Purpose: The purpose of this paper is 1) to provide you the opportunity to explore a special needs area in a richer depth than information presented in class and 2) to familiarize you with the style of the American Psychological Association (APA style) which is commonly used in the fields of education and psychology.
Topic: Select a special needs area that presents a challenge to children and their families. Try to choose a special needs topic that is of interest to you. If you are not interested in the topic you are researching, you will find that it is much more difficult to focus and your motivation for completing your work may wane.
Sources: You need to use at least 4-5 separate professional sources (sources that appear in published books, refereed journals, or reliable Web sites). Avoid popular magazines and newspapers. You may use your textbook as a source.
Format
All reports are to be typed using an Arial 12-point font. The body of the paper should be between 4 -6 double-spaced pages in length. Include a title page and a reference list that are in addition to the body of the paper. The margins should be 1.25 on the left and 1 inch on the top, right, and bottom.
Style: Your paper must be written in APA Style. This style of writing is the standard for educators and psychologists. This style is referred to as a parenthetical style because your citations will be in the body of the paper rather than in footnotes or endnotes. Guidelines may be found in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Visit the NVCC LRS citation page for a quick reference.
Use your own words to summarize and discuss the sources used in your report. Occasionally you may wish to use a direct quote, but this should be rare. Never use another person’s exact phrases or sentences without quotation marks (if you do, it is plagiarism). If you do give a direct quote, you must add the page number to the reference (see the APA manual for details). Even using someone else’s ideas must be properly credited. In the body of the paper cite each reference as appropriate, and at the end of the paper include a page labeled “references”.
Proofread your report carefully. Check for both spelling and grammatical errors. With the use of computerized word processing, there is no excuse for spelling or grammatical errors. Remember that sometimes you might make an error that is not automatically picked up by the spell checker, (for example, the words: to, and too).
Parts of the Paper
Introduction
Definition and background history of the disability
Characteristics
Causes (etiology)
Prevalence (how often does it occur, percentage of children with disability)
Prognosis (what are the likely outcomes)
Programs and services available for child and family
Strategies for teachers to use for instructional purposes
Appropriate learning environment and classroom accommodations
Conclusion
Reference List
Resources:
https://web-p-ebscohost-com.eznvcc.vccs.edu/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzE0Njg1OThfX0FO0?sid=7d5219b2-532f-448d-9151-a2b062b54763@redis&vid=0&format=EB&lpid=lp_30&rid=0
https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6MjYyOTU=
https://web-p-ebscohost-com.eznvcc.vccs.edu/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzI3MDgzNzZfX0FO0?sid=79984c26-1b57-4b79-a3da-7728907dcbab@redis&vid=3&format=EK&rid=1
