Course Descriptions

3900 Child Guidance (5 credits): Students in this class explore effective child guidance theories and factors that impact their classroom application with young children from birth to age 8. Empirically-based positive guidance techniques and strategies are reviewed and applied to everyday practice, especially as they relate to establishing prosocial environments, classroom management, and meeting the needs of children and families from diverse backgrounds.
3910 Early Childhood Nutrition (3 credits): Young children have specific nutritional and physical needs. This course covers the nutritional needs of children, such as how to ensure that they get all the nutrients they need to stay healthy. The course explores what consists of safe foods at various stages in childhood, especially when not all foods can be eaten by infants and toddlers. Learn about the best practices in the field of early education regarding what foods to serve young children that promote positive health, hygiene and physical development.
3991 Independent Study (1 to 10 credits)
3992 Directed Study (1 to 10 credits)
4000 Assessment for Non-Psychlgsts (2 credits): Foundation and methodology of assessment are considered in the context of informing practices of professionals who construct a variety of test formats including assessment of cognitive abilities, achievement testing, vocational assessment, and assessment of personality.
4301 Prof Iss-School & Comm Prog (3 credits): This course examines professional issues pertinent to working with early childhood through adolescent populations in school and community settings. Professional issues and contemporary service models pertinent to the field of early childhood and school psychology will be reviewed, including an introduction to legal and ethical issues, federal mandates, professional training, and roles and responsibilities. Students will learn and be involved in casework discussion pertinent to the application of best practices in the delivery of early childhood and school psychologist assessment, intervention, and consultation services. There will be a focus on a broad array of informal and formal assessment, direct and indirect intervention, environmental analysis and collaborative teaming. Special emphasis is given to current mental health and education regulations and reforms. Controversial issues highlighted in the field will be covered including differential issues facing early childhood and school psychology professionals in urban and rural settings.
4302 Legal & Ethical Iss: Schl/Comm (3 credits): This course is designed to acquaint students with a variety of legal and ethical issues affecting practice in the public schools; in hospital, agency, and private settings; and in higher education. Attention is focused on federal and state legislation, special and regular education case law, psychological practice case law, and ethical standards, reasoning processes, and conduct in applied settings. Special consideration is given to the nonequivalence of ethical standards of practice as they relate to legal mandates and court decisions concerning psychological practice in the schools.
4303 Risk, Resiliency & Prevention (3 credits): This course examines the history and theoretical bases of resiliency research and the characteristics of children at significant risk of delays, disorders, and low-incidence disabilities. Participants obtain practical information regarding the assessment, identification, amelioration, facilitative responses, and intervention in school and community settings for these populations. The course moves beyond a pathology approach that focuses on the deficits of children and families to an empowerment perspective that focuses on strengths. The course is grounded in child development research and educational and family systems Prevention principles, curriculum, and policy agendas are discussed that build on a model of collaboration between and among disciplines in community and school settings.
4304 Diversity Schl & Cmmty Stgs (3 credits): This course explores diversity in children and families, and the impact of culture on personal and family development. Emphasis is placed on the intersection of school and community settings' cultures and those of children and families, and how this affects learning and development for individuals and groups of children. Attention is given to students' cultures and cultural experiences, and how these affect the work they do with children and families in school and community settings.
4305 Exp Child: Biomed & PsySoc Asp (3 credits): This course provides a broad survey of the field of exceptionality and special education. Included are discussions of current issues and controversies in the field, characteristics, classification, diagnosis, and educational interventions for early childhood and school-aged children with high-incidence and low-incidence disabilities who have exceptional educational needs. Biomedical and psychosocial etiologies are reviewed. Implications for child and family interventions and supports also are addressed.
4308 Early Lang & Lit Dev & Inter (3 credits): This course provides an overview of early language and literacy development in diverse populations. A comparative analysis of early literacy environments and curriculum, and a review of current evaluation and instructional language and literacy practices for working with teachers, families, and young children is undertaken. Play-based and other informal methods of assessment and intervention are covered, including the integration of technology and stategies to promote literacy in home and preschool settings.
4309 Sensorimotor&Med Needs-Yng Chd (3 credits): This course is designed to teach students about sensorimotor development and serious medical needs in infants and preschoolers. Sensory integration, including developmental sequences, patterns and milestones will be covered along with appropriate means for assessing this area. Medical complications in infancy will be discussed as it relates to the overall functioning of the child. Interventions to address significant medical needs and abnormal or delayed patterns and sensori-modulation disorders will be presented. Medical professionals, occupational therapists and physical therapists from the community will be brought in as guest speakers. Students will learn how to integrate services into natural settings.
4310 Infant Development (3 credits): This course provides an overview of theorectical, research, and practice issues in the field of child development. Attention is given to sensorimotor, cognitive, language, and social-emotional development. The focus of the course is on typical development of children from early childhood to early adolescence. The course will emphasize the synthesis of past research into current findings and accepted theories and will allow the student to broaden their understanding of the impact of research on current policies and practices.
4311 Child Development (3 to 5 credits): This course provides an overview of the growth and development of the child from conception to twelve years. Attention is given to physical/sensorimotor, cognitive, language, and social-emotional development domains with a focus on typical as well as atypical development. Research and policy are reviewed as it relates to developmentally appropriate practice addressing the whole child and the creation of supportive environmental contexts. Guided observation and individual case work allow for application and integration of developmental theory and practice.
4312 Learning Appl & Analysis (3 credits): This course examines learning theories and applied behavioral principles. Students learn to apply theories to case studies and fieldwork relating to infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children with and without disabilities. Students work in teams to analyze and solve problems relating to learning and behavior at home and school, and to develop positive behavioral support and effective learning plans.
4313 Anatomy of Memory & Learning (3 credits): This course explores the neuropsychological basis of memory and learning. Special emphasis is placed on changes in physiological structures and psychological processes as a result of learning and memory development.
4314 The Nature of Intelligence (3 credits): This course investigates the following questions about human intelligence: (1) What is the fundamental nature of human intelligence? (2) What is the best way to measure intelligence? (3) What is the role of genes and environment in the making of intellegence? (4) Are there group differences in intelligence? (5) Can we teach intelligence? Students will develop answers to these questions by reading, studying, and discussing the ideas of major theorists.
4320 Assmnt of Infants/Preschoolers (6 credits): This course is designed to teach students how to assess infants and preschoolers using a variety of standardized and nonstandardized methods. The entire assessment process including screening, evaluating, writing results, and interpreting the results to families and to professionals will be addressed. Tests will be examined with consideration for when and why specific instruments should be used. Students will be trained in-depth in the administration and interpretation of a variety of instruments for assessment of cognitive language, social- emotional and motor development. (Permission of Instructor).
4321 Trnsdicplnry Play-Based Assmnt (3 credits): Play-based assessment is a functional, observational approach to assessment of infants and preschoolers. In this course students will learn how to be part of a transdisciplinary team, observe children in playful interactions with parents, adults, and peers, determine developmental levels and needs, and plan a functional intervention plan. Students will observe children and work with families in teams to learn the guidelines for observation of cognitive, communication, social-emotional, and sensorimotor development.
4322 Psychoeducational Assessment I (5 credits): This course is one of two required courses designed to provide students in School Psychology with expertise in individual intelligence and achievement test administration, scoring, interpretation, and report writing. Each student has an opportunity to administer various cognitive and achievement measures, with particular emphasis on the Wechsler Scales. Contemporary issues pertinent to the assessment of intelligence are covered. Emphasis is placed synthesizing and integrating information from cognitive and acheivement assessment with other sources to produce effective educational recommendations. In addition, the role of these tools in the special education qualification process is highlighted. Important issues regarding the use of such tests are discussed, as well as the use of tests in schools and clinical practice. The focus of the class is primarily on the assessment of school-aged children. Lab fee required.
4323 Psychoeducation Assessmnt II (5 credits): This course is the second of two required courses designed to provide students in School Psychology with expertise in individual intelligence and achievement test administration, scoring, interpretation, and report writing. Each student has an opportunity to administer various cognitive and achievement measures, with particular emphasis on the Woodcock Johnson Scales. Nontraditional forms of assessment, as well as adaptive behavior measures, are also covered. Integrating results of assessments with other data to provide effective educational recommendations continues to be an emphasis. The focus of the class is on the assessment of school-aged children. Lab fee required.
4324 Social-Emotional Assessment (5 credits): This course is designed to provide students with knowledge of the major approaches to assess a school-aged student's social and emotional status. Instruction includes underlying theories, use and interpretation of interviewing techniques, observation methods, objective behavior ratings, self-report measures, sociometric procedures and selected projectives. Emphasis is placed on the integration and interpretation of multimethod, multisource and multisetting data to improve diagnostic accuracy, and the use of assessment results in developing effective intervention strategies. Students learn to incorporate such assessment information using case studies. In addition, students develop skills in writing case reports and in making effective presentations of social-emotional assessment results. Consideration is given to contemporary issues in the assessment of children's social emotional functioning. Lab fee required.
4325 Alternative Assess in Educ (3 credits): This course is designed to provide school mental health professionals, early childhood service providers, and educators with knowledge and skills to apply alternative assessments of children's learning and performance in classroom and community settings. Curriculum-based, criterion referenced, and progress monitoring approaches are emphasized as well as observation, environmental analysis, and other alternative performance-based diagnostic approaches. Students will develop proficiency in designing and administering alternative assessments, will learn to integrate results from such assessments with standard assessment data, and will use such assessment outcomes to plan effective academic and behavioral intervention.
4330 Fam-Sch Partnering & Consult (3 credits): This course is designed to familiarize educational, mental health, and early childhood service providers with essential attitudes, approaches, and actions necessary to form successful family-school-community partnerships that can foster development and learning, especially for children with disabilities. Ecological, family systems, and family-centered theory and principles serve as the foundation for working collaboratively with families from diverse cultural and social backgrounds within school and community settings. Students gain skills in family interviewing; consultation to identify family strengths, needs, and resources; collaborative problem-solving; and multi-systemic learning. Evidence-based family involvement, education, and intervention strategies contribute to positive family-school partnering relationships are reviewed within a multi-tiered, school-based service delivery framework.
4331 School & Organizational Conslt (3 credits): This course is designed to acquaint students with current directions in school and organizational consultation. Key principles of successful system-wide prevention, intervention and evaluation are covered. The importance of maintaining an ecological perspective in organization consultation activities is stressed.
4332 Classroom Mgmt & Consultation (4 credits): This course is designed to acquaint students with current directions in classroom management and school-based consultation. Covered are issues related to consultant and consultee characteristics, consultation practices and processes, models and stages of consultation, facilitating desired outcomes in consultation, and evaluation of consultation outcomes. Special emphasis is also given to problems of classroom management and collaboration with parents, teachers and other educational and community personnel. Case analysis and practice are required. (Permission of Instructor).
4333 Models/Methods in Early Chldhd (3 credits): This course provides an overview of educational and service delivery models for infant and preschool children. Students will critique curricula for early childhood programs, including those for children with special needs or children at risk. Fieldwork involves observation of models in the community and comparison of inclusion practices and program strengths and weaknesses. Students review and design observational tools to determine the model fidelity and to learn standards for develomentally approprate practice.
4334 Play-Based Assmnt & Interventn (3 credits): This course provides research-based strategies for working with infants and preschoolers in natural environments. Students are involved in problem solving related to intervention strategies for children with delays and disorders of sensory, cognitive, motor, communication, and social-emotional development. Field experiences involve students in activities working with children in daily routines, play, and literacy routines.
4335 Infant & Family Interventions (3 credits): This course will describe various models for intervention with infants and toddlers with disabilities, emphasizing intervention within natural environments. Working with children and families in home, childcare, and other community settings will be emphasized and contrasted with intervention in more clinical settings. Students learn how to consult with parents and community professionals in providing coordinated transdisciplinary services when working with children in home and community settings. All areas of development will be addressed. Field experiences with children and families are expected to practice the skills addressed in class. Families will be asked to share their experiences to enable students to gain the "human" side of theory and practice.
4336 Preschool Interventions (3 credits): This course covers early childhood interventions applicable within community, preschool and home environments. A hierarchy of intervention strategies is addressed including universal, targeted, and intensive approaches. There is a focus on building supportive networks, routine-based intervention strategies, and collaboration to enhance family resources. Students review empirically validated early interventions and curriculum for young children exhibiting both normal and delayed development.
4337 Academic Interventions (4 credits): This course is focused on learning how to link assessment and intervention for students at risk for language, learning and reading disabilities. Current theories of learning and reading disability, and literacy and numeracy development are reviewed. Students will review standardized, curriculum- based and informal diagnostic assessments and will practice aligning assessment intervention with instructional objectives that match a learner's strengths and needs. Empirically valid interventions for strengthing oral language, phonemic awareness, word identification, fluency, comprehension, mathematics, writing and content area study skills will be reviewed. Students will gain knowledge of classwide, small group and individual instructional modification, and accomodation strategies for univeral, targeted and intensive academic interventions.
4338 Low-Incidence Disab & Interven (3 credits): This course reviews a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders and low-incidence disabilities including autism, fragile X syndrome, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, visual and hearing impairment, along with syndromes associated with chromosomal deletions. Implications for assessment and intervention are outlined including diagnostic criteria, prevalence, and treatment and intervention strategies. Research on identification and treatment including state of the art interventions and assitive technology are addressed. Experts and researchers on specifice disabilities, from the community will be used as guest lecturers. Students observe children within community sites and also work with local families affected by low-incidence disabilities.
4339 Introduction to Play Therapy (3 credits): This course examines the history and theoretical bases of major theories of play to enhance children's social-emotional and adaptive functioning. Child-centered, interpretive, and structured play therapy models are reviewed. Information is covered regarding preparation, selection of materials and toys, playroom characteristics, facilitative responses, and how to adapt play therapy in school, home and clinical settings. The play therapy process is illustrated from the initial referral and contact through termination, including observing and responding during sessions, facilitation and interpretation, therapeutic limit setting, and group play therapy strategies. Case studies, role play, video and script analysis are incorporated as is brief play therapy and applications with special populations. Efficacy, evaluation and future areas for professional development are reviewed. This course is designed as an introductory experience to prepare students for further supervised practica in play therapy.
4340 Counseling Children & Adolesnt (4 credits): This course provides students with counseling theory and practice strategies related to contemporary, empirically validated approaches to improve interpersonal, emotional and social functioning in young children to adolescents. Students review and develop skills necessary to conduct professional, developmentally informed and theoretically driven individual and group mental health intervention in school and community settings. Students participate in an initial supervised counseling experience with a child or adolescent as a prerequisite experience during their supervised advance practicum. (Permission of Instructor).
4341 Adv Play Assess & Intervention (3 credits): This course is a follow up to CFSP 4334 Play-Based Assessment and Intervention or for practitioners who have had previous exprience using play-based strategies for working with infants and preschoolers. Students will learn how to consult with parents and community professionals in providing transdisciplinary services, coordinate community agencies, and work with children in home and community settings. Field experiences with children and families will be required to practice the skills addressed in class.
4342 Crisis, Intervention & Prevent (3 credits): This course provides the knowledge and skills needed to respond effectively and to be a member of a school or community crisis team. Crisis theory, models, conceptualizations and current research are covered with a focus on the components of the crisis response and specific individual and group counseling skills needed to provide crisis intervention and postvention. Essential guidelines and components of a comprehensive community/ school safety and crisis play, national and local policies and programs and effective prevention strategies are reviewed.
4349 Early Childhood Mentorship (1 to 3 credits): Tatken during the first year of entry, the mentorship is a supervised initial year field experience designed to expose students to a variety of home-, community- and school-based agencies that serve families with infants, toddlers and preschoolers who have developmental and special needs. Each week for up to four hours, students are expected to shadow a selected mentorship supervisor and to attend, observe, and participate in a range of site-specific team meetings and services offered to families and children in rural and urban settings.
4351 CFSP Clinic (2 to 3 credits): Supervised field experience in the CFSP Clinic working with preschool through high school-aged students and their families. Casework includes assessment, intervention, and consultation on a variety of psychoeducational problems of school-aged children and youth.
4353 Practicum (1 to 5 credits): Supervised School Psychology field experience taken after clinic practicum in a public or private school setting. Advanced standing in the program and 300-500 clock hours of practicum experience required. Casework includes assessment, intervention, consultation, and program development and evaluation on a variety of psychoeducational problems encountered within a school setting. (Permission of Instructor).
4354 Child, Fam & Comm Internship (1 to 6 credits): Supervised advanced Child and Family field experience in a community medical, mental health, or educational agency setting. (Permission of Instructor).
4355 School Psychology Internship (1 to 6 credits): Supervised advanced School Psychology field experience in a public or private school/community setting. Advanced standing in the program and 1200 clock hours of intership experience required. (Permission of Instructor).
4356 School Psych Field Experience (4 or 8 credits): Part-time, 20-hour-per-week or full-time, 40-hour-per-week supervised advanced School Psychology field experience in a public or private school or community setting. Students register for 4 credit hours for half-time enrollment or for 8 credit hours for full-time enrollment. This course is not graded. Advanced standing in the program and 600 or 1200 hours of internship experience is required. Department approval is required for registration. Must be registered with CFSP 4355.
4360 Adv Seminar: CFS Psychology (1 to 3 credits): Current topics and/or controversies in the profession of Child, Family and School Psychology are addressed in an advanced seminar format. Topics vary by instructor and year and may address current issues in research, theory, policy development, and/or clinical practice.
4361 Seminar: CFSP Supervision (1 to 2 credits): This is an advanced seminar for Ph.D. students in Child, Family and School Psychology focusing on supervision of psychological and educational service provision in school, hospital, and community agency settings.
4362 CFS Psychology Research Pract (3 credits): This course provides an opportunity for students in Child, Family, and School Psychology to be involved with an active research project with faculty at the university or at a variety of external agencies. Students are expected to be involved with all aspects of the project, including: formulation of hypothesis, implementation of research design, data collection and analysis, and dissemination of findings through professional presentations or publication.
4363 CFSP Program Dev. & Eval. (3 credits): This course focuses on theory and practice of program development and evaluation in school and community agency settings. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of program evaluation are discussed. Students have the opportunity to collaborate on a comprehensive evaluation of a specific educational, health, or mental health program.
4364 Single-Case Research Design (2 to 3 credits): This course reviews alternatives to the group-comparison approach to experimental educational and psychological research. Students learn principal 'within-subject' or 'single-case' designs: the reversal design, the multiple-baseline design, the alternating treatment design, and the changing criterion design. Students also learn how to develop a measurement system to analyze data using these designs and how to assess the reliability and validity of their measurements.
4991 MA Independent Study (1 to 17 credits): This course allows MA or EdS Child, Family, and School Psychology students to study a specific topic area in detail in conjunction with a cooperating faculty member.
4992 Directed Study (1 to 10 credits)
4995 Research - M.A. Thesis (1 to 17 credits): This course is for students whose program requires completion of a masters level thesis.
4XXX CFSP Transfer (1 to 10 credits)
5991 PhD Independent Study (1 to 17 credits): This course allows PhD Child, Family, and School Psychology students to study a specific topic area in detail in conjunction with a cooperating faculty member.
5992 Directed Study (1 to 10 credits)
5995 Dissertation Research (1 to 20 credits): This course is for PhD Child, Family, and School Psychology students engaged in completing their doctoral dissertation.

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