Early Childhood Special Education (ECS)
The early childhood special educator is part teacher, part social worker, and part consultant- a professional who works with both young children with special needs and their families. Early childhood special educators may work in several different settings, including public school classrooms, center-based programs, clinical environments, or in home-based programs.
Is Early Childhood Special Education right for you?
If you enjoy working with young children and are intrigued by the challenges of designing learning environments, working with families, and developing good working relations with other professionals, you should explore the opportunities in early childhood special education.
Young children with special needs or those at-risk for disability require many types of assistance. Some young children may need help learning how to play or how to develop language, while others may need assistance acquiring self-helps skills. Since early acquisition of skills is critical to later development, your role as a special educator will have profound effects on the well-being of the child later in his or her life.
Your program will integrate course work with field experiences, providing a solid foundation in education methods, assessment of special needs, program planning, strategies for adapting toys and other materials for young children, and skills in working with families and other professionals.
In your freshman and sophomore years, you will observe and participate in programs for young children with special needs. A professional semester occurs in your junior year, during which you will spend time each week working in an early childhood education program, and during your senior year, you will complete an internship or teaching assignment in the field.
Our majors benefit from observing and working in several UMF model programs for young children including the Early Intervention Play Group, the Infant Toddler Play Group, the UMF Nursery School Program and the Sweatt-Winter Community Child Care Center.
The Assistive Technology Center is a resource offered free to students, faculty, professionals in the community, individuals with disabilities, and their families. The AT Center provides information about assistive technology, how to use and evaluate various AT devices, and a place to view AT equipment. Visitors may sign out materials.
Meet the faculty members:
Sue Thorson, professor of special education (Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University). Chair Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services.
Betty Beach, professor of early childhood education (Ph.D., University of Connecticut) family studies, particularly work and the family, rural child development issues, and early childhood education curriculum.
Grace Denison, associate professor of learning disabilities (Ph.D., University of North Carolina) specializes in learning disabilities and teaches Educating Exceptional Children and Language Development of Students.
Wendy Oakley, interim director UMF Nursery School (M.A., University of Massachusetts) teaches literacy education, America Reads, and America Counts.
Loraine Spenciner, professor of early childhood special education (Ph.D., Boston College) specializes in curriculum and assessment, as well as technology and assistive devices for children with disabilities.
Betsy Squibb, professor of early childhood education (Ph.D., The Field Institute, Pacific Oaks College) specializes in child care and child development, observation in and management of early childhood programs, infant and toddler programs.
Dolores Appl, assistant professor of Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education (Ph.D. from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). Specializes in inclusive early childhood practices and the support of beginning teachers.