Assignment on researching an area of special needs

Purpose and overview of assignment

Purpose and overview of assignment: Each student/group in the class will research an area of special needs of particular interest to him/her. This is your opportunity to spend time finding out about a topic of your choice - something you've been wanting to learn more about or investigate. It is also a wonderful way to share something you learned with your fellow students and to be an advocate. Your final paper will be submitted via Canvas.

Your research and reactions will be organized into a well-written paper with a minimum of 3 resources/references. The write-up will be graded on the mechanics of writing (neatness, organization, spelling, etc.) as well as content (depth, clarity, accuracy, and demonstration of critical thinking skills).

Your written report should be organized as follows:

1. Why did you choose this particular topic? How do you anticipate using the information you've acquired?
   
   
2. Briefly summarize the special need or topic. Include information about cause and most common characteristics. (please note: do not make this section too long: approximately one page in length at the most and do  not do a copy and paste from your resources).
   
   
3. With regard to your topic, what are two community services, agencies, supports, therapies, or interventions available in San Diego county? (Where can you and/or a child's parents turn for help?) You may include both educational and community resources. These should be local resources, so include address, phone numbers, and location. As additional support, you may additionally provide web sites and information about national organizations.
   
   
4. What might a preschool teacher notice in the classroom that might alert him/her that a child might have this special need? (the "red flags") In other words, what are some of the symptoms, characteristics, and/or behaviors you might start to document?
   
   
5. What can be done in a preschool setting to successfully include a child with this special need? Describe how you would modify the room setup, schedule, curriculum, and guidance/interaction with the teacher? In what ways would you foster social interaction with other children?
   
   
6. What are the two activities that a preschool teacher could share for all the children, but would really help a child with this disability? Describe the materials, process for use, and whythey are especially appropriate for children with this disability.

You will have the opportunity to share the main points of what you learned with the rest of the class with a one page written summary that you will submit along with your complete written report. The summary should have the key points that you think will be most valuable for  your classmates.

All three required sources must be fully cited. That means complete title, author, dates of publication, pages used, and publisher. If your source is the website for an organization or parent group, be sure to cite the full required information, plus the last date that the website was updated and the organization who supports the website.

You must give credit to the source of the information as you include and/or refer to it in your written report. You may do this by including the author and page of the source in parentheses immediately following the information. Sources must be cited for both direct quotes and paraphrased information. Do not take credit for something you did not write. Do not include material taken directly from the internet. A “cut and paste” report does not reflect college level writing. You must synthesize and summarize your findings, not copy or repeat what someone else wrote. If you don’t understand what this means, be sure to email me for clarification.  Your grade on this report will be lowered significantly if you plagiarize; in some cases, your work may be returned without a grade.

Your personal reaction to what you learned through your research: Include insights and comments about the process of your research as well as the actual content of the report. What did you contribute to the group report? What part of the research and organization did you do? You can also include details about how you plan to use the knowledge you gained. (Important point: this section MUST be an individual reflection, not done as a group. It should be about a page in length.)