A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A
ADD
Attention Deficit Disorder, a learning disorder with characteristics of inattentiveness, distractibility, impulsivity.

ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, very similar to ADD, but additional characteristics of restlessness or hyperactivity.

AES
Alternative Educational Setting, an additional placement option for a disabled child’s IEP

B
BASC
Behavior Assessment System for Children, rated-scale measurement system used to observe the emotional behavior of children; (often used in IEP meetings.)

BAP
Behavior Assessment Plan, after a child’s behavior as been assessed, the plan of action for discipline, placement, services, etc.

BD
Behavior Disordered, disability characteristic where students are emotionally disturbed or socially maladjusted.

BIP
Behavior Intervention Plan, a set of strategies, as part of an IEP, aimed at helping the child with Behavior Disorder.

BLST
Building Level Support Team, a team of professionals dedicated to assessing a child’s educational difficulty and planning interventions for it.

D
DPH
Due Process Hearing, a meeting that determines the appropriate educational placement of a free appropriate public education for a disabled student.

DPI
Department of Public Instruction

E
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ED
Emotionally Disturbed, categorized as clinically lacking the feel of trust, respect, and family love.

EMR
Educable Mentally Retarded, a student that is categorized as being mentally retarded in the classroom, but is fully functional at home. This is also referred to as ‘mild retardation’, which has an IQ between 25-55.

ESPB
Educational Standards and Practices Board

F
FBA
Functional Behavior Analysis, first an assessment to better understand a child’s behavior, then systematically determining the driving forces behind that behavior.

FAPE
Free and Appropriate Public Education, the crucial section of IDEA 97 which means special education and related services that:

• Are provided to children with disabilities at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and at no additional charge;
• Meet the standards of the State Education Agency (SEA), including the requirements of the IDEA;
• Include preschool, elementary, or secondary school education in the State involved; and
• Are provided in conformity with requirements for the Individualized Education Program (IEP).

FERPA
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, law protecting the privacy of student records.

H
HCPA
Handicapped Children's Protection Act of 1986, amendment to the EAHCA allowing reimbursement of attorney's fees and costs to parents who succeed on the merits of a claim pursuant to the statute.

HI
Hearing Impaired, any degree of hearing loss that interferes with development or adversely affects educational performance in a regular classroom setting.

I
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IDEA
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the federal law governing the educational programs for children with disabilities.

IEE
Independent Educational Evaluation, assessment of your child’s needs for a IEP by another professional not employed by the same school district that formed the original evaluation.

IEP
Individualized Educational Program, the document explaining the special needs and services of the disabled child and how they will be administered.

IWAR
Integrated Written Assessment Report

L
LD
Learning Disabled, a disorder that affects people's ability to either interpret what they see and hear or to link information from different parts of the brain.

LEA
Local Educational Agency

LRE
Least Restrictive Environment, the right to educating disabled children in an environment with non-disabled children for their social comfort level.

M
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MR
Mental Retardation, categorized as having an IQ below 70-75 and significant limitations existing in two or more adaptive skill areas. The condition is present from childhood, or defined as age 18 or less.

O
ODD
Oppositional Defiant Disorder, a psychiatric disorder that is characterized by aggressiveness and a tendency to purposefully bother and irritate other students, teachers, peers, etc.

OHI
Other Health Impaired, having an extenuating disability classified under IDEA.

OT
Occupational Therapy, therapy for disabled children so they can lead a purposeful life.

P
PDD
Pervasive Developmental Disorder, a neurological disorder that affects a child’s ability to communicate, understand language, play, and relate to others.

PT
Physical Therapy , treatment of disability by physical and mechanical means.

S
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SEA
State Educational Agency, organization governing every school district in each state.

SED
Seriously Emotionally Disturbed, See ED above, emotional disturbance at a greater level with proven diagnosis of one or more of the following:

• Schizophrenia
• Schizo-affective Disorder
• Bipolar Disorder
• Major Depression
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Panic Disorder
• Eating Disorders (Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa)
• Autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder
• Serious Emotional Disturbance in children and adolescents

SLD
Specific Learning Disability, a severe learning problem due to a disorder in the basic psychological processes involved in acquiring, organizing or expressing information.

SI
Speech Impaired, a communication impairment that disrupts communication or affects emotional, social, intellectual or educational growth.

T
TMR
Trainable Mentally Retarded, having mental retardation solely in the school setting and not at home, or having an IQ between 25-55. Also referred as 6-hour retardation.

W
WAIS
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

WIAT
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test

WISC-III
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 3rd Edition

WJ-III
Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery, 3rd Edition

WPPSI
Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence

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