Program Overview

EDIP604 - Supporting Children with Complex Needs

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

The role of an educator or allied professional with specialist knowledge and skills is critical in helping young people, especially those with complex needs, attain the knowledge, dispositions, and skills they need for successful, lifelong learning. This unit examines theory, research, and practice critical to working effectively with children and adolescents with complex social-emotional/behavioral and learning needs.

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, students will be able to demonstrate they have achieved the following learning outcomes:

• Describe theories, principles, legislation, frameworks, codes of ethics, conduct requirements, and policy relevant to student behavior, wellbeing, and safety and functioning within inclusive schools and educational settings.
• Utilize collaborative team approaches to planning and conducting assessments of the social-emotional/behavioral functioning and learning of young people with complex needs.
• Articulate multidimensional "functional behavior assessment" to examine factors potentially contributing to a child or adolescent's complex needs.
• Evaluate the validity of an assessment by utilizing a collaborative team approach to interpreting assessment findings.
• Develop positive individual plans for implementing evidence-based approaches and specific strategies to support children and adolescents with complex needs to function more effectively in inclusive settings.
• Analyze different stakeholder perspectives as well as strategies for establishing and sustaining collaborative partnerships among families, school staff, and community service professionals.

Content

Topics will include:

• Core legislation, national frameworks, policies, curriculum documents, as well as theories, principles, research, and practice relevant to supporting students with complex needs and challenging behavior.
• Factors that may contribute to children and adolescents' complex needs and challenging behaviors in schools and educational or community settings.
• Collaborative planning and conducting of assessments to obtain information about the social-emotional/behavioral functioning and learning of young people with complex needs.
• Importance of multidimensional assessment and "functional behavior assessment" to examine factors potentially contributing to a young person's complex needs, including aggressive behaviors.
• Establishing the validity of a multidimensional functional assessment by involving the collaborative team in interpreting the findings of the assessment.
• Collaborative development of personalized learning plans and positive behavior support strategies to proactively respond to the needs of students with diverse learning needs and backgrounds.

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

The assessment tasks are used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes and professional standards consistent with University assessment requirements. The assessment will relate directly to the achievement of the outcomes above.

Assessment Tasks

1. Planned and Scaffolded Discussion: This task requires students to engage in planned discussions (online and/or face-to-face) in which they provide evidence of their critical analysis, reflection, knowledge, and deep understanding of the impact of contemporary theories, policies, practices, as well as potential contributing factors (including their own personal beliefs) on the assessment and interpretation of findings in relation to a young person presenting with complex needs and/or challenging behaviors. (Weighting: 50%, Learning Outcomes: LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4)
2. Case Study: This task requires students to develop a positive individual plan (e.g., a "personalized behavior plan" or "positive behavior support plan") for a child or adolescent in a school or educational setting who has complex needs and/or challenging behaviors. The plan must be designed as the outcome of a collaborative team approach that involves building the capacity of all team members (young person, parents or caregivers, school staff, and possibly allied professionals from the community) to support the focus child or adolescent (case study) within an inclusive school or educational context. (Weighting: 50%, Learning Outcomes: LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6)

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

This unit is offered in multi-mode and will be supported by a Canvas site. Engagement for learning is the key driver in the delivery of this curriculum. The unit will facilitate active participation in pedagogical approaches that demonstrate alignment of teaching, learning, and assessment and may incorporate a combination of strategies including individual and group work, activity-based workshops, formal presentations, and online activities and engagement.

Representative Texts and References

• Bambara, L.M., Janney, R., & Snell, M.E. (2015). Behavior support (3rd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
• Charles, C.M. (2014). Building classroom discipline (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
• Mitchell, D. (2017). Diversities in education: Effective ways to reach all learners. New York: Routledge.
• Porter, L. (2014). A comprehensive guide to classroom management: Facilitating engagement and learning in schools. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
• Rogers, B. (2015). Classroom behavior: A practical guide to effective teaching, behavior management and colleague support (4th ed.). London: SAGE.
• Shaddock, A., Packer, S., & Roy, A. (2015). Schools for all children and young people: Report of the expert panel on students with complex needs and challenging behavior. ACT: Education Directorate.
• Slee, P.T., & Skrzypiec, G. (2016). Well-being, positive relations and bullying in school settings. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.
• Sugai, G., Simonsen, B., Freeman, J., & La Salle, T. (2016). Capacity development and multi-tiered systems of support: Guiding principles. Australasian Journal of Special Education, (2), 80-98.
• Sullivan, A., Johnson, B., & Lucas, B. (2016). Challenging dominant views on student behavior at school answering back. Singapore: Springer Education.
• Zirpoli, T.J. (2016). Behavior management: Positive application for teachers (7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education.

Credit Points

10

Year

2026