Special Education Non-Teaching Minor

Program Coordinator: Dr. Laura Desportes
Phone: (540) 568-4527
Email: desporlx@jmu.edu

The non-teaching minor program in exceptional education is designed for students in other major fields who wish to acquire professional knowledge related to assisting individuals with disabilities but who do not want to pursue Virginia teaching licensure. All students seeking to complete the minor must meet with the non-teaching program adviser to develop an approved program of study.

Required Courses

EXED 200. Foundations of Exceptional Education 3.00 (Prerequisite for all EXED courses. Offered online in the summer)

Complete two survey courses:

EXED 310. Survey of Emotional Disturbance 3.00
EXED 320. Survey of Learning Disabilities 3.00
EXED 330. Survey of Intellectual Disabilities 3.00
EXED 375. Overview Study of Autism Spectrum Disorders 3.00 ¹
EXED 305. Characteristics of Acquired Brain Injury 3.00

Select nine credits from electives:

EXED 306. Lifespan Issues for Individuals with Disabilities 3.00
EXED 309. Supporting Community Access for Adults with Disabilities 3.00
EXED 443. Assistive Technology Use for Individuals With Disabilities 3.00
EXED 401. Issues in Exceptional Education 1.00 - 3.00
EXED 455. Collaborative Teaching for Learners with Disabilities 3.00
EXED 465. Perspectives of Early Childhood Special Education 3.00
EXED 490. Special Studies in Special Education 1.00 - 3.00 each semester ²
CSD 420. Introduction to Sign Language 3.00
CSD 421. Sign Language II 3.00
KIN 313. Adapted Physical Education 3.00 ³
TESL 426. Concepts in First and Second Language Acquisition 3.00
EXED 440. Classroom Management and Professional Collaboration 3.00

Autism Certificate Courses

Students completing the autism certificate must complete these three courses in sequential order. No other electives must be completed if a student chooses this option. Not permitted in enrolling in EXED 375 .

Total: 18 Credit Hours

Footnotes

¹ Permitted only if the student is not enrolling the autism series (EXED 416 , EXED 417 , EXED 418 ).
² Independent study must be approved and supervised by individual faculty.
³ For kinesiology majors only; KIN 310 is a corequisite.