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This course provides an overview of normal language development and language disorders which impact the acquisition of language based curriculum skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and written expression. Emphasis is on instructional techniques to assist students with diverse learning needs to achieve reading and comprehension skills. Effective reading strategies and curricula for individuals with disabilities will also be reviewed.

The course provides an introduction and overview of the field of special education from the perspective that it is a subsection of general education and that the field is in transition by virtue of philosophical, legislative, and programmatic changes. Legal aspects, regulatory requirements, and critical analyses of research are addressed. The course includes a broad overview of the characteristics, identification, instructional needs, and accommodation necessary for creating appropriate educational and vocational environments for students with disabilities.

This class has an emphasis on advanced techniques in literacy for classroom teachers who are not reading specialists. Students will develop an understanding of literacy across the curriculum, including a wide variety of instructional strategies and an understanding of the complex nature of literacy within the disciplines. Lecture, demonstrations, development of materials/planning approaches, and practice in the techniques of literacy instruction for K-12 classroom teachers and library media specialists are provided. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.