Unit Set Information

Special Education: Complex Communication Needs Postgraduate Specialisation

Effective from 01-JAN-2023 : Code SPCCNS

This specialisation is intended for education or therapy professionals to enhance their experience and understandings of the specific skills required to communicate with, teach, support and include individuals with complex communication needs. Professionals who will benefit from unit set content may be working in general or special education school settings or in community-based organisations that work with and support individuals with complex communication needs and their families. Including both theoretical and practical exploration of teaching strategies which improve learning outcomes for individuals with complex communication needs, the specialisation has a particular focus on the role and skills of the communication partner, designing and delivering successful literacy, language and communication instruction, and understanding and programming for individualised behavior responses for students of diverse abilities with complex communication needs. This will enable professionals working in general education classrooms, education support facilities or elsewhere within the community to create effective learning programs which are communication accessible for all.

Disclaimer

This unit set information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester. In particular please check the unit and unit set offerings, as these differ according to course delivery location.

This Postgraduate Specialisation can be studied in the following courses:

Mode of Delivery

On Campus at Mount Lawley
Online

Unit Set Coordinator

Dr John Andrew O'ROURKE

Learning Outcomes

  1. Transmit specialised knowledge, skills and ideas to audiences engaged in the education of students with complex communication needs.
  2. Analyse complex problems to generate creative solutions for individuals with complex needs.
  3. Critically analyse professional approaches to understanding and programming for behaviour, literacy instruction and creating communication accessible environments for individuals with complex communication needs within a diverse range of educative contexts.
  4. Manage own learning within a collaborative learning environment.

Related Careers

Primary school teacher, secondary school teacher, early childhood teacher, special education teacher, school principal, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, social worker, education assistant, psychologist

Employment Opportunities

This specialisation is intended for education or therapy professionals to enhance their experience and understandings of the specific skills required to communicate with, teach, support and include individuals with complex communication needs, whether in a regular classroom, special education facility or elsewhere in the wider community working with individuals that may have disability.

Postgraduate Specialisation Structure

Students will be required to complete the following four units:

Unit Code Unit Title Credit Points
EDU6373Foundation Studies and Current Issues in Special Education15
EDU6311Complex Communication Needs: Being an Effective Communication Partner15
EDU6315Literacy Instruction for Individuals with Complex Needs 15
EDU6322Understanding Behaviour and Planning Support for Individuals with Complex Needs15

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

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