Special Education Training Course

Lesson 1 • Legal and Regulatory Frameworks

Covers mandatory protections, procedural safeguards, and compliance obligations governing special education. Connects legal requirements to daily instructional and administrative decisions.

Lesson 2 • Roles and Responsibilities of Special Educators

Clarifies the professional duties of special educators across service delivery models. Sets expectations for collaboration, documentation, and ethical conduct throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Disability Categories and Eligibility

Defines the recognised disability classifications and eligibility criteria used to qualify students for services. Prepares educators to interpret evaluation data and placement decisions.

Lesson 1 • Autism Spectrum and Social Communication Needs

Describes the spectrum of autism characteristics affecting communication, sensory processing, and social interaction. Prepares educators to design responsive, structured learning environments.

Lesson 2 • Physical, Sensory, and Health Impairments

Addresses mobility limitations, visual and hearing impairments, and chronic health conditions affecting school participation. Connects medical considerations to accessibility and instructional adaptations.

Lesson 3 • Learning Disabilities and Processing Disorders

Covers dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and auditory or visual processing disorders. Links each profile to targeted reading, writing, and math intervention approaches.

Lesson 4 • Cognitive and Intellectual Disabilities

Examines how intellectual disabilities affect memory, processing, and adaptive behaviour. Connects cognitive profiles to appropriate instructional pacing and support strategies.

Lesson 1 • Functional Behavioural Assessment

Teaches the process of identifying the function of challenging behaviour through data collection and hypothesis development. Directly informs behaviour intervention plan design covered in later chapters.

Lesson 2 • Formal and Standardised Assessment Tools

Reviews norm-referenced, criterion-referenced, and diagnostic instruments used in eligibility evaluations. Builds skill in selecting appropriate tools for specific disability areas.

Lesson 3 • Interpreting and Communicating Evaluation Results

Develops skills for synthesising multi-source data into coherent evaluation reports and communicating findings to families and teams. Prepares educators for IEP eligibility meetings.

Lesson 4 • Informal and Classroom-Based Assessment

Covers curriculum-based measurement, observation, work samples, and portfolio assessment. Connects ongoing classroom data collection to progress monitoring and instructional adjustment.

Lesson 1 • Special Education Services and Supports

Covers how to determine and document appropriate services, placement, accommodations, and modifications. Connects service decisions to least restrictive environment requirements.

Lesson 2 • IEP Process and Team Collaboration

Outlines the IEP meeting process, required team members, and collaborative decision-making procedures. Establishes the procedural foundation for all IEP development activities.

Lesson 3 • Present Levels of Academic and Functional Performance

Teaches how to write accurate, data-based present level statements that reflect student strengths and needs. Serves as the foundation from which all IEP goals and services are derived.

Lesson 4 • Writing Measurable Annual Goals and Objectives

Develops skill in crafting SMART goals across academic, behavioural, communication, and functional domains. Goals written here directly drive progress monitoring and service delivery.

Lesson 1 • Universal Design for Learning Principles

Introduces UDL's three principles—multiple means of representation, action, and engagement—as a proactive design framework. Reduces the need for individual retrofitting by building access into instruction from the start.

Lesson 2 • Mathematics Interventions and Supports

Covers concrete-representational-abstract sequencing, number sense development, and problem-solving strategy instruction. Addresses math learning disabilities and gaps common in students receiving special education services.

Lesson 3 • Reading and Literacy Interventions

Presents structured literacy approaches targeting phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Directly addresses the most common academic need among students with learning disabilities.

Lesson 4 • Explicit and Systematic Instruction

Covers the components of explicit instruction including modelling, guided practice, and corrective feedback. Establishes the most evidence-supported instructional approach for students with high-incidence disabilities.

Lesson 1 • Proactive Classroom Management Strategies

Covers physical environment design, routine establishment, and precorrection to prevent problem behaviour. Builds the structured, predictable classroom conditions that support students with disabilities.

Lesson 2 • Behaviour Intervention Plan Development

Translates FBA findings into individualised behaviour intervention plans with antecedent, teaching, and consequence strategies. Directly applies assessment skills from Chapter 3 to intervention design.

Lesson 3 • Crisis Prevention and De-escalation

Teaches recognition of escalation cycles and evidence-based de-escalation techniques to maintain safety. Addresses legal and ethical considerations for physical intervention as a last resort.

Lesson 4 • Multi-Tiered Systems of Behaviour Support

Introduces the PBIS framework across universal, targeted, and intensive tiers of support. Positions classroom management within a schoolwide prevention and intervention continuum.

Lesson 1 • Peer Support and Natural Supports in Inclusion

Presents peer-mediated interventions, peer tutoring, and natural support networks as inclusion enhancement tools. Builds student community and reduces dependence on adult support.

Lesson 2 • Accommodations and Modifications in Inclusive Settings

Teaches how to implement IEP accommodations and modifications within general education without disrupting instruction. Connects IEP service documentation from Chapter 4 to classroom execution.

Lesson 3 • Co-Teacher Collaboration and Communication

Develops the interpersonal and professional skills needed for effective co-teaching partnerships. Addresses role clarity, shared planning time, and conflict resolution between co-teachers.

Lesson 4 • Foundations of Inclusive Education

Examines the research base, values, and systemic conditions that support successful inclusion. Connects inclusion philosophy from Chapter 1 to practical implementation strategies.

Lesson 1 • IEP Goal Progress Reporting

Covers legal requirements and best practices for reporting IEP goal progress to families at required intervals. Ensures educators communicate student growth clearly and accurately.

Lesson 2 • Reflective Practice and Professional Growth

Develops habits of self-reflection, peer observation, and professional learning community participation. Positions continuous improvement as a core professional responsibility for special educators.

Lesson 3 • Analysing Data and Adjusting Instruction

Teaches trend line analysis, level and slope interpretation, and data-based instructional decision-making. Connects monitoring data to modifications in IEP goals, services, and teaching strategies.

Lesson 4 • Progress Monitoring Systems and Tools

Covers curriculum-based measurement probes, graphing conventions, and decision rules for academic and behavioural goals. Directly applies IEP goal structures from Chapter 4 to ongoing data collection.