School of Education at Johns Hopkins University - Graduate Education Programs:


Education of Students with Severe Disabilities

Adviser: Danielle Liso (Homewood), 410-516-8275

This 15-credit graduate certificate program prepares teachers and related services professionals to work with students whose educational priorities include specialized supports and instruction in the areas of independent living and adaptive behavior. Participants gain specialized skills necessary for teaching individuals whose cognitive, sensory, language, and motor needs require intensive supports in order to engage meaningfully in school, home, and community activities.

Program Requirements

Prerequisite Course

(Must have been taken within last 2 years)

 

  • 877.513 Education of Students with Severe Disabilities: Augmentative Communication Systems

    Students examine the design of augmentative communication systems that include use of graphic symbols for individuals with severe disabilities. Participants design and construct communication aids and develop strategies for integrating augmentative communication into the curriculum. (3 credits)

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  • 877.514 Community and Independent Living Skills

    This course reviews the philosophical movements that have fostered the improvements to the instruction of children, youth, and adults with disabilities. Participants (a) apply the principles of ecological assessment in the development of curriculum sequences for children and youth with severe disabilities; and (b) examine current research based teaching practices designed to promote the adaptive skills that contribute to the social competence and community acceptance of individuals with severe disabilities. (3 credits)

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  • 877.515 Education of Students with Severe Disabilities: Hearing and Vision Impairments

    Participants review suitable methods of assessing the visual and auditory capabilities of students with severe and multiple disabilities and the instructional adaptations necessary to increase their function in daily activities. Topics include ocular and auditory pathologies and their educational implications, functional vision evaluation, and behavioral audiometry. (3 credits)

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  • 877.518 Education of Students with Severe Disabilities: Management of Motor Skills

    This course examines atypical variations in the motor development of students with severe disabilities, with an emphasis on the remediation of abnormal patterns in the performance of daily activities. Participants gain information about specific remediation strategies and the appropriate use of assistive equipment to promote functional positioning, movement, and oral motor skills. (3 credits)

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  • 877.555 Teaching Communication and Social Skills

    This course examines the assessment and instructional strategies that have been shown to be effective in promoting the development of cognitive, language, and social skills by students who have severe disabilities, including those diagnosed with autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, or other pervasive developmental disorders. Participants examine the instructional adaptations needed to promote the development of cognitive, communicative, and social skills in students with severe disabilities, and review the relevant empirical literature. (3 credits)

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  • 871.510 Legal Aspects, Service Systems, and Current Issues in Special Education

    This survey course reviews litigated and legislated standards for special education and related services for persons who have disabilities. Participants explore current issues in the provision of services for persons with disabilities, including normalization, deinstitutionalization and inclusion, the regular education initiative, and the educability and right- to-life controversies. (3 credits)

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