Concepts and strategies incorporated within the models of Dreikurs, Reall, Long, and others. Guest speakers will include outstanding special education teachers. Knowledge of the commonality of basic needs and developmental stages of the pre- and early adolescent will serve as a background for building on the strengths of the special education students. This course presents theoretical and practical information for teachers working with children with reading, writing, and language problems. Students consider the different meanings of play, including play as communication, as a means of mastery, and as a symbolic process.
Students analyze play sequences and their implications for understanding the interpsychic processes.
This course will explore the personal, educational, social, and familial dimensions of childhood health problems. Children with severe or chronic illnesses often spend more time in school and at home than in the hospital. We will address the impact of these transitions on cognitive, social, and emotional development. The focus of this course is on the understanding of the multiplicity of factors related to the neuropsychological development and assessment of infants and children. Mutlidisciplinary approaches to the assessment and evaluation of these skills in normal and special-needs children will be discussed with an emphasis on understanding the purpose, characteristics, standardization, and strengths and weaknesses of these assessments and how they impact on educational planning.