SPECIAL EDUCATION GLOSSARY

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“504”	Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
“504 Plan”	An individualized plan developed for a student with a disability that specifies what accommodations and/or services they will get in school to “level the playing field” so that they may derive as much benefit from their public educational program as their nondisabled peers. The plan follows from the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and also applies to extracurricular activities and non-student situations such as employment. Section 504 applies to all public entities receiving federal monies or federal financial assistance. Back to Letters
Academic achievement	The level of actual accomplishment or proficiency one has achieved in an academic area, as opposed to one's potential. For example: a student may have the tested potential to read on a 12th grade level, but may only be reading on a 4th grade level.
Accommodation	(1) Physical: the response or adjustment the body makes to sensory input or stimulation, e.g., our eyes automatically accommodate depending on the distance of the object we are trying to read. (2) Advocacy/legal: an alteration in the way material is presented, or in the environmental settings, or task demands and/or conditions as necessitated to “work around” interference from a disability.
Acting out	A term that is generally used when the observer believes that the child's behavior is an expression of unconscious wishes or feelings. Frequently used in describing undesirable behavior.
Activities of Daily Living		The basic skills and activities individuals engage in on a daily basis, including hygiene, dressing oneself, being able to feed oneself, communication skills, being able to get around (mobility/ambulation), etc.
ADA		Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)
Adaptive behavior		In general, behavior that enables the individual to “fit in” with their environment and peers.
Adaptive Learning Environments Program		An educational setting and program for students with learning and/or behavior disorders where the environment is adapted or altered to meet the needs/limitations of the students instead of trying to fit the students into the “traditional” environment.
Adaptive Physical Education		Physical education that has been modified (adapted) to meet the needs and disabilities of special needs youngsters.
ADD or ADHD (also AD/HD)		Attention Deficit Disorder. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
ADL		Activities of Daily Living
Age-appropriate		At the right level for the chronological (actual) age of the child/student. The descriptor can be applied to materials, curriculum, modifications for the child, or to the student's behavior. For example: to say that a child is acting extremely immaturely is to say that he is not behaving in age-appropriate ways.
ALEP		Adaptive Learning Environments Program
Americans with Disabilities Act (of 1990)		Public Law 101-336. A piece of federal legislation that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in areas such as employment, public accommodation, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications; also applies to education. Similar in concept to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, but applies to more employers/organizations as it is not restricted to those who receive federal funding.
ARD		Admission, Review, & Dismissal. Another name for the local education agency committee that determines whether a student is in need of special education services, and if so, what services, etc. If the student is found eligible, then the committee is also involved in developing the needed individualized program for the student. The ARD usually has a special education administrator, the district's psychologist, and a few other professionals on it. The composition of the actual committee for any one student is a function of what school the student is in and what their needs are. The child's teacher and parents are part of the committee for the student.
Assessment		An assessment is an evaluation. It can be specific to one problem area academically, or it can include all academic areas, psychological functioning, peer relationships, etc. The methods of assessment may include objective testing using standardized tests, and/or observational methods, interviews, etc.
Assistive device		Any object or “thing,” piece of equipment, or system that is used to enable an individual with a disability to function better. As examples: hearing aids for individuals with hearing loss, a Braille printer for someone who is blind, a notebook computer/keyboard for a student who has severely impaired handwriting, voice dictation software for someone who can't write or keyboard, etc.
Assistive Technology		The application of assistive devices and assistive services to enable the individual with disabilities to function better.
AT		Assistive Technology
Attention		The process of focusing -- usually applied to the context of focusing on relevant information while screening out distracters; the ability to stay on task.
Audiology		The science of hearing; the evaluation of aural (hearing) processes. Back to Letters
BD		Behavior Disorder
Behavior Intervention Plan		A formalized plan that targets specific behaviors for alteration and that follows from a functional behavioral assessment. Usually appended to a student's individualized educational plan, a public school district must attempt such a plan before changing a student's placement to a more restrictive environment (unless there is an emergency situation). The plan is supposed to be based on positive inducements, if possible. A behavior intervention plan should also include what environmental or proactive changes the staff will make to decrease the likelihood of the undesirable behavior or symptom.
BIP		Behavior Intervention Plan Back to Letters
CA		Chronological age
Case Management		A service usually seen only in cases where there are many needs or different services or providers requiring coordination and oversight. Case management can be provided by county agencies, at times, privately, or in schools by a member of the student’s IEP team.
Center-based Services		When a child's entire educational program, including all related services, are provided in a separate location or special education school.
Charter School		A charter school is a public school that has been created by a group of teachers, parents and/or a community-based organization. The school is usually sponsored by an existing local public school board, county or local board of education, state authority, or university, where the sponsoring organization/body has some responsibility for oversight of the school. The notion of a charter school is that the school is exempt from many laws governing public school districts, but they must demonstrate student achievement or the charter won't be renewed at the end of the contractual period. Details on chartering and requirements vary from state to state. Since charter schools are public schools, the school receives a per student financial allocation; charter schools cannot charge tuition.
Child Find		A federal mandate that local educational agencies initiate programs to identify children in need of special education services. Each state must have a policy as to how they will accomplish this.
Child Protective Services		An agency of the local government that is responsible for investigating allegations of child abuse or child neglect.
Chronological Age		Actual age, as measured in years, months, and days, as opposed to “mental age”.
Consulting (or Consultant) Teacher		A teacher (usually certified in special education) who serves as support personnel by either providing direct services to the student in the classroom or by providing indirect services to the student by working with the teacher to help the teacher modify curriculum, materials, etc.
Continuum of Placements		The requirement that local education agencies have a range of settings available to educate students including the mainstream classroom, regular (mainstream) with push-in services, mainstream with pull-out services, self-contained special classes, homebound instruction, and hospital settings. Note: some areas are trying to do away with all self-contained special classes as they move towards full inclusion.
CPS		Child Protective Services
COTA		Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant
Criterion-referenced Assessment		A method of assessment in which the individual's performance (or score) is compared to an established cutoff or criterion; the individual is not compared to others but to this standard or criterion.
Cross-categorical		One approach to grouping students in special classes that ignores their diagnoses or educational classification and groups them on the basis of the severity of their needs. Back to Letters
DD		(1) Developmental Disability. (2) Developmentally Delayed.
Deficit Model		Intervention strategies emphasizing remediation/accommodation of the deficits or weaknesses of the person or child. It's more a fix the "problem model of providing services child's strengths and building on those.
DARS		Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services
Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services		DARS administers programs that help Texans with disabilities find jobs through vocational rehabilitation, ensure that Texans with disabilities live independently in their communities, and assist families in helping their children under age 3 with disabilities and delays in development reach their full potential. The department includes the Division for Rehabilitation Services (DRS), the Division for Blind Services (DBS), the Division for Disability Determination Services (DDS) and the Division for Early Childhood Intervention (ECI).
Department of Social Services		State and county agencies that provide needed services to the communities, e.g., child protection, adult services, financial assistance, etc.
Developmental Disability (or Delay)		A handicap or impairment originating before the age of 18 that is expected to continue indefinitely and that constitutes a substantial disability.
Disability		This term has different definitions, some of which relate to statute on state or federal level. In a non-legal sense, a disability is any area of functioning in which the individual experiences difficulty (compared to “normal”) due to a physical or mental condition. A "disability" is often distinguished from a "handicap" by reference to the setting and environmental demands: a person who uses a wheelchair for mobility is not “handicapped” in an employment setting that does not require her to walk or do steps, whereas in another setting she might be “handicapped.” A person with a "disability may also be “handicapped" due to society's attitude "towards the disability, e.g., if society views people with neurobiological conditions as being “crazy” or somehow "less than" others, then the individual with such a known diagnosis may be considered “handicapped.”
DOE		Department of Education
DP		Due Process
DSS		Department of Social Services
Due Process		Procedural safeguards that protect a child's (and the parents') rights. The term comes from the U.S. Constitution (see the Bill of Rights, Articles V and XIV) and the concept traces back to the Magna Carta. In special education law, both IDEA and Section 504 describe procedural safeguards; each state may also give additional (but not fewer) safeguards. The guts" of IDEA's procedural safeguards are "in Subpart E of IDEA.
Due Process Hearing		In special education disputes, a formal legal proceeding presided over by an impartial hearing officer (IHO) who listens to both sides of the dispute and renders a decision based upon the state’s regulations or statutes.
Dyscalculia		Lack of ability to perform mathematical operations, usually associated with neurological dysfunction.
Dysgraphia		Extremely poor handwriting or the inability to perform the motor movements required for handwriting. The condition is often associated with neurological dysfunction.
Dyslexia		A type of learning disability that affects reading ability. More specifically: the individual may have problems remembering, recognizing , and or reversing written letters, numbers, and words, might read backwards, and have poor handwriting. The term is frequently used when neurological dysfunction is suspected as the cause of the reading disability.
Dyspraxia		An inability to perform coordinated movements, although there is no apparent problem in the muscles or nerves. Can also be applied to speech and language functions. Back to Letters
EBD		Emotional/Behavioral Disorder
ED		Emotional Disturbance or Emotionally Disturbed
Education for All Handicapped Children Act		Public Law 94-142. Federal legislation passed in 1975 that makes available a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for all handicapped children in the United States. This piece of legislation was the forerunner to IDEA.
Education Records		Records directly related to a student and maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a party acting for the agency or institution. The definition of education records" has legal "significance in terms of the privacy of student records; see FERPA for a definition, as well as your state's regulations or statutes on this.
EH		Emotionally Handicapped. Also known as Emotionally Disturbed.
ESC		Education Service Center
Education Service Center		Affiliated with the Texas Education Agency, any teacher or educator in a school district can call upon a designated Education Service Center (ESC) for help with CTE/Special Education activities. Each ESC has resources and a specialist related to different curriculum areas to aid teachers with instructional, evaluation, and curriculum needs. Every ESC has state-of-the-art computer labs and facilities that can be utilized for workshops and other professional purposes. In Texas, there are 20 ESCs.
EHA		Education for All Handicapped Children Act
Emotional/Behavioral Disorder		An educational or school-based term and not a specific diagnosis. It generally refers to a situation in which the student has significant or prominent problems adhering to the expected behavioral standards and/or in regulating their emotional state.
Emotional Disturbance or Emotionally Disturbed		1. A specific category/classification under IDEA. 2. In general, dysregulation or inability to maintain emotional state and behavior within normal or accepted range of variation.
ESY		Extended School Year
Exceptional		Refers to any student whose physical, mental, or behavioral performance deviates so substantially (higher or lower) from the average that additional services are necessary to meet the individual's needs. While all states are mandated to provide special education services to students who are substantially lower than the average level, not all states mandate services to those who are substantially higher than average.
Executive Functions		The higher-order cognitive control processes that enable us to "sustain our focus, switch flexibly between tasks, inhibit responses, etc. Executive Dysfunction refers to impairment in any of those functions. Symptoms of executive dysfunction might include inability to multi-task" or to go back and forth between papers and "assignments, difficulty focusing in on what is important while tuning out irrelevant distracters, being able to organize one's time or materials, etc.
Expressive Language		The use of language to communicate and/or express one's ideas, feelings, etc. Can apply to spoken (oral) communication skills, written communications, or gestural (signing).
Extended School Year		A longer school year than the standard 10-month program. Generally used in situations where the student's team feels that the student will regress (or lose progress) over the summer months if s/he doesn't have some ongoing educational services.
Family Education Rights and Privacy Act		Legislation passed in 1974 protecting the privacy of student records and assuring parents access to their child's educational records. Also known as the Buckley Amendment; Public Law 93-380. Back to Letters
FAPE		Free Appropriate Public Education
FBA		Functional Behavioral Assessment
FC		1. Foster Care 2. Facilitated Communication.
FERPA		Family Education Rights and Privacy Act
Fine Motor		The use of small muscle groups for controlled movements, particularly in object manipulation. Fine motor skills would include holding a pen/pencil for handwriting, being able to pick up M & M's, etc.
Free and Appropriate Public Education		Usually referred to by its acronym (FAPE). Federal legislation (IDEA) mandates (requires) that students who qualify for special education services receive FAPE. The individual elements of FAPE are defined in IDEA, but the notion of what constitutes “appropriate” is often a source of conflict between parents and local education agencies, and is defined as much by case law as by the legislation. Historically, Hendrick Hudson v. Rowley, a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision, is cited as the definition of appropriate, but there have been other cases since then.
Functional Behavioral Assessment		A collection of tools, scales, observations, and interviews that are tailored to the needs of a specific student whose behavior is particularly problematic and/or jeopardizes their educational placement. The purpose of the FBA is to determine under what conditions the (problematic) behavior occurs, what drives it, what reinforces (maintains) it, and what time of day or other patterns can be detected. This assessment is then used to create a Behavior Intervention Plan for the student.
FY		Fiscal year Back to Letters
Goal		Long-range ideal or target. In educational planning, a goal can be established for a student's academic performance or social-behavioral functioning. A goal does not have to be specified in readily observable terms, e.g., Johnny will understand multiplication may be a goal terms. See objectives.
Gross Motor		The use of large muscle groups to achieve balance, coordinated walking, running, skipping, jumping, etc. Typically, activities that involve the use of smaller muscles in more refined ways are referred to as fine motor.
Handicap		A limitation imposed on (or experienced by) an individual related to a disability or a perceived disability. Some people use this term interchangeably with disability different meanings in legislation and in the attitudes of the individual using the term. In special education, the term “handicap” was originally used in the ground-breaking 1975 legislation (PL 94-142), but it was replaced by disability when IDEA was passed.
HI		Hearing Impaired. This term also has specific meaning as a category of classification under IDEA
Home Instruction		The most restrictive educational setting, as instruction is provided 1:1 in the child's home with a certified special education teacher. Related services can also be provided as part of a home instruction placement. The determination of home instruction is made by the student's IEP team. The minimum amount of time a student must receive instruction for on a daily basis is usually specified in state regulations. Home instruction should not be confused with home schooling.
Home Schooling		A choice by the parent to educate the child at home. Parent will have to demonstrate that they are providing the state-required curriculum; see individual state's laws for further requirements. Back to Letters
IAP		Individual Accommodation Plan; frequently used as synonymous with 504 Plan.
IDEA		Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IEE		Independent educational evaluation
IEP		Individualized Education Program
IEP Team		A team of individuals comprising school professionals, the child's parent(s), and any other individual(s) who have specialized knowledge of the child. The IEP team is responsible for developing the goals and objectives for the child, and writing the program (IEP) that will serve as a road map" for the student's teachers and related "service providers; they are also responsible for reviewing and revising the plan. The composition of who is on the IEP team is specified in IDEA at §300.344
IFSP		Individualized Family Service Plan
IHO		Impartial Hearing Officer
Impartial Hearing Officer		An individual who is duly appointed by a school district to act as decision-maker/judge when there is a dispute concerning provision of special education services to a student with a disability and where the parents have implemented their due process rights by demanding an impartial hearing (sometimes referred to as a due process hearing). The IHO generally has to have had some training in special education laws and is on a state-approved list.
Include, Inclusion		In special education, the term means to provide services to the student in the regular classroom (instead of pulling the student out for services or segregating them in special classes). In different areas, the term “inclusion” may take on additional meanings such as modifying the curriculum downwards so that a student would not be able to keep up with the school work of a “regular” class can be educated in the regular classroom.
Independent Educational Evaluation		The use of professionals outside of the local education agency's employ to assess a student for purposes of eligibility determination under IDEA or to determine the nature of the student's needs and services. Under IDEA, parents have the right to request an IEE at public expense under certain circumstances. Parents can always arrange for their own outside evaluation at private expense; under those conditions, the educational agency is required to consider the outside evaluator's report and recommendations.
Individual Accommodation Plan		504 Plan.
Individualized Education Program		A written education plan for a school-aged child with disabilities developed by a team of professionals (teachers, therapists, etc.) and the child's parents. The program is written for a student who has first found to be eligible under IDEA for special education. The multidisciplinary evaluations and assessments used to determine eligibility also guide the development of the IEP. An IEP must contain particular kinds of information, as specified in IDEA. This information includes the child's present levels of performance (PLOP) in academic areas and social and behavioral domains. It "must specify goals and objectives for all areas of deficit that are disability-related. It must include a statement of any supports or services that the student requires, showing how often they will be provided, for what duration, and in what setting. To the extent that the student's needs cannot be met in the regular classroom, the IEP must indicate what proportion of the time the student will be in the mainstream setting.
Individualized Family Service Plan		A plan of intervention for an eligible child (age birth through 2) and his/her family, similar in content to the IEP, which has been developed by a team who has worked with the child and family. IDEA specifies what must go into a (n) IFSP.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act		PL 108-446 (formerly known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act – PL 94-142). IDEA was amended in 1997 and reauthorized in 2004 and is usually just referred to as just IDEA. This piece of "federal legislation is the heart of entitlements to special education. IDEA also empowers parents as partners in their special needs child's educational planning.
Intelligence Quotient		A score obtained from an intelligence test that provides a measure of mental ability in relation to age. The most popular intelligence test for children, the WISC-III, is normed so that an IQ of 100 represents average.
Itinerant Teacher		A teacher who travels around a school district to several schools (or several school districts) and schedules children for teaching periods. This is most often found where there is relatively little need for a particular specialty within the district and the professional is shared among schools or district. 2. A teacher who regularly visits a student who is unable to attend school (for whatever reasons) in his or her home or in a hospital setting to provide tutorial instruction. Back to Letters
LD		Learning Disability (also: Learning Disorder, Learning Disabled, Learning Disabilities)
LEA		Local education agency
Learning Disability or Learning Disorder		A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. The term includes, but is not limited to conditions such as perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. The term does not include children who have learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor handicaps; mental retardation; emotional disturbance; or environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantages.
Least Restrictive Environment		The usual or most typical environment possible for instruction, treatment, and/or living. When applied to education, the least restrictive environment is the regular (mainstream) classroom. For students who have disabilities, the student's IEP team will determine what is the least restrictive environment that will enable the student to function and benefit from their educational program. One of the considerations in determining LRE is that the proposed setting or placement provides the student with contact with children without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate (while meeting all of the child's learning needs and physical requirements). Consideration and requirement of LRE is an important component under IDEA.
Local education agency		A school district, board of education, or other public authority under the supervision of a state educational agency having administrative control and direction of public elementary or secondary schools, or any other public educational institution or agency having administrative control and direction of a vocational education program. In basic English: whoever's responsible for overseeing your child's education on the local level.
LRE		Least restrictive environment Back to Letters
Mainstream		The usual educational placement of a child, frequently used synonymously with regular education. To mainstream a special education child is to place him/her in a regular class rather than in a self-contained special class. The extent to which a special education child is mainstreamed is determined by the student's IEP team who consider least restrictive environment and how to enable the student to benefit from the special education services and supports. "
Major life activities		Functions such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.
Manifestation determination (or hearing)		A meeting held to determine if a student’s misbehavior is related to his or her known disability and if appropriate supports had been in place for the student.
Manual dexterity		The coordination and nimbleness of the hands and fingers needed to complete fine motor tasks.
MBD		Minimal brain damage
MDC		Multidisciplinary conference
MDE		Multidisciplinary evaluation
Mental Age		A child's age-equivalent score on tests of mental ability. Mental age may or may not be equivalent to chronological age.
Mental Retardation		An individual is considered to have mental retardation based on the following three criteria: intellectual functioning level (IQ) is below 70-75; significant limitations exist in two or more adaptive skill areas; and the condition is present from childhood (defined as age 18 or less).
MH		1. Mental Health. 2. Multiply Handicapped
Minimal Brain Damage (or Dysfunction)		A medical term used to indicate a delay or mild neurological disorder in the ability to perform sensory or motor functions appropriately. Sometimes used as synonymous with soft neurological signs
Modality (also known as learning style)		The type of pathway by which information is received in the brain, processed, or by which learning and/or performance occur. Some children have strong preferences for one modality over another, e.g., one child may do better with visually presented material while another child may be do better when presented with auditory material.
Modifications		Only students on IEPs may receive modifications. Modifications are substantial changes in what a student is expected to learn and demonstrate. These are made to provide a student with opportunities to participate meaningfully and productively in learning. Modifications include change in the following areas: instructional level, content, and performance criteria.
MR		Mental Retardation (or Mentally Retarded)
MR/DD		Mental Retardation/Developmental Disability
Multidisciplinary Evaluation (Assessment)		An approach to evaluations or assessment that involves different professional disciplines (e.g., teacher, psychologist, occupational therapist, etc.) so that different perspectives are obtained and that a more comprehensive picture is obtained. In school settings, a multidisciplinary evaluation may incorporate physical, neurological, cognitive, speech and language, psychosocial development, and self-help skills.
Multiple Handicap (or Multiply Handicapped, or Multi-handicapped, or Multiple Disabilities)		In special education: a category of classification under IDEA. Usually used when there are two or more distinct disabilities that taken together, make educating the child more complex or difficult than trying to address either disability separately. Back to Letters
Non-categorical		A classroom (or service system) that doesn't use diagnostic labels to classify the types of disabilities the children have.
NVLD		Non-Verbal Learning Disability Back to Letters
Objectives		Short- or intermediate-term goals that are expressed in quantifiable and measurable terms. In special education, objectives are the specific measures and targets that will permit the team to assess whether the student is reaching the more broadly stated goal. For any one goal, then, there may be a variety of specific objectives.
Occupational Therapy (OT)		A therapeutic modality/service where the therapist specializes in upper extremity (arm) function, including fine motor control and handwriting. Occupational therapists also deal in activities of daily living, and some get involved in cognitive (memory) rehabilitation and/or sensory integration issues.
OCR		Office of Civil Rights (of U.S. Department of Education)
OHI		Other Health Impairment (classification category under IDEA)
OT (or OTR)		Occupational Therapist (or Occupational Therapist, Registered) Back to Letters
PE		Physical Education
Perception		A person's ability to consciously recognize and interpret what is seen, heard, or felt. More specifically, the process of organizing or interpreting the raw data (stimuli) obtained through the senses.
Perceptual-Motor		An individual's ability to interpret stimuli received through the senses, and then to perform appropriate movements or motor actions in response to those stimuli.
Physical Therapy		A therapeutic modality/service where the therapist specializes in gross motor skills such as walking, running, jumping, balance issues, etc.
Pragmatic		In speech therapy, pragmatic generally refers to the use of language in social contexts, including rules that govern language functions and forms of messages when communicating; day-to-day practical applications of language and communication.
Prosody		Rhythm and intonation of speech.
PT		Physical Therapy
Public Law 94-142		The Education for all Handicapped Children's Act of 1975; the forerunner of IDEA
Pull-out		A term applied to services or supports that remove a student with a disability from their regular classroom to a separate class or location to access the service or support, in contrast to push-in services.
Push-in		A term applied to services or supports that are delivered to the student with a disability in their regular classroom, in contrast to pull-out services. Back to Letters
Related Services		As defined in IDEA, related services are: transportation and developmental, corrective, and other support services that a child with disabilities requires in order to benefit from education; examples of related services include: audiology and speech therapy, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, counseling services, interpreters for the hearing impaired, and medical services for diagnostic and evaluation purposes. Note that the definition says “include” -- the list is not exhaustive or exclusive.
Resource Room		A room separate from the regular classroom where students with disabilities can receive specialized assistance. Most states have regulations specifying the maximum number of students that can be in the resource room at any particular time (e.g., no more than 5 students with one certified special education teacher). If Resource Room is being provided under an IEP, the amount of time per day/week is specified in the program. States also generally regulate the minimum amount of time that a student must be given Resource Room by making it part of the IEP (e.g., minimum of 3 45-minute sessions per week, etc.). Parents need to keep in mind that Resource Room is usually a pull-out service, but just saying “Resource Room” doesn't tell you what the student is supposed to be doing in there with the teacher -- that is for the program or plan to determine, and the parents are part of the program/planning team for their child. Back to Letters
Section 504		A part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Public Law 93-112. This section states that no program or agency receiving federal funds can exclude, deny benefit to, or discriminate against any person on the basis of handicap. This document is the cornerstone of many of the student's rights.
SED		1. Serious (or Severe) Emotional Disturbance (or Disorder). 2. State Education Department.
Sensorimotor		Involving a combination of sensory inputs and motor outputs.
Sensory Integration		Neurologic processes involved in interpreting and using sensory input. If there are disturbances in integration, sounds may be perceived as louder than normal, touch may be perceived as painful, etc.
Serious (or Severe) Emotional Disturbance (or Disorder)		In education, refers to a category of classification under IDEA.
SI		1. Speech impairment 2. Sensory integration.
SLD		1. Specific Learning Disability 2. Specific Language Disability.
SLI		Speech and Language Impaired
SLP		Speech and Language Pathologist
SpecEd		Special education
Special Education		Instruction specifically designed to meet the unique needs of a student with a disability, including classroom instruction, instruction in physical education, home instruction, and instruction in hospitals and institutions.
Specific Learning Disability		A classification under IDEA: (i) General. The term means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. (ii) Disorders not included. The term does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.
SPED (or SpEd)		Special Education
Speech (or Language) impairment		A category under IDEA, this generally refers to a communication disorder that adversely (negatively) impacts educational performance.
Stay Put		The pendency provision in some due process situations whereby "the student's placement and program stays put" or the same while the dispute is resolved. Back to Letters
Tactile		Having to do with the sense of touch; touchable. The term “haptic” refers to active touch/exploration.
Transition		In everyday speech, a transition is a change. In its educational sense, it can refer to a student making a transition from one activity to another or from one class to another. In its special education sense, it refers to preparing the student for post-high-school life. Under IDEA, there must be a transition component in an annual IEP for a student with a disability that considers what the student's goals are and what services or assistance they require to meet those goals. For example, a student who will be incapable of driving may need to learn to use public transportation as a transition skill so that they will be able to get to college or a job post high-school. The age at which a transition component must be in the IEP is specified by state and federal regulations. Back to Letters