Reviewed by Mary McLaughlin, Special Education Teacher; M.S. SpEd
Special education, also referred to as special needs education, focuses on addressing the needs of children who experience a range of difficulties in learning, communicating, and managing their own emotions and behavior. They may also be facing challenges associated with physical disabilities, sensory impairments and development disorders.
Learning Strategies for Special Education
It’s imperative for parents, guardians, caretakers, teachers, and trainers to find both effective strategies and useful resources to help these students to do well in life. Moreover, the field of special education is far from static, new research and new laws change perspective. While a day-to-day common sense approach does help children with special needs, research-based strategies have proven time and again to be extremely effective. For this reason advanced training and certification is recommended for professional teachers.
Legal Protection for Special Education under IDEA
However, apart from improved educational methodology, there is also another component to the special education field that it is important for both parents and teachers to know well, the federal laws governing this field which is covered by the disability act known as IDEA. So, in most educational jurisdictions, special education is overseen by federal law under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). Under the law, special education must provide support, services, and placements to all educational needs without any cost to the parents.
The categories under IDEA include sensory impairments like deafness, hearing impairments, blindness, visual impairments, and speech and language impairments; mental and emotional impairment like autism, developmental delays, emotional disturbance, specific learning disabilities, and traumatic brain injury; and physical impairments like multiple disabilities, orthopedic disabilities, and other health impairments. Additionally, some jurisdictions may include a Gifted category as children with extraordinary talent also have considerable difficulty fitting into the curriculum of regular schooling.
With that in mind, we have researched free online classes that address either educational techniques or legal issues. It wasn’t easy to find the best of ten free online classes available for parents and special education teachers from leading universities, e-learning providers, the autism society, and from online education databases but we did. Without further delay, here are the Top 10 Free Classes Available Online For Special Education Teachers and Parents of Special Needs Children:
Special Education Classes from Leading Universities
There are innumerable free online classes offered by some of the world’s best universities available at your fingertips. These cover everything that is available through the regular educational system and they are taught by leading professors. The courses are delivered through video lectures, articles, and online tests.
In the field of Special Education, we found two highly informative courses from the University of Southern Queensland and Yale University.
1. Teaching Students with Special Needs: Behavior Management from the University of Southern Queensland
The University of Southern Queensland, formerly called the Queensland Institute of Technology was established in 1967. As the name indicates, it is located in Southern Queensland, Australia. Its main campus is on Toowoomba and it has campuses in Springfield and Fraser Coast.
In Teaching Students with Special Needs: Behavior Management, students are shown a number of methods to help special needs children in different age groups and educational levels. The course explores researched teaching methods and discusses various researched techniques to maintain attention in a classroom.
This course includes the following themes and is most suitable for special education students:
• Classroom teaching, management, and procedures
• Comprehensive methods to positively influence children
• Cooperative learning strategies
• Tutoring by peers
The course also provides in depth lectures on the following behavior management theories:
• The Kounin model
• The Behavior Modification model
• The Assertive Discipline model
• The Reality Therapy model
• The Logical Consequences model
• The Social Skills training model
For more, visit Teaching Students with Special Needs: Behavior Management here.
2. The Legal Rights of Children with Autism and Related Disorders from Yale University
Yale University is ranked as one of the top private Ivy League universities in the world. Located in New Haven, Connecticut, it has developed a formidable reputation as one of the best places for students interested in advanced research.
Yale University has a YouTube Channel that offers free courses. In the field of special education it has an excellent class called, “The Legal Rights of Children with Autism and Related Disorders.”
The Legal Rights of Children with Autism and Related Disorders covers some highly important and relevant topics on legal issues in considerable depth.
The course includes the following themes:
• A brief history of how special education laws evolved over time
• How the law gets involved in the life of a child after he or she is diagnosed with autism or another related disorder. It covers the law’s involvement in school, home, and adult life
• What legal rights pertain to education, therapy, medical services, and social services
• How parents and guardians can get assistance from local, state, and federal agencies
This course is most suitable for parents as it explains legal issues in a straightforward way without trying to comprehend complicated legal jargon.
For more, visit The Legal Rights of Children with Autism and Related Disorders here.
Special Education Course from E-Learning Providers
E-learning providers are pioneers in the field of learning education. They provide cloud-based learning solutions to thousands of people all over the world. Although not universities or colleges per se, they still offer most educational courses available through formal education.
In the field of Special Education, we found three excellent courses from Alison, Open Learning, and LD online.
3. Working with Students with Special Education Needs by ALISON
ALISON is an acronym for Advance Learning Interactive Systems Online. This e-learning provider was founded in 2007 by Mike Feerick in Galway, Ireland.
Working with Students with Special Education Needs discusses the requirements for meeting the individual needs of special education students. Teachers who work with special educational needs students need to learn certain skills and specific strategies to deliver the most effective classes.
This free course introduces teachers to the following themes:
• The core requirements of special education
• Changes in educational legislature, particularly in the U.S
• Teacher and trainer responsibilities
• An individual educational plan (IEP)
The course also provides a description of the following disabilities:
• Learning disabilities
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Intellectual disabilities
• Behavioral disorders
• Physical disabilities
• Sensory impairments
Besides a description of each disability, it also goes into practical strategies teachers can use to assist students with each one.
The course is suited for special education teachers.
For more, visit Working with Students-with Special Educational Needs here.
4. The Nobody’s Normal Series by Open University
The Open University is a British University. It is open to people who don’t have formal academic qualification.
The Nobody’s Normal series is a collaborative venture between the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the OpenLearn team, which is a program and web team at The Open University. It is a documentary series to help educate families about the special needs and challenges of disabled people. It covers the five most significant stages in their lives, namely birth, schooling, dating, leaving home, and aging through real-life case studies.
Here are the themes covered in the series:
• Program 1 is titled, “Baby Love.” It covers birth and the early years
• Program 2 is titled, “Education, education, education.” It covers the school years
• Program 3 is titled, “Love is in the air.” It covers adolescent dating
• Program 4 is titled, “Moving on.” It covers early leaving home as a young adult
• Program 5 is titled, “Who cares.” It covers old age
This course is suitable for parents as it provides a non-academic perspective on all the social issues around raising a child with disabilities.
For more, visit The Nobody’s Normal Series by Open University here.
5. Advocacy in Special Education by LD Online
LD OnLine is an authority website on learning disabilities. It is a valuable resource for both parents and teachers.
Andrea Sherwin Ripp, Ed.M., MS, OTR/L, has created a free course on Advocacy in Special Education for parents. The program is built around her approved study doctorate thesis for research in special needs education.
The course is structured to offer:
• 2 surveys
• 3 readings
• Self-study questions
• A short answer assignment
It provides the following lessons on Special Advocacy:
• Special education documentation
• Legal rights
• Practical strategies to get support and services
• References to nationwide parent support networks
• References to special education resources
The course is suitable for parents. Parents who complete the course receive a course certificate and a comprehensive resource list. They are also entered into a drawing for one of five Amazon.com gift certificates valued at $25 each.
For more, visit Advocacy in Special Education here.
Special Education Classes from the Autism Society of America
Dr. Bernard Rimland and Dr Ruth Sullivan founded the Autism Society of America in 1965 to support parents with children who had autism or related disorders. The Autism society offers two useful classes for parents: Autism 101 and Autism and the Environment 101.
6. Autism Society: Autism 101
Autism 101 is principally for parents, but may also help those working with autism as caregivers. This course covers the autism spectrum, treatment options and assistance, transition to adulthood, and what parents can do every day. Participants can download a certificate of completion in PDF format to have a reminder of their course experiences.
For more, visit Autism 101 here.
7. Autism and the Environment 101 by the Autism Society
Autism and the Environment 101 expands on the ideas introduced in the Autism 101 course to give a much broader understanding of Autism. This course covers a new model of autism, why there is a noticeable rise of autism spectrum disorders, and the role of government in helping children with autism. The course concludes with what parents and caretakers can do every day. Participants can receive a printable PDF certificate of completion.
For more, visit Autism and the Environment 101 here.
Special Education Classes from Open Education Database
Open Education Database (OEDb) may very well be the most comprehensive collection of both online university and free courses available in the world. Founded in 2007, it has been a pioneer in the open education movement. In fact, it offers information on as many as 10,000 free open courses. We found three course on special education offered by Liberty University. Liberty University is a private, Christian institution in Lynchburg Virginia. On campus, it has 12,600 residential students. Its online division has 90,000 students and is hosted on iTunes as part of the iTunes U course collection.
8. Current Trends in Special Education by Liberty University
Current Trends in Special Education includes the following themes:
• Legal and ethical issues
• Documentation procedures
• The Individual Education Plan (IEP)
• The Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP)
• Service delivery in school, church and community locations
For more, visit Current Trends in Special Education here.
9. Issues and Trends in Exceptionality by Liberty University
Issues and Trends in Exceptionality by Liberty University includes the following themes:
• Trends influencing special education
• How to research, analyze and evaluate controversial issues when it comes to exceptionalities.
This course is most suitable for special education teachers.
For more, visit Issues and Trends in Exceptionality by Liberty University here.
10. Learning and Behavior Problems by Liberty University
Learning and Behavior Problems includes the following themes:
• Characteristics of children with disabilities
• Learning and behavior problems
• Remediation goals
This course is suited for special education teachers.
For more, visit Learning and Behavior Problems here.
Bonus Links, Information, and Resources
In addition to these 10 free online courses there are many other helpful online resources. Classes, videos, podcasts, and articles on special education provide detailed knowledge about the characteristics of various disorders, the legal aspects of advocacy and assistance, and creative teaching methods.
Here are some additional resources for special education teachers to consider:
• Visit Do to Learn for free activities and games
• Visit Teacher Vision for free curriculum ideas and techniques for managing classrooms
• The National Association of Special Education Teachers to stay informed on the latest special education teaching methods