Graduate Program in Human Development and Early Childhood Disorders
Faculty
Professors:
Thomas G.R. Bower, Bert S. Moore, Margaret Tresch Owen, John W. Santrock, Melanie J. Spence, Robert D. Stillman,
Marion K. Underwood, Deborah Wiebe
Associate Professors: Pamela Rollins
Assistant Professors: Shayla Holub, Mandy Maguire, Candice Mills
Clinical Faculty: Cherryl Bryant
Senior Lecturers: Toosje Van Beveren
Objectives
The
Master of Science program in Human Development and Early Childhood Disorders is
designed for students with professional interests in early child development
and disorders. The curriculum offers a strong foundation in the normative path
of physical, cognitive and social development with specialized training in
diagnostic and intervention techniques needed to work with developmental disorders
of early childhood. The program is designed for students interested in a career
in the delivery of services to young children who show developmental delays and
disorders. This program provides training to those who desire to work with
infants and young children and their families in early childhood intervention
programs and other professional settings, including schools, hospitals, and
medical/therapy clinics. Classroom training is combined with practical
experience in a variety of clinical and educational settings, both on campus
and in the community. Students graduating from the program qualify to work as
Early Intervention Specialists and Developmental Specialists. They also qualify
for Level 2 Infant Mental Health Endorsement by the Texas Association for
Infant Mental Health.
Facilities
The
principal sites for the academic and research activities of the The Human Development and Early
Childhood Disorders program are located at UTD and the Callier Center for Communication Disorders on the
main campus in Richardson, and on the campus of the UT Southwestern Medical
Center in Dallas. Facilities at the main campus include research and
observational laboratories, and laboratories dedicated to infant assessment.
On-campus fieldwork opportunities with preschool-age children with special
needs are available in the Preschool Language Development Program held at Callier-Richardson. The Callier Center on the UT
Southwestern Medical Center campus operates a laboratory preschool, and the Callier Center on both the main campus in Richardson and
the medical center campus offer a number of other educational and clinical programs
serving young children. These facilities, and various community programs
and settings throughout the Metroplex,
provide essential educational, clinical, and research environments for training
in Human Development and Early Childhood Disorders. Practicum and Internship
placements provide supervised on-site and community based fieldwork experiences
with young children with special needs and their
families.
Admission Requirements
The
University´s general admission requirements are discussed here.
The
Human Development and Early Childhood Disorders program is designed for
students with backgrounds in psychology, special education, early childhood
education, social work, and communication disorders. Students from other
disciplines are also encouraged to apply. Those from other fields are generally
not required to take leveling courses.
Admission
to the Human Development and Early Childhood Disorders program is based on a
review of the applicant´s GPA, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and
narrative description of interests, relevant experiences, and career goals. In
general, a combined Verbal and Quantitative score on the GRE of at least 1000
is advisable based on our experience with student success in the program.
However, there is no minimum cut-off score for admission nor does a score of at
least 1000 assure admission to the program.
Degree Requirements
The
University´s general degree requirements are discussed here.
The
plan of study includes a set of required foundational courses, elective course
options, and supervised practical experience in applied settings designed to
prepare students to work with children and their families.
Students
are advised that participation in off-campus practicum and internship requires
a criminal background check. Students excluded from off-campus sites for any
reason may be unable to complete all degree requirements.
The
Master of Science program requires a minimum of 45 semester hours. Specific
degree requirements follow.
Required
Core Courses (24 hours)
HDCD
6319 The Developing Child: Infants and Toddlers
HDCD 6312 Atypical Development
HDCD 6315 Assessment Theory
HDCD 6316 Developmental Assessment
HDCD 6335 Intervention Paradigms
HDCD 6310 Parent Education
HDCD 6320 The Developing Child: Preschool Years
HDCD 6370 Intervention with Young Children
Practicum
(3 hours)
HDCD
7V20 Practicum in Disorders of Young Children
Internship
(6 hours)
HDCD
7V20 Internship in Disorders of Young Children
Electives
(12 hours)
HDCD 6325
Service Coordination of Community Resources
HDCD 6395 Medical and Biobehavioral
Factors in ECD
HDCD 6325 Families and Culture
HDCD 6335 Child Psychopathology
HDCD 6355 Family Outreach and
Assessment
HDCD 6390 Infant Mental Health
HDCD 6V81 Special Topics in Early Childhood Disorders
HDCD 6360 Behavior Management
HDCD 6365 (COMD 7336) Social Communication in Early Childhood Disorders
HCS 7382 Health Psychology
COMD 6307 Language Acquisition
COMD 7362 Seminar in Autism
HDCD 7V98 Independent Study
HDCD 7V80 Independent Research
