INCLUSION AND SPECIAL NEEDS

The Inclusion and Special Needs Certificate of Achievement prepares students to work in the field of special education. Students will learn and apply developmentally appropriate practices that support cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth in children with special needs. Students will gain skills (including cultural competence) to work effectively with children with special needs and their families. Students will learn to collaborate with professionals in the child development and special education fields. Students will become familiar with the legal requirements and laws regarding children with special needs.

Learning Outcome(s):

1. Apply human development theory to the early learning classroom and recognize the multiple interacting influences on a child’s development.
2. Design appropriate learning environments to support the inclusion of children with special needs, while recognizing and valuing the diverse backgrounds of the families they serve.
3. Identify federal, state, and local regulations that impact and protect children with special needs and their families.
4. Recognize typical and atypical development, and identify typical developmental milestones, in all developmental domains.