| Research has shown that mental health issues and neurodevelopmental disorders affect about 10% to 12% of the children and adolescents in the world. With this understanding, this program is grounded with the latest research, evidence-based practices as well as supported by several case studies so that learners are able to appreciate the theories and practice. With this approach, learners will develop critical skills while examining the historical and contemporary issues relating to Inclusive and Special Needs Education policies, teaching methodologies as well as accessibility designs to overcome learning disabilities and disorders.
The experts of this program bring with them both extensive knowledge and practical skills. This will guide, support and raise learners’ awareness along with deep learning in each module of the program. This level will serve as a crucial stepping stone for participants to have the knowledge and skills in dealing with daily life issues relating to inclusion.
Year 1 Modules
M1: Child Development
Learning objective: To understand that there is universality of innate changes but also environmental influences that can change the trajectory of development accounts for variances and outcomes unique to each child. This unit will focus on the work of the following developmental theorists: Piaget (cognitive development theory), Kohlberg (moral development theory), Erikson (psychosocial development theory), and Vygotsky (sociocultural theory).
M2: From Special Education to Inclusive Education
Learning objective: To understand that Inclusive education (IE) means educating learners with special educational needs (SEN) in regular education settings. It is more than just placement. It includes implementation of an entire suite of provisions (i.e., adapted curriculum, adapted teaching methods, modified assessment techniques and accessibility arrangements). In recent years, the very concept of IE has been broadened to encompass all children; as expressed by UNESCO (2009), IE is “a process that involves the transformation of schools and other centres of learning to cater for all children – including boys and girls, students from ethnic and linguistic minorities, rural populations, those affected by HIV and AIDS, and those with disabilities and difficulties in learning” (p.4).
M3: Universal Design
Learning objective: To understand that Universal design (UD) is the design of environments, processes, products, and services so that they can be accessed, understood, and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of age, disability, or other factors (Centre for Universal Design, 2014). In inclusive and special education (ISE), UD is focused on removing barriers to learning and participation in order to facilitate inclusion and to optimise learning. UD and inclusion are inherently contingent on accessibility. This includes access to: assistive technologies, content, curriculum delivery, digital platforms, physical spaces, etc. Identifying and removing as many barriers as possible creates a more equitable learning opportunity that fosters an inclusive experience.
M4: Human Cognitive Abilities
Learning objective: To understand that intelligence is a complex construct with varied definitions and theoretical understandings. Still debated on what defines intelligence within the circles of psychology, theories evolved from proposing intelligence as a single construct to a collective of cognitive skills and abilities within a hierarchy of complexity. While cognitive abilities are the common skill markers of all individuals, the multitude of variances that can be presented for each and every ability is what makes intelligence and intellectual functioning unique to each individual. The ability to measure intelligence (i.e., IQ = intelligence quotient) is controversial. Some psychologists contest that it is not quantifiable or that “there is no such thing as a single measure for IQ or a measure of general intelligence” (Owen, 2012). Others argue that not only can intelligence be measured but it is important to do so as “it is the single most effective predictor known of individual performance at school and on the job, as well as aspects of well-being” (UK Essays, 2018). Understanding the biological and environmental determinants of intelligence contribute to the variances observed in all learners.
Year 2 Modules
M5: Screening for Referral
Learning objectives: To understand that the pivotal roles of observation and documentation and the strategic importance they play during daily routines at school and how they support intentional teaching. Such practice can also support educators to identify if a screening assessment is warranted for a learner who may exhibit difficulties in any of a variety of ways, including: achievement in any curricular subjects, social interactions with educators and/or peers, ability to attend and concentrate effective communication, and/or behaviour or emotional regulation. This practice is most often applied to early education, however, any educator, at an level, may implement these measures as good practice for intentional teaching.
M6: Difficulties, Disabilities, and Disorders
Learning objectives: To understand that It is common practice to refer to school-related challenges, be they with the curriculum, social interaction, attentional, behavioural, or physical, as disabilities in general. Typically, a label is assigned and a list of symptoms associated with the diagnosis provides the foundation to work to support a learner with such a diagnosis and symptoms. However, this is no longer an efficient way of identifying and treating disabilities/disorders (Chia & Camulli, 2017). A structured nosographical framework that categorises learning or behaviour disruptions based on a triad of symptoms and co-morbidities (if present) provides a more accurate identification of learning or behaviour disruptions. In this way, intervention planning can identify and treat the disabilities/disorders from a strategically-informed manner.
M7: Collaborative Consultation in Inclusive & Special Education
Learning objective: To understand that collaborative consultation can be summed up by the Whakatauki Maori proverb Ehara taku tao i te tao takitahi, Engari he toa takitini (“Success is not the work of an individual, but the work of many”). In inclusive education (IE), collaborative consultation is an interactive process, or service-delivery model, that enables multiple stakeholders with diverse expertise to contribute pragmatic, even innovative, solutions to defined learner needs. The interests of the learner are at the centre of the collaborative consultative process. The outcome is, therefore, enhanced and results in solutions that are different from those that the respective experts would not produce independently (Idol, Paolucci-Whitcomb & Nevin, 2010).
M8: Treatment in Inclusive and Special Education
Learning objective: To understand that learners with disabilities and special needs can also include those with temporary or situational challenges that may require different forms of treatment. Injury, illness, crisis, or trauma can create situations that require treatment that often take the form of rehabilitation. Lifelong and severe disabilities are often ‘managed’, which refers to strategies to support a learner without the expectation that the learner will overcome their difficulty. Intervention, most commonly used in inclusive and special education, is a treatment model that aims to identify and intervene as early as possible with the goal of preventing worsening of the condition/symptoms and of improving skills and abilities to expected levels. Where, when, what kind, and with whom treatments occur is dependent on the needs of the learner and the resources available.
Year 3 Modules
M9: Assistive Technology in Inclusive & Special Education
M10: Response to Intervention (RTI)
M11: Current Trends and Issues in Inclusive & Special Education
M12: Graduate Research in Special Needs and Inclusive Education |
