Online Learning

SPECIAL EDUCATION: Effective Practices for my General Education Classroom

The Special Education: Effective Practices for my General Education Classroom is a fifteen (15) hour interactive online course where K-12 teachers and administrators have the opportunity to review information regarding special education and apply the information to their general education classrooms. An instructor is available to guide participants through this four part, virtual learning process. Participants provide support and feedback to each other through the chat room, and are able to post questions and assignments on the bulletin board.

Early Intervention Orientation

This online course provides an overview of Early Intervention including legal foundations, rationale and service delivery. Current trends, practices and processes are described. Emphases also include the importance of family participation and community systems and resources. This course is recommended for newly hired Early Intervention personnel as part of their pre-service training but is not mandatory. You will need to complete the course within a four week time period.

Objectives

Participants will be able to:

• The user will become familiar with the theoretical, historical, and legal bases for Early Intervention including federal and state legislation.
• The user will be oriented to the early intervention service system including the purpose of the State and Local Interagency Coordinating Councils.
• The user will recognize and know the duties and responsibilities of Early Intervention practitioners.
• The user will become familiar with assessment and evaluation activities and processes for the purposes of eligibility and identifying ongoing developmental and educational needs of infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
• The user will gain knowledge in service delivery approaches that incorporate the outcomes and goals of the IFSP or IEP.
• The user will become familiar with current practices, issues and trends in Early Intervention; including family centered practices, team approaches, inclusion and the use of community resources.
• The user will recognize practices associated with transition into preschool and kindergarten and/or other community programs.

Target Audience

Early Childhood Personnel, Service Coordinators, Providers of Services and Supports, Preschool Personnel, and Family Members

Individuals attending this course must arrive on time and stay the duration of the course in order to receive Act 48 Professional Education hours. Requests for exceptions are to be brought to the attention of the individual´s Superintendent or IU Director prior to the course.

Family Centered Services

The purpose of this course is to provide standards for and practice indicators of family centered services for Early Intervention professionals. This course will look at family- centered principles as a set of core beliefs and attitudes that shape the philosophy and practices of Early Intervention programs. Participants will have opportunities to Ecological and Family Systems Theories as frameworks for increasing the focus on families in Early Intervention. They will have the opportunity to reflect on the developmental process of becoming culturally competent; explore the diverse cultures, values and beliefs of the families with whom they work; and identify strategies they can use to improve their professional skills and demonstrate understanding, respect and empathy in their interactions with families.

Partnering to Build Family Capacity

This course will look at how three primary relationships (parent-child, parent-professional, and professional-professional) in Early Intervention work together to promote and enhance the positive development of children within the context of their families. Participants will have opportunities to reflect on how the use of partnership principles and interaction skills support their relationships with families and positively affect their practice. They will explore strategies to assist them in collaborating with families to identifying family strengths and resources and to help build family capacity. They will have opportunities to reflect on the balance of power between families and professionals and identify practices that serve to empower families.

Responsive Routines and Environments

This course provides a foundation for understanding social and emotional development in infants and toddlers. It provides an overview of responsive routines, environments, and strategies to support social emotional development in infants and toddlers. Participants have opportunities to explore the following topics: observation, responsive caregiving, emotional literacy and the development of social skills.

The Meaning of Behavior and Appropriate Responding

This course provides a foundation for the understanding of social and emotional development in infants and toddlers. It looks at individualized interventions for infants and toddlers through determining the meaning of behavior and developing appropriate responses. Identifying unmet needs, behavior as communication and responding to challenging behaviors are highlighted.

Social Emotional Development within the Context of Relationships

This course provides a foundation for the understanding of social and emotional development in infants and toddlers. It provides an overview of social and emotional development within the context of relationships. Emphasis is on attachment, temperament, self-regulation and the context of family, community and culture.

IFSP: Laws and Regulations, Documentation and Developing Outcomes

Each child and family that receives early intervention services must have an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Professionals and family members use the IFSP as they collaborate, as a team, to address developmental outcomes for a young child with disabilities or delays. The purpose of this course is to provide Early Intervention professionals with IFSP developmental guidelines. The materials in this course focus on state and national laws and regulations related to the development of the IFSP, facilitating the IFSP process and establishing functional outcomes that are meaningful to the child and family.

Orientation to Deafness and Hearing Loss

This online course provides a foundation for understanding deafness and hearing loss in young children under the age of five and how early detection can benefit a child’s development over a lifetime. It provides an overview of first steps to identifying concerns and then connecting families to services and resources. Emphasis is on understanding, screening, testing, service provider roles, and empowering families to support their child with hearing loss or deafness.

Assistive Technology: Using Environmental and Universal Tools in Early Childhood

Children with and without special needs, often engage with or use assistive tools. Professionals and family members use many different types of assistive tools daily but may not realize it. The purpose of this course is to provide guidance on what assistive tools are, how to make decisions on when to use them, and how to use them appropriately within a child’s daily routine. The materials in this course focus on practical application within the field for professionals to facilitate the use of assistive tools for children and families.

The IFSP: Developing Transition Plans

The purpose of this course is to provide specific guidance on how to build a strong foundation for families so that this is a positive experience for them and their child. The participant will learn about the importance of building relationships and identifying resources in the community that promote inclusion and networking. The activities and resources in this course will provide opportunities for the professional to gain a better understanding of the challenges families face and how to help them through. They will also have the knowledge of how to create an individualized transition plan for families.

Early Childhood Outcomes 101

The ECO 101 course is intended for audiences who are new to Early Childhood Outcomes and need a basic understanding of the process. This is an overview which includes the rationale for gathering ECO data, what we are measuring, procedures, timelines and steps in the ECO process.

Progress Monitoring: Using a Seven Step Process

Ensuring outcome and goal statements are measurable is the foundation of progress monitoring. In this course, participants will identify outcomes/goals that are functional and measurable and make determinations about the completion of outcomes and goals. This course provides case studies as the basis for application of a seven-step progress monitoring process. Participants will collect data, use it to make decisions about instructional strategies and collaborate with team members to make data-driven progress monitoring decisions. Throughout the course, there are best practice examples and opportunities for the application of learned materials.