PBS, Comm Social Skills M/S

Course Description

This course prepares candidates to meet the communication, behavior, and social skill needs of students with moderate/severe disabilities. Candidates conduct behavioral assessments and plan behavior interventions for the behavioral needs of these students. They learn strategies to meet the communicative needs of their students, including using AAC devices. Methods for improving social skills of these students in all settings are presented. Collaboration, assistive technology, and functional communication training are emphasized.

Learning Outcomes

• Integrate and apply the knowledge and skills needed to create safe and healthy learning environments that facilitate the positive behavior, communication and social skills of students with moderate/severe disabilities.
• Develop the knowledge and skills to assess student behavior, determine the function of problem behavior, provide secondary and tertiary prevention strategies using positive behavior support (PBS), as well as develop a functional communication training (FCT) system.
• Integrate and apply the knowledge and skills to work collaboratively with parents (including those from ELL backgrounds) and other stakeholders to assess the communication needs of their students.
• Become familiar with the various AAC systems and their use, including PECS.
• Integrate and apply the knowledge and skills to implement various social skill interventions to develop the social skills of their students and facilitate social relationships.

Requirements

Complete assigned readings and participate in class discussions and activities. Literature Review using 5-7 articles from peer reviewed journals. Paper must be written using current APA style. Learning environment description/diagram demonstrating how a classroom could be set up to ensure a learning environment that facilitates the positive behavior, communication, and social skills of students with moderate/severe disabilities. How Assistive Technology, AAC, and Universal Precautions will be implemented must be addressed. Behavior assessment and intervention plan. Assess the problem behavior of a student with moderate/severe disabilities to determine the function of the behavior, and design a positive behavior support plan to address that behavior, that includes environmental supports and functional communication training. Assessment must include an interview with parent about the problem behavior as well as the communication abilities and needs of the student at home.