Online Special Needs & Child Psychology Courses

Institute of Child Education & Psychology, Europe:
ICEP Europe is a trusted source for online continuing education and professional development for educators and allied professionals who work with children and young people. Specialising in psychology and special needs, our courses are all developed and taught by leading practitioners in their fields. All our courses are delivered via user-friendly and state of the art technology, putting you in control of when and where you choose to study. ICEP Europe is committed to excellence in education; our dedicated staff and innovative online learning environment allows us to deliver quality education that makes a difference. ICEP Europe, provide online education to teachers, psychologists and other professionals in the North and South of Ireland, Britain and internationally.

Email: Contact us here

The Essentials of Teaching Gifted and Talented Students: A Practical Introduction:This short course introduces 5 hours of practical techniques and strategies for teaching gifted and talented students in mainstream classrooms. It provides a compact but intensive exploration of whole-school perspectives and individual approaches for meeting the needs of highly able learners. The course is aimed at both primary and post-primary teachers, and will help them devise flexible teaching strategies to support the most able learners in their classrooms. School principals with an interest in gifted and talented education will also find this course useful and stimulating. The course will also act as a springboard to stimulate thinking and discussion about whole-school practice in gifted and talented provision, and how to embed best-practice in current provision.

Supporting and Managing Student Behaviour: Positive Interventions for Schools and Classrooms:Designed for professionals working both at primary and post primary level, this course will introduce you to a wide range of models, methods and strategies for supporting and managing student behaviour, with particular emphasis on the effective management of students who have special educational needs and/or exhibit behavioural and adjustment problems. You will gain practical skills in responding to challenging student behaviour in the classroom and implementing positive classroom interventions with the aim of promoting relationships of mutual respect and enhancing the learning/teaching process for all students.

Teaching Troubled Children: Responding to the Challenge of Social, Educational and Behavioural Difficulties:The course focuses on proven strategies and interventions at the level of the school, classroom and individual student. It enables you to gain an understanding of the causal factors in development of emotional and behaviour problems and the learning and behavioural implications of such difficulties. Assessment methods and identification issues are explained and examined. Among the topics covered are the relevant legislative and policy framework; early intervention; promoting resilience and reducing risk; whole-school policy and strategies; strategies for building emotional literacy and pathways to increasing academic success; effective individual and group interventions for students with social, emotional or behavioural difficulties with a particular emphasis on dealing with challenging behaviours. Staff support issues and teacher stress will also be addressed.

Dyslexia: Identification and Effective Interventions:Our specialised course on dyslexia is designed for teachers both at primary and post-primary level; it is also suitable for psychologists and other professionals. An in-depth examination of the origins and basis of this learning disorder, the course includes up-to-date research, screening and assessment techniques, support strategies and also reviews the most effective interventions and remediation programmes. Designed by leading practitioners, this course will equip you with the knowledge and practical skills necessary to identify and intervene effectively with students with dyslexia or children at risk of developing reading difficulties.

Asperger syndrome:Including and Supporting Students with Asperger syndrome in Mainstream Schools:This course is suitable for teachers at both primary and post primary level, and will explore Asperger syndrome in terms of its social and educational implications. You will gain skills in recognising the strengths, differences and difficulties that these children present with, assessing their learning needs, and learn how to develop strategies for intervening in the area of communication and socialisation. You will also gain an insight into the lived experience of children and young people with Asperger syndrome by reviewing personal, professional and family perspectives on the issue.

General Learning Disabilities: Educating Children with General Learning Disabilities / Down syndrome in Mainstream Education:This course is designed for teachers at both primary and post primary level and will provide you with a very good knowledge and understanding of the issues surrounding the inclusion of children with general learning disabilities in mainstream classrooms, enabling you to recognise and respond to the needs of these students. You will also acquire a working knowledge of teaching strategies in the areas of numeracy, literacy, communication skills, motor skills, and short term memory deficits. In addition, you will be encouraged to develop and implement best practice approaches and policies at the level of the classroom and in your own school in relation to supporting children with GLD.

Inclusion: Students with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools:You will gain skills in screening and early identification, diagnostic testing and assessment, and an understanding of underpinning legislation, models of best practice and the whole school approach to special educational needs. At the level of classroom practice you will learn a range of teaching strategies, approaches to curriculum modification and differentiation, and will become familiar with focused teaching programmes for specific disabilities. Key issues central to inclusive educational practice are addressed including effective collaboration and individual educational planning. The interactive nature of the course also gives you the opportunity to share best practice suggestions, take part in online discussions and avail of the expertise of our online practitioners.

Understanding Autism: Effective Management and Teaching Strategies:From the search for an explanation, to diagnosis, assessment, and interventions, this course provides a route to understanding the complexity of autism. In this course we review proven interventions that are effective in teaching children with autistic spectrum disorders how to learn. The focus is on practical, evidence-based strategies to help teachers modify their instruction, structure the classroom and modify the curriculum to help maximize the learning potential of these children. You will also learn how to prevent and intervene with challenging behaviour and become familiar with the principles of functional behavioural assessment. This course, at over 20 hours duration, is very comprehensive and offers an excellent foundation of knowledge and skills to any professional working in the field of ASD.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Effective Management and Teaching Strategies:This course combines the latest scientific knowledge and theory of ADHD with case studies and practical, effective classroom techniques and innovative teaching strategies. You will learn to recognise the signs of ADHD, understand current theory and research on the neuropsychology of attentional difficulties, and gain practical skills in terms of designing, implementing, and evaluating alternative management and teaching strategies. This course is replete with practical behaviour management and instructional strategies which apply not only to students with ADHD, but also many other students with specific learning difficulties. Participants are encouraged to share best practice suggestions and learn from their varied experiences.

Applied Behaviour Analysis: Interventions for Developmental Disabilities:In this course we cover all the key techniques of the ABA method, which include positive reinforcement, graduated prompting, repetition and teaching tasks in very small (discrete) steps. You will learn to apply ABA procedures in order to increase behaviours, teach behaviours and decrease challenging behaviours. You will gain an understanding of learning theory and the application of learning theory to youngsters with disabilities and you will learn how to motivate children with severe and profound disabilities to learn new skills. Through our interactive discussions we will share experiences and together solve some of the challenges that we meet in working with people with developmental disabilities.

Teaching Gifted and Talented Students: Rising to the challenge of highly able learners:Suitable for teachers and other professionals working with youngsters in both primary and post primary settings, this course provides a comprehensive understanding of gifted and talented students and offers an examination of the essential topics teachers and others need to know about the education of these students. Among the topics covered are motivation, underachievement, peer pressure, social acceptance and dual exceptionality; gifted and talented students who also have a learning disability and therefore have complex special needs. Assessment skills and identification issues across the age range are also addressed. Social and emotional issues are explored and best practice guidelines for effective collaboration with parents and the students themselves are presented. There is an emphasis on whole-school planning and development to meet the diverse needs of gifted and talented students within an inclusive school context. From an evidence-based perspective we focus on how teachers can most effectively tailor their instruction to meet the educational needs of exceptionally able or talented students. By the end of the course teachers should be able to differentiate instruction, design individualised lesson plans for gifted students, and will have a much greater understanding of the needs of gifted students.