Syllabus 346
(2-7-07)

Psychology of Exceptional Children, PSY 346 - Section 1
Illinois State University
Alvin E. House, Ph.D.
Spring 2007

Class Time: Section 01: 9-9:50 MWF Classroom: SCH 106
Dr. House's office: DeGarmo 419
Office Hours: 8 & 10-12 MW and by appointment
Telephone: 438-8508
e-mail: aehouse@ilstu.edu
Web page: http://lilt.ilstu.edu/aehouse
GA: Ruth Stanton
GA's Office Hours: 1-5 MW, 10-12 F
e-mail: restant@ilstu.edu

Textbook: Hardman, M.L., Drew, C.J., & Egan, M.W. (2005). Human Exceptionality: School, community, and family, 8th Ed. Boston: Pearson.

wk 1 Exceptionality read ch. 1
wk 2 Exceptionality ch. 17
wk 3 Mental retardation ch. 10
wk 4 Communication disorders ch. 11
wk 5 Learning disorders ch. 7; test #1, Friday February 16th
wk 6 ADHD ch. 8
wk 7 Brain injury ch. 14
wk 8 Autism ch. 13
Spring Break
wk 9 Emotional & behavioral disorders ch. 9
wk 10 Emotional & behavioral disorders ch. 6; test #2, Friday March 30th
wk 11 Hearing loss ch. 15
wk 12 Vision loss ch. 16
wk 13 Severe & multiple disabilities ch. 12
wk 14 Gifted, Creative, Talent ch. 18
wk 15 Those who are different ch. 6

test #3: Thursday, May 10th 7:50 a.m.

Psy 346 provides an overview of psychological and sociological factors influencing the development and adjustment of children with significant emotional, behavioral, or cognitive differences from the general population. The goals are to increase the student’s understanding of our current conceptualizations regarding, appreciate the human impact of, and gain knowledge about the approaches to assistance for children who are distinguished from their age peers. You may wish to take a look at my general philosophy of teaching (http://lilt.ilstu.edu/aehouse/philof.htm).

Learning objectives (see web page)

There are three tests, breaking the semester into approximate thirds. Tests are worth 75 points each for a total of 225 points. The format of tests will be short answer questions.

Test #1 is scheduled for Friday, February 16th
Test #2 is scheduled for Friday, March 30th
Test #3 is scheduled for Wednesday, May 9th at 7:50 a.m.

For weeks 2-15 I would like you to write one question you have about the topic that is not answered by your textbook. Questions are due on the Monday the topic is to be discussed and are worth 2 points each for a total of 28 points.

There may be several in-class assignments and/or brief (1 page) reaction papers due at the next class period. Point values are variable but will usually be between 2 and 10 points each for a total of approximately 70 points.

There will be a quiz at the end of most Friday classes, covering the week’s classes and reading assignment. Quizzes are worth 10 points for a total of approximately 120 points. The format of quizzes will be True/False.

Weekly quizzes will not be made up. You may miss one quiz and receive full credit. If you miss no quizzes, your lowest quiz score will be replaced with full credit for that quiz. If you miss more than one quiz, you will receive zero scores and will need to make a conference with Dr. House.

Grading is based on points: the points you have earned divided by the base (points that were available):

A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
F <60%

For as long as possible all withdrawals will be WX. After the calendar limit for WX passes, a WP will be given if the student has 70% or more of the points available at the time of the withdrawal; a WF will be given if the student has 69% or less of the points available at that time.

No extra credit projects or papers are accepted in this class. In borderline cases I will take into consideration factors such as: whether all assignments were turned in, class attendance and participation, your own efforts to seek help.

Academic Integrity: Instances of cheating and willful academic dishonesty will result in referral to the appropriate University office for disciplinary action and will result in a grade of “F” for the course.

Keep all tests and assignments until you have your final grade for the course.

Any student needing to arrange a reasonable accommodation for a documented disability should contact Disability Concerns at 350 Fell Hall, 438-5853 (voice) or 438-8620 (TDD).