1. Fall 2012
Course Syllabus
Psychology 720.01
Fall 2012
Course: Developmental Disabilities 1
Instructor: Patricia D’Ateno, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Class Meets: Thursday 4:30-6:20 Razran 208
Phone: 997-3200 (Psychology Office)
E-mail: Patricia.Dateno@qc.cuny.edu
Office Hours: After class and by appointment
Office Location: Razran 238
Course Description:
This course is an overview of the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The content includes readings, lecture, and discussion on the history of the field,
the concepts of intelligence and adaptive behavior, classification systems, litigation
on behalf of people with developmental disabilities, etiology, service-delivery
systems and the special case of autism. Additionally, course content will include a
review of early intervention programs and research, school-age education and
research, as well as adult issues. Readings will include behavioral assessment and
intervention strategies for people with developmental disabilities.
Learning Goals:
Students will demonstrate an understanding of:
 Issues related to the construct of developmental disabilities (e.g., intelligence testing,
adaptive behavior assessments, social and cultural biases.)
 History and influence of public policy on treatment of persons with developmental
disabilities.
 Early intervention service delivery, research, policy, and trends in treatment models.
 School-age service delivery, instructional models/trends, social and academic skill
interventions, and research issues.
 Transition to the adult world, quality of life issues, personal liberty/choice issues,
housing/living arrangements, employment, social relationships, and service delivery
issues.
Students will demonstrate understanding in written format through:
 Essay examinations
Students will demonstrate the ability to orally convey their understanding of these concepts
through:
 In-class discussions and responses to questions posed during those discussions.

2. Fall 2012
Required Text:
Odom, S. L., Horner, R. H., Snell, M. E., & Blacher, J. (Eds.). (2009). Handbook of
developmental disabilities. NY, NY: The Guilford Press.
[ISBN: 978-1-60623-248-4]
Additional Required Readings:
There will be additional assigned readings that can, in some cases, be accessed through Internet
library resources. Additionally, some freely available readings will be available on Blackboard
Examinations & Participation Requirements:
1. There will be two, take-home examinations. Examinations must be written using APA
stylistic conventions (e.g., double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, one inch
margins, etc.). A hard copy of the examination must be delivered to your instructor by the
listed deadline. Additionally, an electronic version must also be submitted. All
examinations will be checked for plagiarism using a program such as Safe-Assign.
2. A portion of your grade will be based on class participation/responding to questions. In
addition to the required amount of participation, extra credit points may be earned for
additional participation in class discussions.
Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism and cheating are both forms of academic dishonesty.
Plagiarism includes plagiarizing published material as well as plagiarizing the work of your
fellow students. The consequence for academic dishonesty may range from a reduced grade on
the writing assignment/exam, to a failing grade (F) on either the written assignment or for the
course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Office of the Vice President for
Student Affairs. To access more information on the Student Disciplinary Process please see:
http://www.qc.cuny.edu/STUDENTLIFE/Pages/default.aspx
Attendance: As this course will be conducted in a discussion-type format, it is important that all
students attend and come to class prepared to discuss the assigned topic. Additionally, one
component of your final grade is participation in class discussions and you must be present to
participate.
Extra-Credit: There will be extra-credit points available for class participation beyond the
required amount. There are no other opportunities for earning extra-credit points. So, please
come to class prepared, and participate in our discussions. Not only will the course be more
enjoyable, and informative for all, but you will earn extra-credit points.
ADA Statement:
Students who need academic accommodations should register with the Special Services Office.
The Special Services Office is located in Frese Hall Room 111 (phone: 718 997- 5870). Please
provide your instructor with the necessary information about testing accommodations in a timely
manner. The Special Services Office website can be found at:
http://sl.qc.cuny.edu/oss/index.php, or email questions to QC_SPSV@qc.cuny.edu

3. Fall 2012
Grading: Students’ final grades will be comprised of the following components:
Examinations: 100 points each
Class Participation: 20 points
Final Grades:
Number of Points Earned / 220 * 100 = % in Class
Grade %
A+ 97-100
A 93-96
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 73-76
C- 70-72
F 0-69

4. Fall 2012
Class Topic Assignment
8/30/12 Introduction & Syllabus
9/6/12 The construct of developmental disabilities
Public Policy
Chapters 1 & 2
9/13/12 Disability Research Methodology
Influence of race and culture on
diagnosis/treatment of developmental
disabilities
Chapters 3 & 4
9/20/12 Intellectual Disability
Personal Liberties
Bannerman, D. J., Sheldon, J. A.,
Shua, N., & Harchik, A., E. (1990).
Schalock, R. L., et al. (2007).
9/27/12 Early Intervention:
 Infants and toddlers
 Preschoolers
Chapters 8 & 9
10/4/12 Early Intervention:
 Autism Spectrum Disorder
 Communication Interventions
Chapters 10 & 11
10/11/12 Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention
Comparison of Applied Verbal Behavior
and Naturalistic Teaching Approaches
Eldevik, S., Hastings, R. P.,
Hughes, J. C., Jahr, E., Eikeseth, S.,
& Cross, S. (2009).
LeBlanc, L. A., Esch, J., Sidener, T.
M., & Firth, A., M. (2006).
10/18/12 School-Age Intervention:
 Instruction
 Inclusion
Mid-Term Exam Due
Chapters 12 & 13
10/25/12 School-Age Intervention:
 Academic Skills
 Social Interventions
Chapters 14 & 15
11/1/12
11/8/12 Adult Issues:
 Transition & Quality of Life
 Employment
Chapters 18 & 19

5. Fall 2012
11/15/12 Adult Issues:
 Living with Support in Community
 Independent Living
Chapters 20 & 21
11/22/12
No Class
11/29/12 Adult Issues:
 Social Relationships
Chapter 22
12/6/12
12/20/12 FINAL EXAMINATION
4:00 – 6:00
Final exam must be turned in by
5:30
References
Bannerman, D. J., Sheldon, J. A., Shua, N., & Harchik, A., E. (1990). Balancing the right to habilitation with the
right to personal liberties: The rights of people with developmental disabilities to eat too many doughnuts
and take a nap. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (1), 79-89.
Eldevik, S., Hastings, R. P., Hughes, J. C., Jahr, E., Eikeseth, S., & Cross, S. (2009). Meta-Analysis of early
intensive behavioral intervention for children with autism. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent
Psychology, 38 (3), 439-450.
LeBlanc, L. A., Esch, J., Sidener, T. M., & Firth, A., M. (2006). Behavioral language interventions for children
with autism: Comparing applied verbal behavior and naturalistic teaching approaches. The Analysis of
Verbal Behavior, 22, 49-60.
Schalock, R. L., Luckasson, R.A., Shogren, K. A., Borthwick-Duffy, S., Bradley, V., Buntinx, D. L., Craig, E.
M., Gomez, S. C., Lachapelle, Y., Reeve, A., Snell, M. E., Spreat, S., Tasse, M. J., Thompson, J. R.,
Verdugo, M. A., Wehmeyer, M. L., & Yeager, M. H. (2007). The renaming of mental retardation:
Understanding the change of the term to intellectual disability. Intellectual and Developmental
Disabilities, 45 (2), 116-124.

6. Fall 2012