EDU102 Working with Students with Disabilities            3 Credits
Designed to provide students with increased knowledge and skills relevant to teaching children with disabilities. The course content focuses on the impact of having a disability on children within school settings. The course introduces the roles of professionals and working with others, IEPs, methods by which a student’s IEP is linked to the general curriculum, the INCLUDE strategy and basic teaching techniques.
Prerequisite: EDU101 or permission of instructor.

EDU103 Language Development                                     3 Credits
This course examines the stages in human language development from infancy through late childhood. Basic linguistic concepts of phonetics, morphology, semantics, and syntax will be introduced as required for an understanding of each stage of development. Several theories of language acquisition will be presented for discussion and analysis. Also studied is the relationship of language acquisition to bilingualism, foreign language learning, and physical and psychological impairments. Recent attempts to teach language to non-human primates is considered as well.

EDU201 The Brain and the Learning Process                  3 Credits
This course is designed to foster understanding of current brain research and its implications for school professionals and students. Concepts to be explored are the brain, learning styles, natural learning systems and multiple intelligences. Throughout the semester, students will be incorporating these concepts within teaching plans.
Prerequisites: EDU101 and EDU102 or permission of instructor.

EDU204 Adapting Instruction: Mathematics / Sciences  3 Credits
This course introduces the methods and materials associated with the instruction of both mathematics and science. Topics including math anxiety, student attitudes and study habits, and techniques for teaching specific concepts are discussed. The psychology of children's learning patterns at various age levels, alternative approaches that may be used in developing mathematical concepts, and the scientific method are central concerns in this course.
Prerequisite: EDU102 and math/science elective or permission of instructor.

EDU207 Adapting Instruction: Reading / Language Arts

                                                                                            3 Credits
This course introduces the teaching of reading, including reading readiness, decoding/word study, whole language instruction, phonetic approaches, and study skills for readers. Also included are methods of identifying reading needs through formal and informal observation and testing. Process writing as it relates to the reading process is included as well.
Prerequisite: EDU102 or permission of instructor.

EDU208 Communication Disorders                                   3 Credits
This course introduces speech pathology, including normal speech and hearing development in children. Causes, classifications, and incidence of speech and hearing disorders are emphasized. This course is a basic orientation for students in the speech/language option, yet it is also recommended for teachers, school administrators, nurses, and social workers.

Prerequisite: EDU103 or permission of instructor.

EDU210 Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorders      3 Credits
This survey course introduces the students to the history of the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) continuum and issues raised by this diagnosis for individuals, their families, and support and therapeutic practitioners. The etiology of ASD, how ASD is diagnosed, prevalence, social and language differences, sensory integration concerns, emotional characteristics, expectations of each person, and the need for structure and predictability will all be discussed. Guest speakers will bring current practice issues to the class. Observations will be included in the course work. Maine criminal and child abuse background checks must be successfully completed before observations may be done.
Pre/Co-requisites: EDU101 or permission of Education Coordinator.

EDU212 Introduction to Phonology: Phonetics                3 Credits
A study of the phonological system, including screening and remediation practices used with children experiencing articulation delays and phonological disorders will be presented in this course. Transcription is also emphasized. Introduction to the International Phonetic Alphabet is included.
Prerequisite: EDU208 or permission of instructor.

EDU215 Introduction to Audiology: Hearing Impairment

                                                                                            3 Credits
A study of the disorders of hearing and the acquisition of speech and language by the hearing impaired will be presented in this course. The methods of hearing assessment, including their administration and interpretation, are included. Methods of remediation are also emphasized.
Prerequisite: EDU208 or permission of the instructor.

EDU216 Clinical Techniques: Speech/Hearing/Language Disorders                                                                            3 Credits
A study of the clinical techniques utilized by speech/language technicians will be presented in this course. Basic principles of interaction with persons with communication disorders are introduced, including interpersonal relationships, language concept development, auditory stimulation, modeling, imitation and repetition, and use of physiological clues. Adaptation of basic approaches to specific speech/hearing/language disorders are also included.
Prerequisites: EDU208, EDU212, EDU215. Co-requisite: EDU222.

EDU218 Clinical Approach to Dysphagia                          3 Credits
This course is designed to foster a working knowledge of clinical terminology and abbreviations, universal precautions, the medical definitions associated with a variety of diseases and disorders, anatomy of dysphagia, an understanding of the cranial nerves and their relationship to dysphagia, theoretical and applied clinical feeding, therapies and techniques used in dealing with dysphagia, and the composing of clinical reports.
Pre/Co-requisites: EDU103, EDU208 and BIO113 or permission from instructor.

EDU219 Psycho/Social Needs of Students with Disabilities

                                                                                             3 Credits
This course provides an overview of the influences of emotional and sociological factors affecting one's acceptance of self. Many individuals with disabilities develop negative self-concepts, a situation intensified by societal attitudes which are often greater barriers than the disability itself. Emphasis is placed on socio-emotional problems and appropriate interventions.
Prerequisites: EDU101, EDU102, EDU210 and PSY215 or permission of instructor.

EDU220 Foundations of American Education                   3 Credits
This is the study of the history of education in the United States and of current issues and trends that have developed within our educational institutions. Contemporary issues will be compared with those in Maine schools and with those at the students’ practicum sites. Emphasis is placed on the history of schooling, education as a profession, teaching as a career, and schools as workplaces. This course is required of all individuals entering the profession in Maine.
Prerequisite: EDU221 or permission of the instructor.

EDU221 Practicum: Special Education Field Experience  3 Credits
The practicum provides an opportunity for students to acquire experience, with supervision, applying the knowledge gained from other courses. It requires a minimum of 135 hours of supervised experience, completed concurrently with EDU211 Seminar: Current Issues in Special Education. Placement in an educational or clinical setting is contingent on the student earning a grade of at least "C" in each of the program's technical courses. Prerequisites: all technical courses and current CPR and first aid certificate.
Co-requisite: EDU220 or permission of the instructor. Must pass SBI and DHHS background checks to participate in this course.

EDU222 Practicum: Speech/Language Field Experience  3 Credits
This practicum allows students concentrating in the speech-language option an opportunity to acquire practical experience, under the supervision of a licensed speech-language therapist, in either clinical or educational settings. It requires a minimum of 135 hours of supervised experience, completed concurrently with EDU216 Clinical Techniques: Speech-Language-Hearing Disorders. Placement in an educational or clinical setting depends on the student earning a grade of at least "C" in each of the program's technical courses.
Prerequisites: all technical courses and current CPR and first aid certificate. Co-requisite: EDU216 or permission of the instructor. Must pass SBI and DHHS background checks to participate in this course.

EDU224 Speech Language Community Practicum           3 Credits
This practicum allows students in speech-language an opportunity to acquire practical experience, under the supervision of a licensed speech-language therapist, in either a clinical or educational setting. It requires a minimum of 135 supervised hours with 40 hours working with children, 40 hours with adults, 20 observation hours and 35 hours distributed as arranged.

Prerequisite: Students must have completed an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in speech/language communication disorders or equivalent. Must pass SBI and DHHS background checks to participate in this course.

EDU225 Approaches to Working with Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders                                                          3 Credits
This course will examine the many methods currently being used to work with persons with autism spectrum disorder. Some to be discussed are: TEACCH, the Miller Method, ABA, Positive Behavior Support, diet and nutritional approaches, and developmental approaches. Other approaches will be discussed as they become available. Success rates, challenges, and settings for each method will be discussed. Guest speakers using specific training methods will be invited to present to the students.
Pre/Co-requisite: EDU210.