Learning the lingo
One of the most challenging aspects about having a baby or child who needs early intervention or special education services is understanding all of the terms that you hear. This blog post is dedicated to helping you learn the lingo of developmental delays, disabilities, early intervention and special education.
Unless you know the language, you will not know what is going on. At the very least, you need to know the acronyms or abbreviations for some of the more common words or terms, so that if you are at a meeting, or in a doctor’s office, you can understand the conversation. It will also help you to make sense out of the reports and evaluations you will read about your child. So, here is your official cheat sheet. I suggest you print it out and keep it handy.
First, I list common terms in the early intervention and special education world; then, I list acronyms and abbreviations for common diagnoses. Any term in bold is explained in more detail in another blog post in this series. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list but it will definitely get you started.
Common terms:
ABA Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapy
ADA Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
ADLs Activities of Daily Living
ASL American Sign Language
AIT Auditory Integration Training
AT Assistive Technology
BOE Board of Education
BRS Bureau of Rehabilitation Services
CA Chronological Age
DOB Date of Birth
DOE Department of Education
ECE Early Childhood Education
EIS Early Intervention Services
ESD Extended School Day
ESY Extended School Year Services
FAPE Free and Appropriate Public Education
FERPA Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
GE General Education
IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IEE Individual Educational Evaluation
IEP Individualized Educational Program
IQ Intelligence Quotient
IFSP Individual Family Service Plan
LEA Local Education Agency
LRE Least Restrictive Environment
MA Mental Age
NCLB No Child Left Behind Act
OCR Office of Civil Rights
OT Occupational Therapy
PLP Present Level of Performance
PPT Planning and Placement Team
PT Physical Therapy
RS Related Services
RTI Response to Intervention
SAS Supplementary Aids and Services
SEA State Education Agency
SPED Special Education
SI Sensory Integration
SLP Speech and Language Pathologist
SSDI Social Security Disability Income
SSI Supplemental Security Income
VR Vocational Rehabilitation
WIC Women, Infants and Children (food program)
504 Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504
Common diagnoses:
ADD Attention Deficit Disorder
ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ASD Autism Spectrum Disorder
BD Behavioral Disorder
CAPD Central Auditory Processing Disorder/Deficit
CF Cystic Fibrosis
CP Cerebral Palsy
DB Deaf-Blind
ED Emotional Disturbance
FAS Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
DD Developmental Delay
ID Intellectual Disabilities (formerly Mental Retardation)
LD Learning Disability
MD Muscular Dystrophy
MMR Mildly Mentally Retarded
MR Mental retardation (now referred to as Intellectual Disability)
ND Neurobiological disorders
NLD Nonverbal Learning Disability
OCD Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
ODD Oppositional Defiant Disorder
OHI Other Health Impaired
PDD Pervasive Developmental Disorder
SB Spina Bifida
SLD Specific Learning Disability
SLI Speech/Language Impairment
TBI Traumatic Brain Injury
TMH Trainable Mentally Handicapped
TS Tourette Syndrome
VI Visual Impairment
There are tons more acronyms, so if you have heard some that are not on this list check out this list of acronyms from NICHCY on the CPIR website. The more you understand the language, the more confident you will feel as you advocate for your child. Don’t be put off by the lingo – embrace it and soon you will be a pro.
Have questions? Send them to AskUs@marchofdimes.org.
Note: This post is part of the weekly series Delays and disabilities – how to get help for your child. It appears every Wednesday and started on January 16, 2013. Feel free to go back to look at prior posts as the series builds on itself. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions.
Tags: abreviations, acronyms, developmental delays, disabilities, Help for your child, lingo, special education