Olabisi Onabanjo University- Ago-Iwoye

Faculty of Education
Department of Educational Foundations and Counselling

Concept of Special Education

Course Outline

Course Description
This course provides students with a general overview of special education, concepts in special
education, major principles associated in the practice of Special Education, Classifications of
Special Persons, Problems, and prospects of children with special needs, common causes of
disabilities, the various ways by which students with special needs can be recognized also form
part of the course. In addition, the role of parents, teachers, and counselors as well as curriculum
and Instructional needs of gifted students are also dealt with.
In this course also, students will be exposed to life realities with persons with special needs and
will be able to apply classroom accommodations, developmental teaching techniques and
designed modifications. Each student will be fully engaged in a field work to specified special
school from which they will organize and complete a case study-based course on selected set of
students in each school. In each case they will review the classification of special needs students
examined, classroom arrangement, teaching methodology and instructional technology applied.
That plan will be put into effect and monitored as per course assignment. Various group
activities will be utilized to maximize learning and provide interactions among participants.
Course Objective
Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
 Discuss the history, legislation, policies, and competencies that guide early
intervention/special education.
 Discuss core concepts and values that are essential to education, including
confidentiality, person-first language, natural environments, and least restrictive
environments.
 Identify the milestones of human development and risk factors that may impact
development.
 Explain the Response to Intervention process.
 Describe techniques for supporting children and their families through transition.
Describe evidence-based techniques and adaptation for supporting culturally,
linguistically and ability diverse children and their families.
Course Outline
1. Foundations for Understanding Special Education
- Concepts,
- definitions
- characteristics and
- objectives
- Historical Foundations
- Legal framework

2. Classification:
- Intellectual Disabilities: Identification and Assessment Characteristics and Causes
- Learning Disabilities: Definition and Characteristics Identification and Assessment
- Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: Definitions and Characteristics Prevalence
and Causes Identification and Assessment
- Autism Spectrum Disorder: Definitions and Characteristics Prevalence and Causes
Identification and Assessment
- Communication Disorders: Definitions and Characteristics Causes Identification
and Assessment
- Deafness and Hearing Loss: Types and Causes of Hearing Loss Technologies and
Supports Educational Approaches
- Blindness and Low Vision: Definitions and Characteristic Types and Causes
Educational Approaches
- Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Health Impairments and Physical
Disabilities: Causes, Characteristics and Educational Approaches

3. Early Childhood Special Education

- Screening, Identification and Assessment
- Concept of exceptionality in Special Education
- Problem and Prospects of Special Education

4. Roles in assisting children with special needs

- Parents,
- Teachers and
- Counselors
5. Methods of studying special needs
- Longitudinal
- Cross-Sectional Designs
- Natural Experiments
- Specialized Developmental Designs
- Baby Biographies
- Case Studies
 - Systematic Observations
- Non-objective Observations
- Structured Test Situations
6. Psychophysiological Assessments

Grading
Assignment Points
Individual 5 Marks
Classroom Participation 5 Marks
Group Assignments 20 Marks
Examination 70 Marks
Reading Materials

1. Dan P. Hallahan, James M. Kauffman (2005). Exceptional Learners: Introduction to

Special Education. Allyn & Bacon
2. Richard M. Gargiulo, Emily C. Bouck (2019) Special Education in Contemporary
Society: An Introduction to Exceptionality. SAGE Publications, Inc
3. William L. Heward, Sheila Alber-Morgan, Moira Konrad (2016) Exceptional Children:
An Introduction to Special Education, Pearson
4. Daniel P. Hallahan (2014) Exceptional Learners: An Introduction to Special Education,
Pearson
5. Michael Farrell (2008) Educating Special Children: An Introduction to Provision for
Pupils with Disabilities and Disorders Routledge