Severe to Profound Intellectual Disability Circles of Care and Education

This course is about caring for and educating children (and youth) with severe to profound intellectual disability. We use the idea of ‘circles’ to position the child at the center of the many levels of support needed. Around the child are circles of care and education - such as the parents, family, friends, caregivers, educators, health care workers and others such as neighbors, business owners and community members. Each one has an important role to play in the life of a person with an intellectual disability and can be seen as a caregiver and educator. Although this course is aimed particularly at caregivers who work at a special centre or in a private home, each person in the circle of care and education plays a valuable role and will find the course useful. During the course you can gain greater understanding about intellectual disability, levels of severity of intellectual disability and the history of intellectual disability. You will also start to understand how you can support children and youth with severe to profound intellectual disability so that they can reach their full potential and become participating members of society. We look at lifelong learning by exploring brain development, the learning process and how to maximise the opportunities for learning.

With input from a range of experts, we consider how best learning can be facilitated. This includes looking at children’s learning support needs, how to go about planning activities for the learning programme as well as how to empower multiple people who work in a team to care and educate children with severe to profound intellectual disability.

In the last week, we focus on rights, advocacy and relationships of care. Empowering and caring for caregivers themselves is a key focus of the course.

For professional development purposes, you can purchase a Verified Certificate if you wish to show evidence of your achievements, but this is optional, and you can apply for Financial Aid if you are unable to pay the certificate fee.

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Syllabus

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week 1
Who is the child with severe to profound intellectual disability?
Week 2
Lifelong learning
Week 3
Facilitating learning
Week 4
Rights, advocacy and relationships of care

FAQ

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?

Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:

What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?

When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.

Is financial aid available?

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Reviews

Thank you for this course! I have learned a lot of things thru the video and readings!

It gets you motivated to be the voice of those who can't speak for themselves. You learn a lot about the environment and the system of children with severe to profound intellectual disability

This course was interesting, engaging, and informative. As a pre-health student, I have learned a lot that will be helpful in my future pursuits.

It opens one's mind to the real world of education for children with intellectual disability and leads to the inclusive society for the people of determination.