Typical/Atypical Dev Spec Need

Course Description

Overview of typical and atypical development from birth to five including major theories, principles, concepts, and current research and practice dealing with the impact of delays, disabilities or chronic health impairments of the young child.

Learning Outcomes

• Define and describe major child development theories, developmental stages and their implications for learning.
• Describe the nature and sequence of child development in each of the following domains: fine and gross motor development, cognitive development, socio-emotional development (including care-giver interaction), pre-symbolic and symbolic communication and language, play and physical and adaptive skills of daily living.
• Demonstrate knowledge of etiology and symptomology of common developmental disabilities or conditions in young children and their developmental impact, including disorders of central and peripheral nervous system, bones, muscles, and joints, metabolism, gastrointestinal track, heart, lungs, and circulation, sensory system.
• Describe the potential impacts of general and specific disabilities, delays or risk factors on parent-child interactions and on different domains of development.
• Demonstrates the ability to adjust developmental expectations to account for factors other than disability such as prematurity, emotional trauma, chronic illness, and environmental conditions.
• Demonstrate the knowledge, application, and analysis of several theoretical bases supported by research upon which early intervention and instructional techniques are developed.
• Demonstrate an understanding of a wide range of early childhood settings with a diversity of populations through a variety of observations and experiences.