Course Title: Working with Families of Children with Disabilities

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Working with Families of Children with Disabilities

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

TCHE2167

Bundoora Campus

Undergraduate

150H Health Sciences

Face-to-Face

 Sem 2 2006,
Sem 2 2007,
Sem 2 2008,
Sem 2 2009,
Sem 2 2010,
Sem 2 2011,
Sem 2 2012,
Sem 2 2013

TCHE2167

Bundoora Campus

Undergraduate

360H Education

Face-to-Face

 Sem 2 2014

Course Coordinator: Danielle Clark

Course Coordinator Phone: Please email for appointment

Course Coordinator Email: danielle.clark@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Availability: Please email to make an appointment


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

There are no prerequisite courses or assumed knowledge for this course.


Course Description

The aim of the course is to provide students with an introduction to current practice in working with families of children with disabilities, beginning with developing an in-depth understanding of the issues these families are faced with and how best to support them as disability professionals. Emphasis will be placed on specific issues regarding families’ adaptation to the presence of disability in the family and key professional skills and approaches in working with families effectively will be introduced. Students will be expected to actively participate in lectures and class discussions, to develop skills in the analysis of research in this field and to develop an understanding of the role of professionals in supporting families. The course contains information about many of the "big issues" that families of children with disabailites are confronted with as their child develops from birth through to adulthood.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

At the conclusion of this course you will be able to articulate the major issues that face families of children with disabilities


At the conclusion of the course, a student will be expected to:

  • Describe and evaluate current research underlying working with families
  • Demonstrate an understanding of families’ adaptation to disability and the issues that families in this situation face
  • Demonstrate an understanding of key professional skills involved in working with families effectively
  • Develop a practical resource that would be useful for working with families
  • Articulate and critically reflect on learning
  • Articulate inclusive practices in working with families


Overview of Learning Activities

This course will involve lectures, class discussions and activities. Lectures are scheduled weekly (3 hours). There are no tutorials for this course. There will also be information presented online via myRMIT and students are expected to check the blackboard for this course regularly (ie. at least weekly) to check for relevant information.


Overview of Learning Resources

Students will be able to access course information and learning materials through the course blackboard. To access the course blackboard, log into myRMIT from the student homepage (http://www.rmit.edu.au/students). Students are expected to check the blackboard at least weekly for materials that will assist with their learning. Correspondence may also be sent via the RMIT student email accounts, which should also be checked regularly.

All students are expected to use library and other reputable learning resources to aid their learning


Overview of Assessment

  • An in-class test at the end of the semester
  • Case study
  • Development of a practical resource that can be used to support your work with families