoring is available in the Online Proctoring Guidelines. Please ensure you are familiar with any proctoring service’s technical requirements before the exam. Additional guidance is available at the following link: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/onlineproctorguidelines.pdf
* Please note that Zoom servers are located outside Canada. If you would prefer to use only your first name or a nickname to login to Zoom, please provide this information to the instructor in advance of the test or examination. See this link for technical requirements: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us
11.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER ABSENCES
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
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 must be submitted before the exam/coursework deadline in order to be valid. It 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
Students seeking accommodation for religious purposes are advised to contact Academic Counselling at least three weeks prior to the religious event and as soon as possible after the start of the term.
12.0 CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR RETURN TO LOCKDOWN: IN-PERSON & BLENDED CLASSES
In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence or any other event that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online, as determined by the course instructor.
13.0 STATEMENTS CONCERNING ONLINE ETIQUETTE
In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette:
- please “arrive” to class on time
- please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet)
- please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material
- to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise
- In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak
- In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable
- Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting
The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following: - If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question.
- Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking.
- Self-identify when speaking.
- Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise).
General considerations of “netiquette”: - Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course.
- Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing.
- Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate.
- Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately.
Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.
0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services: 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
- 2021-2022 Calendar References
If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf
Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca).
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos 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 any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
Policy on the Recording of Synchronous Sessions: Some or all of the remote learning sessions for this course (if scheduled) may be recorded. The data captured during these recordings may include your image, voice recordings, chat logs and personal identifiers (name displayed on the screen). The recordings will be used for educational purposes related to this course, including evaluations. The recordings may be disclosed to other individuals participating in the course for their private or group study purposes. Please contact the instructor if you have any concerns related to session recordings. Participants in this course are not permitted to privately record the sessions, except where recording is an approved accommodation, or the student has the prior written permission of the instructor.
