Paraprofessional and Developmental Disabilities (PP)

 

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IO = Infrequrently Offered Course

 

PP    1550

Beginning Sign Language

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

None

Covers the manual alphabet and basic sign language vocabulary.  Emphasis on signed English.

 

PP    1551

Intermediate Sign Language

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

PP  1550  Beginning Sign Language

An intermediate course in manually coded English.  Emphasis is on reading and signing exact English.  A basic orientation to paraprofessional interpreting in a school setting will be covered.

 

PP    1552

Advanced Sign Language

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

PP  1550  Beginning Sign Language and PP  1551  Intermediate Sign Language

Apply learned vocabulary to the educational setting.  Emphasis on paraprofessional interpreting and modifying vocabulary.

 

PP    1602

Survival Skills for Developmentally Disabled

1 Credit Hour

Prerequisite:

None

This course is prepared to teach basic skills to persons with developmental disabilities.

 

PP    5526

Paraeducator I

1 Credit Hour

Prerequisite:

None

This one credit-hour course is divided into fourteen topical areas:  Understanding Inclusion, The First Day on the Job, Confidentiality, Understanding the Many Types of Special Programs, Understanding the Many Areas of Disability and Exceptionality (Part 1), Understanding the Many Areas of Disability and Exceptionality (Part II), Individual Student and Program Information, Introduction to Accommodations and Modifications, Supporting Modifications, General Classroom Management, Paraeducator Roles and Responsibilities in Inclusive Classrooms, Working with Official and Immediate Supervisors, Communicating with Student Teams, and Monitoring Student Progress.

 

PP    5527

Paraeducator II

1 Credit Hour

Prerequisite:

None

This one credit-hour course is divided into fourteen topical areas:  Assertive Communication Skills, Classroom Instructional Arrangements, Taking Instructional or Behavioral Data, Supporting Reading Instruction, Supporting Writing Instruction, Supporting Mathematics Instruction, Supporting Organizational Skill Development, Providing Personal and Physical Support for Students with Physical Disabilities, Implementing and Monitoring Behavior Intervention Plans, Providing Positive Behavioral Supports for Individual Students, General Understanding of English Learners, (ELL), Avoiding Common Pitfalls When Working with English Language Learners, Fostering a Positive and Productive Classroom Environment, and Strategies and Techniques for Helping ELL Students Succeed.

 

PP    5579

Paraeducator III

1 Credit Hour

Prerequisite:

None

This one credit-hour course is divided into eleven topical areas:  Assessing ELL Students; Reading Comprehension: Narrative Texts; Reading Comprehension: Informative Texts; Reading Comprehension: Decoding and Layout; Writing Fundamentals: Parts of Speech and Sentences; Writing Fundamentals: Mechanics of Writing; Mathematics: Basic Skills; Mathematics: Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages; Mathematics: Basic Algebra; Mathematics: Geometry; and Mathematics: Data Analysis.

 

PP    5580

Paraeducator IV

1 Credit Hour

Prerequisite:

None

This one credit-hour course is divided into thirteen topical areas:  Understanding Students with Severe and/or Multiple Disabilities, Autism:  Diagnosis and Characteristics, Autism:  Social Interactions and Skill Development, Autism:  Communications Objectives, Autism:  Behavioral Issues, Asperger’s Syndrome:  Understanding the Diagnosis, Prevalence, and Characteristics of Students with Asperger’s Syndrome, Asperger’s Syndrome:  Best Practices for Supporting Students, Gifted Students:  Characteristics, Gifted Students:  Best Practices, Assisting Students in the Development of Social Skills, Transition:  Building Skills for a Successful Adulthood, Assistive Technology, and Feeding Students with Severe and Multiple Disabilities.

 

PP    5581

Paraeducator V

1 Credit Hour

Prerequisite:

None

This one credit-hour course is divided into twelve topical areas:  Blood Borne Pathogens; Introduction to Emergency Action Principles; Providing Care in Emergency; Using computers and Other Technology to Increase Learning; Characteristics of Adolescents with Disabilities; the Role of Paraeducators in Promoting Active Learning; Assisting Students with Work Completion; Supporting Students with Attentional Concerns; Supporting Students Who Are Noncompliant; Supporting Reading Instruction in Social Studies, Science, and Mathematics Part I and II;  Assistive Technology:  An Introduction to Devices and Software.

 

PP    5263

Medications and Developmental Disabilities

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

None

This course is designed to help students learn about medications frequently prescribed to persons with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities.  The student will gain an awareness of the effect drugs have on the human body and discuss legal and ethical concerns regarding the therapeutic use of drugs with this population.

 

PP    5267

Signing

1 Credit Hour

Prerequisite:

None

This course provides communication skills of manual signing and finger spelling to be used with hearing impaired and non-verbal individuals.  This course does not qualify as part of the curriculum for the paraprofessional.

 

PP    5528

Environmental Design for Exceptional Individuals:

(Subtitle in specific area of emphasis)

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

12 hours of courses within the program area or permission of instructor

Provides in-depth information and experience in physical and program design of the learning environment for a specific program placement.  The course will be offered with a variety of subtitles allowing amore detailed coverage of various learning environments for persons with disabilities.  Subtitles may include (1) residential and vocational placements; (2) mental retardation; (3) speech-language impairment; (4) hearing impairment; (5) visual impairment; (6) physical impairment; (7) severe multi-handicaps; (8) early childhood handicaps; (9) learning disabilities; (10) behavioral disorders; and (11) gifted and talented.

 

PP    5528

Environmental Design for Exceptional Individuals

(Emphasis:  Hearing Impairment)

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

None

Provides an overview of the physiological, emotional, and social implications of hearing impairment.  The course will also provide information relative to education of individuals with hearing impairment.  Resource materials and Assistive devices for individuals with impairment will also be included.

 

PP    5529

Laboratory Experience with Individuals with Disabilities

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

12 hours of courses within the program area or permission of instructor

Provides in-depth supervised experience with the type of individuals and in the placement setting that the student has selected for an area of emphasis.  Tasks include specific on-the-job responsibilities required in a given placement.  Emphasis on behavior management, instructional management, and professional communication skills.  Written program and setting description required.

 

PP    5529

Laboratory Experience with Individuals with Disabilities

(Emphasis:  Hearing Impairment)

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

PP  1550 Beginning Sign Language and concurrent enrollment in PP  1551 Intermediate Sign Language

Provides observation and work experience on an individual basis in an approved program for student with hearing impairment.  Requires a total of 68 contact hours to be completed over a 9-month period.

 

PP    5530

Workshop in Special Education

1 Credit Hour

Prerequisite:

None

The purpose of this course is to provide academic credit for the active participation in various formal special education workshops conducted periodically throughout the region.  The topics of the workshops vary from general to quite specific information pertaining to the exceptional student.  This course can be taken more than once.

 

PP    5530

Workshop in Special Education (Respite I)

1 Credit Hour

Prerequisite:

None

An introductory course for respite care providers providing an overview of guidelines and skills for the care of exceptional individuals.  Classroom time includes didactic instruction, role plays, and simulations.  Practicum experience provides an opportunity to demonstrate competency of the targeted respite skills.  CPR and Red Cross First Aid are not included in this course.

 

PP    5531

Introduction to Special Education Paraprofessionals

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

None

An overview of exceptionalities, legal and ethical issues pertaining to persons with disabilities, and the role, definition, and duties of paraprofessionals in special education services.

 

PP    5532

Behavior Management Laboratory

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

Concurrent enrollment in PP  5533 Methods of Behavior Management

Provides experience in applying the skills discussed in PP  5533 Methods of Behavior Management and in assisting classroom teachers or vocational supervisors in training exceptional individuals.  Supporting documents and direct observation by the instructor required as evidence of the student’s ability to demonstrate behavior management skills with exceptional persons.

 

PP    5533

Methods of Behavior Management

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

Concurrent enrollment in PP  5532 Behavior Management Laboratory

Teaches specific behavior management skills to be applied with individuals with exceptionalities in the accompanying practicum course emphasizing positive reinforcement techniques.  Includes behavior definitions, measurement, selecting reinforcers, systematic attention and approval, token reinforcement, planned ignoring, and shaping.

 

PP    5534

Methods of Instructional Management

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

PP  5532  Behavior Management Laboratory and PP  5533  Methods of Behavior Management, or permission of instructor and concurrent enrollment in PP  5535  Instructional Management Laboratory

Provides basic direct instruction skills needed in teaching or training individuals with exceptionalities.  Topics include instructional objectives, task analysis, skill measurement, reinforcement, and direct instruction strategies such as modeling, physical prompting, and questioning.

 

PP    5535

Instructional Management Laboratory

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

PP  5532  Behavior Management Laboratory and PP  5533  Methods of Behavior Management, or permission of instructor and concurrent enrollment in PP  5534  Methods of  Instructional Management

Provides an opportunity to practice and demonstrate instructional skills with individuals with exceptionalities in a practicum site.  Supporting documents as well as direct observation by the instructor required.

 

PP    5536

Language Development for the Exceptional Individual

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

None

Language and communication are vitally important skills for the cognitive and social development of individuals with exceptionalities.  Course includes normal language development, delayed language or speech development, and specific direct instructional techniques to expand the communication and language skills.

 

PP    5537

Emergency Health and Safety

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

None

Presents information that may be needed by special education personnel to manage medical emergencies until professional medical help is available.  Includes first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), seizure management, and general health and safety concerns in settings for persons with disabilities.

 

PP    5538

Respite Care for Exceptional Individuals

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

None

This course is an expanded version of the introductory one-credit workshop.  Additional class time allows in-depth training and supervised practice of training competencies.  Opportunities for practice and demonstration of skills needed for respite services are provided.  Practicum experience provides an opportunity to demonstrate competency in a field-based setting.  Topic addressed include family issues, preparing for respite, communication with family and client, health and safety during respite, handling emergencies, managing behavior, and basic care routine.  CPR and Red Cross First Aid training are a part of this course.

 

PP    5539

Programming for the Physically Handicapped

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

None

This course will provide the paraprofessional with basic information necessary to position, handle, and feed students with physical handicaps.  The course will also stress the role of and use of adaptive equipment in the classroom setting, including practical, low-cost alternatives to expensive equipment that may be constructed with existing materials in a classroom.

 

PP    5540

Professional Communication and Interaction

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

None

Provides “professional” skills necessary to be successful in the work place.  Addresses effective listening, facilitative responding, and problem solving, and the role, definition, and duties of paraprofessionals.

 

PP    5541

Behavioral Assessment of Exceptional Individuals

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

12 hours or permission of instructor

Provide information on behavioral assessments for each of the special education exceptionalities, from preschool children to post school adults.  Covers a variety of standardized measures and adaptive behavior scales, teacher-made assessment tests, norm and criterion reference assessments, and behavior characteristics and training.

 

PP    5542

Advanced Topics with Exceptional Individuals:

(Subtitle in specific topic of emphasis)

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

12 hours or permission of instructor

Provides the opportunity to receive detailed information in a variety of specific topic areas, such as a given exceptionality, program placement, curricular area, type of methodology, parents, programs, community services, the law, etc.  Each area could include vocational programs, residential programs, legal issues for the handicapped, curriculum for a given exceptionality, or other topic needs.

 

PP    5543

Introduction to the Exceptional Individual

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

None

Introduces various aspects of each exceptionality.  Emphasis on lifespan including issues related to children and adults with exceptionalities.  The definition and characteristics of each handicapping condition, and legal and ethical issues pertaining to persons with disabilities will be explored.

 

PP    5544

Assessment of Physical Conditioning of the Developmentally Disabled

1 Credit Hour

Prerequisite:

None

This is an introductory course to cover general fitness and conditioning principles.  Assessments will be administered to determine physical conditioning, muscular endurance, flexibility, and cardio-respiratory functioning targets of each of the exceptional populations.

 

PP    5545

First Start:  Care of Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities and Chronic Conditions

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

None

A national training program for paraprofessionals designed to provide training in the daily are of infants and toddlers (birth to three years) with developmental disabilities and/or chronic illnesses, who are away from the hospital.

 

PP    5546

Community Based Programs

3 Credit Hours

Prerequisite:

None

This course is designed to provide information on integration, inclusion, normalization, keeping people safe, and the interdisciplinary team approach as it concerns supported employment and supported living.

 

 

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