Created & Instructed By: John R. Sougstad, Ed.S., A.C.S.W.

E-mail: sougsta2@pilot.msu.edu

Graduate Level Social Work Students; or M.S.W. Graduates or by Permission of the Instructor

This course will focus on identifying and working with children who present special needs. Children's learning, social, emotional and behavioral difficulties will be examined and treatment needs defined according to an ecological, multi-systems, developmental framework. This course will address special needs across a broad range continuum, from situational problems like family violence and parental divorce to specific disorders like Autism and Learning Disabilities. Methods for addressing the special needs of children within the complex interactions and relationships of home, school and community contexts will be offered.

This course (SW 875) is one among three (along with SW 873 & SW 874) electives offered within the "Competency-Series in School Social Work." Students can complete these courses in order to pursue the academic requirements for State of Michigan, Department of Education "Temporary Approval" as a "School Social Worker," according to the definition and regulations of the Office of Special Education.

John R. Sougstad, Ed.S., A.C.S.W. John is a Clinical Instructor and the Coordinator of the School Social Work Specialization Program in the School of Social Work at Michigan State University. He has been teaching M.S.U. courses relevant to social work in educational settings for several years while also delivering services in the Lansing School District. He has also taught courses in Special Education Administration and supervised numerous graduate students in their field placements. John is an Approved School Social Worker, a Certified School Psychologist, a Certified Clinical Social Worker, as well as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. John is currently working toward completion of a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in School Psychology from the M.S.U. College of Education. He has a broad background in providing direct, as well as supervisory services within social service, mental health and educational agencies throughout the state of Michigan. He has provided case specific consultation services leading to the successful resolution of several legally contentious cases by working with students, their families, schools, attorneys, and other specialists. His research endeavors include family-school relationships and problem-solving, working with children who present special needs in schools, as well as organizational and systems issues in the effective delivery of special education services.

All course content is delivered to students via the Internet. The Instructor is available to provide assistance via E-mail and is available for on-campus meetings upon request. In addition the M.S.U. Virtual University Staff maintains a Toll Free Help-Line at: 1-800-500-1554 to provide students with technical assistance.

Once you have enrolled in the course you will be given permission to enter the course site. Once you have entered the site you will be located at the Main Page of the course. From this location you will be able to enter all components of the course. Students will gain information and skills from their assigned readings in textbooks as well as in sites on the Internet, the Instructor's lecture notes, discussions with classmates and the Instructor, case studies, and by review of fellow students' posted research projects.

Assigned readings will be listed for course textbooks as well as links to assigned readings you will obtain via the Internet. Course concepts are described and reinforced by reading notes posted by the Instructor. Students participate in discussions about various course concepts/issues in a manner similar to that of a classroom setting, except that students post their comments at their own convenience and read other's comments within a particular dialogue each time they enter (asynchronous). Discussions are posted within different course modules that correspond to course content and case studies.

1. Describe and discuss the history and current trends within the professional literature relevant to the identification and treatment of "special needs" in children with implications for school social work practice.
2. Describe and discuss various definitions of "special needs" in children relative to educational laws, policies, and programs as well as according to clinical classification systems.
3. Describe and discuss the practical implications of various factors that place children "at risk" for dysfunction as well as those factors connected with "resilience."
4. Describe and discuss some of the legal, moral, ethical and value-based dimensions of various assessment and intervention strategies involving labeling and treating "special needs" in children.
5. Describe and discuss various points of view about defining children's special needs within the context of traumatized, vulnerable and oppressed populations, including children with limited legal recourse; persons of various disabilities and health conditions; racial, cultural, socio-economic, language dominance, and sexual preference differences.
6. Develop and practice technical skills in utilizing the Internet, World Wide Web and other computer-based technologies for purposes of research, professional collaboration and advocacy relevant to children's special needs.

The texts may be purchased through the MSU Bookstore, SBS Bookstore, the College Store and Ned's Bookstore; all of which are located in East Lansing, Michigan. You should call ahead to confirm that they have the books before going to the store.

For those of you located outside of this geographic area you may call these stores to have the books shipped to you using a credit card. You might also try: Amazon.com, Barnes & Nobel. Or you may contact the publisher directly by telephone or by the Internet to have them shipped to you.

1. to be announced
2. Various sites on the World Wide Web will also serve as required readings for this course.

1. Learning Reflection Journal Entries: For each of the three main sections of the course (Conditions Affecting Children's Needs, Specific Disordersof Childhood and Major Life Difficulties) students will submit entries to study questions posed by the instructor. The length of each of the three assignments will likely approximate 3 typed pages. Student's entries will require thoughtful reflection upon course readings. Each entry will comprise 10% of the student's total course grade.
2. Class Participation: For each of the three main sections of the course (Conditions Affecting Children's Needs, Specific Disorders of Childhood and Major Life Difficulties) students will post at least one entry onto an MSU Web-Talk page specific to the case study for that unit. Student's entries will require incorporating class materials to support your perspective about the case study. Your participation on each of the three units will comprise 10% of the student's total course grade.
3. Research Project & Presentation: Each student will choose a unique topic from their classmates to research with the ultimate goal of elucidating implications for school social work practice. Previous topics have ranged from specific disorders (e.g. ADHD, Autism, Mental Retardation, etc.) to life conditions and problems (e.g. Domestic Violence, Substance Abuse, Dropping Out of School, etc.). The student will submit a traditional research paper reporting what they learned as well as post a summary of their findings on a specified MSU Web-Talk section for their class-mates to learn from as well. The project and presentation will comprise 40% of the student's total course grade.

1. Learning Reflection Journal Entries (30 %)
2. Class Participation (30 %)
3. Research Project & Presentation (40 %)

Please refer to the information on minimum equipment requirements and registration on the Virtual University Home Page.