Graduate Specialization in Early Intervention
TOP: Birth - 5
Course Descriptions
SEI 501 Typical and Atypical Development in Infancy and Early Childhood
The focus of this course is on understanding the developmental patterns of
infants and young children who are at-risk or have disabling conditions and the
impact of developmental challenges on the infant’s and young child’s emerging
capacities for engagement in relationships and learning. The importance of the
interaction of social, cultural, and interpersonal factors are stressed
throughout. A major goal of the course is for students to gain a working
knowledge of developmental processes that can be applied to assessment,
curriculum development, and intervention planning and implementation.
Prerequisites: An undergraduate or introductory course in child development or
human development. 3 Credits.
SEI 502 Foundations of Early Intervention
The course provides an introduction to the field of early intervention for
infants and young children with disabilities. History and rationale, legal
foundations, early intervention and special education legislation, philosophical
and theoretical perspectives, service delivery models, family-professional
partnerships, collaborative teaming, assessment practices, and curriculum
development are discussed from an inclusive, interdisciplinary, culturally
competent, family-centered perspective. Prerequisites: Education or experience in
early intervention, early childhood education, or a related field. 3 Credits.
SEI 507 Fostering Partnerships in Early Intervention
This course will develop knowledge, values, and skills for building partnerships
with families and other team members. Family systems theory, the teaming
process, service coordination, interagency collaboration, consultation,
advocacy, and the ethics of early intervention will be considered from a
family-centered, culturally competent perspective. Students will participate in
a family-based practicum in which they will be placed with a family of an infant
or young child with a disability over the course of the semester. They will be
expected to observe family routines, interact with family members, assist the
family to identify and achieve a family-identified need, and reflect on the
experience in a journal that they maintain. Prerequisites: Education or
experience in early intervention, early childhood education, or a related field.
3 Credits.
SEI 508 Assessment and Program Planning for
Early Intervention
This course examines issues in measurement and test development, child find and
screening, eligibility and programmatic assessment, nontraditional/authentic
assessment, individualized intervention planning, collaboration with families in
the IFSP process, methods of team assessment, and principles and strategies of
intervention from an inclusive, culturally competent, family-centered
perspective. An important focus is assessment and intervention strategies for
infants and young children with low incidence disabilities (medically
fragile/complex conditions, multiple or severe disabilities, autism, hearing
loss, visual impairments). The course includes a 30 hour practicum in which
students practice carrying out assessments of infants and young children and
assist families to identify their resources, priorities and concerns, and
includes an opportunity to participate as a team member in a transdisciplinary
play-based assessment of an infant or toddler. Prerequisites: SEI 501, SEI 502,
and SEI 507 or permission. 3 Credits.
SEI 509 Language and Literacy for Diverse
Young Learners
This course focuses on early language and literacy development and strategies
for supporting these skills in all young children birth to age five. Topics in
this class include methods of assessing the developmental continuum of early
language development and literacy learning, the teacher’s role in promoting
language and literacy development, creating environments to support literacy and
language, and ways of involving families in supporting language and literacy
learning. An important aspect of this course will be considerations for
supporting the language and literacy of diverse learners including young
children with disabilities and responding to individual cultural and linguistic
variation among children, including children who are learning English as a
second language. Prerequisites: SEI 501. 3 Credits.
SEI 510 Serving Infants and Toddlers in
Natural Environments
This course focuses on providing early intervention to very young children in
natural environments, such as the home, family child care, center-based child
care programs, play groups, and other community settings. An important focus of
this course is methods of supporting infants’ developing relationships with
significant adults in their lives. Techniques for meeting specialized needs of
infants and toddlers with disabilities in natural settings are examined.
Activity-based intervention and naturalistic approaches to intervention are
emphasized. The course includes a 30 hour practicum in which students observe
and participate in home-based settings and in inclusive community early care and
education settings. Prerequisites: SEI 501, SEI 502, and SEI 507 or permission.
3 Credits.
SEI 511 Planning Inclusive Early Childhood Programs
and Environments
This course examines design and evaluation of environments and introduces the
student to curriculum development and activity planning for inclusive early care
and education programs. The central and integrative role of play in the early
childhood curriculum and inclusive and developmentally appropriate practices is
emphasized throughout. This course examines developmentally and individually
appropriate approaches to child guidance, providing positive supports for
children with challenging behaviors, and creating environments that support the
social-emotional growth and development of infants and young children. A
particular focus of this course is the design and/or adaptation of curricular
goals and objectives, methods, materials, and activities to promote active
learning and full participation by children with diverse abilities, including
children with low incidence disabilities. This course includes a 30 hour
practicum in which students design and evaluate early childhood environments,
plan and implement activities for infants and young children, and design,
implement, and evaluate activity-based interventions. Prerequisites: SEI 501,
SEI 502, and SEI 507 or permission. 3 Credits
SEI 512 Inclusive Early Childhood Curriculum
This course provides an in-depth study of the curriculum for inclusive early
care and education programs including, curricular scope and sequence, methods
and materials, and culturally appropriate approaches to curriculum development.
The course examines curricula for the domains of cognitive development, emergent
mathematics, communication and language, emergent literacy, self-care/adaptive
skills, motor development, and creative expression. A particular focus of this
course is the design and/or adaptation of curricular goals and objectives,
methods, materials, and activities to promote active learning and full
participation by infants and young children with diverse abilities, including
children with low incidence disabilities. This course includes a 30-hour
practicum in which students plan and implement curricula, activities, and
interventions across the various curricular domains. Prerequisites: SEI 511. 3
Credits.
SEI 513 Practicum in Early Intervention
This practicum focuses on assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating
developmentally appropriate curricula and interventions for inclusive early care
and education programs. The practicum is individually tailored to meet the
professional development needs of each student in consultation with the course
instructor/supervisor. Prerequisites: SEI 508, SEI 510, SEI 511, and SEI 512. 3
Credits.
SEI 514 Administration and Public Policy for Early Childhood Programs
Focuses on issues involved in administering early intervention and early care
and education programs. Topics include providing effective leadership; planning
and program management; funding sources, finance, and budgeting; licensing and
regulations; federal and state litigation and legislation; public policy
development and analysis; and advocacy and systems change in early intervention
and early childhood programs and systems. The course also includes the
development of a proposal for the graduate project by each student that is
carried out during enrollment in SEI 650. Prerequisites: SEI 501, 502, and 507
and at least 3 methods classes (508, 510, 511, 512) or permission. 3 Credits.
SEI 515 Supervision and Professional Development in Early Childhood Programs
Examines issues in providing support for early intervention and early care and
education personnel. Considers adult learning, supervision, mentoring, coaching,
in-service and pre-service personnel preparation, personnel standards and
competencies, and professional development systems. Prerequisites: SEI 501, 502,
and 507 or permission. 3 Credits.
SEI 516 Seminar and Practicum in Collaborative Consultation for Early Childhood
This course examines methods of collaboration, consultation, technical
assistance, teaming, and developing partnerships with families, staff of early
care and education programs, and related services professionals. It provides an
opportunity for students to practice collaborative and consultative
relationships in a practicum in which they partner with experienced early
childhood consultants. Prerequisites: SEI 508, 510, 511, 512, and 513 or
permission. 3 Credits.
EDS 510 Introduction to Educational Research
For graduate students in education and related fields. Topics include: locating
educational research reports, abstracting and evaluating sources, understanding
statistical symbols, examining inquiry methodology and communicating about
research. Designed for consumers of research. Prerequisites: permission. 3
Credits. Note: EDU 600, Introduction to Educational Research, taken at the
University of Southern Maine, may be substituted for EDS 510.
SEI 650 Graduate Project in Early Intervention
Students identify a significant problem or issue in the field of early
intervention and use a collaborative approach to inquiry to address the issue.
The graduate project requires the student to demonstrate competencies in action
research, reflective practice, collaboration, leadership, and systems change at
the micro or macro level. Prerequisites: permission. 3 Credits
