Faculty
Professors:
Thomas G.R. Bower, Duane Buhrmester, Bert S. Moore, Margaret Tresch Owen, John W. Santrock,
Melanie J. Spence, Robert D. Stillman, Marion K. Underwood
Associate Professors: Teresa Nezworski, 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 disorders of early childhood. The professional plan of study is
designed for students interested in a career in the delivery of services to young
children who show developmental delays and disorders and the delivery of
services to their families. This program will be of special interest to
students wishing 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. Students graduating from the program qualify to work as Early
Intervention Specialists and Developmental Specialists in various community
programs.
Facilities
The principal sites for the academic and research activities
of the The Human Development and Early Childhood
Disorders program are located at the UTD/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, as well as 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, and communication disorders. Students from other
disciplines are also encouraged to apply.
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 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 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 48
semester hours. Specific degree requirements follow.
Professional Plan of Study
Required Core Courses (24 hours)
HDCD 5311 The Developing Child: Infants and Toddlers�
HDCD 5312 Atypical Development
HDCD 5315 Assessment Theory
HDCD 5316 Developmental Assessment
HDCD 5330 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 (15 hours)
HDCD 5320 Service Coordination of Community Resources
HCS 6350 Social Development
HCS 6331 Cognitive Development
HDCD 6395 Medical and Biobehavioral Factors in ECD
HDCD 6V81 Special Topics in Early Childhood Disorders
HDCD 7350 Family Outreach Assessment
COMD 6307 Language Acquisition
COMD 7362 Seminar in Autism
HCS 7376 Child Psychopathology
HDCD 7V98 Independent Study
HDCD 8V80 Independent Research