Early Childhood Special Education:
Core Courses Offered at a Distance
University of Maine at Farmington
College of Education, Health, and Rehabilitation
The Early Childhood Special Education Program at the University of Maine at Farmington is designed to prepare professionals to work with young children with disabilities, birth to age 8, and their families. To meet the needs of a statewide audience, selected core courses utilizing distance education technology are offered for baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate professionals seeking to complete courses which can be applied to the State of Maine teacher endorsements Teacher of Young Children with Disabilities, Birth to School-Age Five or Teacher of Students with Disabilities, K-3.
The Teacher of Young Children with Disabilities, Birth to School-Age Five allows an individual to work as a developmental therapist, early intervention specialist, child and family specialist, or early childhood special educator across a variety of community settings including Child Development Services, child care, nursery school, pre-K public school, special purpose programs, and other settings that serve young children with special needs. The Teacher of Students with Disabilities, K-3 allows an individual to work as a special education teacher in primary school settings.
The following courses will be offered via interactive television:*
SED 203 Early Childhood Special Education (Fall 2003)
SED 305 Methods and Materials for Teaching Speech and Language (Summer 2004)
SED 300 Academic Remediation for Students with Disabilities or At-risk (Fall 2004)
SED 476 Assessment of Young Children with or At-risk for Disabilities (Spring 2005)
Current semester course listings are available at www.learn.maine.edu.
All courses taken are recorded on a transcript, and credits earned can be applied towards the BS degree for students accepted into the Early Childhood Special Education Program at the University of Maine at Farmington. In addition, 400 level courses may be applied to a master’s program, upon the approval of the degree granting institution.
If you are interested in pursuing the BS degree, please contact:
Loraine J. Spenciner, Ph.D.
Professor of Early Childhood Special Education
Franklin Hall
University of Maine at Farmington
Farmington, ME 04938
207-778-7266
lspencin@maine.edu
*Please note this important information regarding these courses and teacher endorsements:
Each of the four courses satisfies a separate and distinct area within the certification requirements for the endorsement Teacher of Students with Disabilities, K-3.
Each of these three courses -- SED 203, SED 305, and SED 476 -- satisfies a separate and distinct area within the certification requirements listed for the endorsement Teacher of Young Children with Disabilities, Birth to School-Age Five.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
SED 203 Early Childhood Special Education- 3 credits
This course is designed to provide an introduction to working with young children with exceptional needs and young children at-risk for disability and their families, including families from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The focus will be on young children up through age eight with an emphasis on supporting strategies in inclusive settings. Topics to be covered include social, legal, and educational bases for early intervention, family-focused philosophy, types of exceptionalities and children’s needs (including G/T), curricula adaptations within inclusive environments, and interdisciplinary programming.
Prerequisite: One course: an introductory course in education or permission of instructor.
Instructor: Dr. Loraine J. Spenciner
SED 300 Academic Remediation for Students with Disabilities or At-risk- 3 credits
This course is designed to provide students with knowledge of methods and materials for teaching academic skills to elementary school aged student with disabilities and other at-risk conditions. This course will emphasize teaching reading-decoding, spelling and handwriting; some oral language and study skills will also be discussed.
Prerequisites: The following courses: an introductory course in special education, a course in teaching reading, and a course in understanding behavioral objectives and direct instruction, or permission of instructor.
Instructor: Dr. Phyllis Fischer
SED 305 Methods and Materials for Teaching Speech and Language- 3 credits
This course focuses on stimulating and improving speech and language with young children, birth through age 8. The course is designed for early childhood teachers, including Head Start personnel, and others working with very young children.
Instructor: Dr. Elizabeth Straka
SED 476 Assessment of Young Children At-risk for Disabilities- 3 credits
This course is designed to acquaint the student with assessment procedures including observations, standardized instruments, criterion-referenced tests, performance, and portfolio assessment procedures for evaluating the developmental performance of typically and atypically developing young children from birth through eight years. Family-directed assessment formats will be included and a family-centered approach will be emphasized. Program evaluation and report writing also are included in this course.
Prerequisites: An introductory course in early childhood special education (SED 203) and a practicum/work experience with children or permission of instructor.
Instructor: Dr. Loraine J. Spenciner
If you have any questions regarding this degree program or whether it is the appropriate one for you, please contact the Student Services Coordinator at your nearest University College Center. Centers are located in Bath, Calais, Dover-Foxcroft, East Millinocket, Ellsworth, Houlton, Mexico, Saco, Sanford, and Thomaston. Contact us at www.learn.maine.edu or 1-800-868-7000 for the number of the University College Center in your region.
6/03