Early Childhood Special Education

This option prepares graduates to work with and advocate for infants and young children with developmental delays and disabilities, birth to five, and their families in a variety of early intervention, home, and school settings.

REQUIRED COURSES

  • EDEF 605: Educational Research
  • EDSP 622: Collaboration to Teach and Support Diverse Learners
  • EDSP 651: Students with Diverse Learning Needs and the Special Education Process
  • EDSP 670: Proactive Classroom Management and Advanced Positive Behavior Support

Required Concentration Courses (18 credit hours)

  • EDSP 602: Speech-Language Disorders & Development: Birth to Five Years 
  • EDSP 637: Early Childhood Assessment and Intervention
  • EDSP 639: Medical Aspects of Teaching Young Children with Disabilities 
  • EDSP 648: Family-centered Intervention and Program Management in Early Childhood Special Education
  • EDSP 686: Instructional Programming to Teach Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers with Disabilities
  • EDSP, EDRD, or EDET elective 

To obtain Virginia Department of Education licensure in early childhood special education, birth to five, an additional 6-12 semester hours of internship experiences are required:

  • EDSP 740 - Teaching Internship in Early Childhood Special Education: Home- and community-based Services. (3-6 hours; repeatable up to 6 hours)
  • EDSP 741 - Teaching Internship in Early Childhood Special Education: School-based Services
    (3-6 hours; repeatable up to 6 hours)
    *Six semester hour minimum in at least two settings, one of which may be a current place of employment.

The Virginia Consortium for Teacher Training in Early Childhood Special Education is a partnership among Radford University, University of Lynchburg, and the Virginia Department of Education. This consortium provides courses and funding to ECSE teachers with provisional license and others seeking ECSE endorsement.

 

3- and 4-year-old Add-on Endorsement

Radford University is pleased to announce that we are now offering all classes needed for the 3- and 4-year-old Add-On Endorsement to an elementary, PreK-3, PreK-6, or early childhood special education license. It consists of a 3-course (12 credits) sequence, plus a 45 hour practicum, which can be completed in your workplace. The courses are offered during the spring, summer, and fall semesters.

Learn more about this opportunity by visiting this page.

Participation Requirements

  • Admittance to Radford University.
  • Meet criteria for admission to consortium.
  • Access to internet/computer capacity for online coursework.

Courses

We offer all courses required for Virginia endorsement in ECSE. All courses are offered online.

CLASSES TYPICALLY OFFERED FALL SEMESTER

  • Medical Aspects - EDSP 639: Medical Aspects of Teaching Young Children with Disabilities
  • Family-Centered Intervention - EDSP 648: Program Management in Early Childhood Special Education
  • Behavior Management - EDSP 670: Proactive Classroom Management and Advanced Positive Behavior Support

CLASSES TYPICALLY OFFERED SPRING SEMESTER

  • Assessment Techniques for Young Children With Disabiling and At-Risk Conditions - EDSP 637: Early Childhood Assessment and Intervention
  • Curriculum and Instructional Programming in ECSE - EDSP 686: Instructional Programming to Teach Preschoolers with Disabilities

CLASSES TYPICALLY OFFERED SUMMER SEMESTER 

  • Speech/Language Development and Intervention - EDSP 602: Speech-Language Disorders & Development: Birth to Five Years 

CLASSES TYPICALLY OFFERED EACH SEMESTER 

  • Child Growth and Development - EDEF 600: Human Growth and Development: Birth through Adolescence 
  • Foundations of Education - EDEF 607: Foundations of Education
  • Consultation - EDSP 622: Collaboration to Teach and Support Diverse Learners
  • Foundations and Legal Aspects of Special Education - EDSP 651: Students with Diverse Learning Needs and the Special Education Process

 

Apply

Apply to Radford University (RU) School of Graduate Studies in one of these three programs.

  1. Non-degree-seeking 
  2. Certificate 
  3. Master's degree in Special Education with a concentration in ECSE

Apply no later than one month prior to the start of the semester (see university academic calendar for start dates). If you are currently teaching preschool-aged children with disabilities and do not have the ECSE endorsement, complete the consortium application and send an email to Dr. Sharon L. Gilbert.