Special Education & Disability Acronyms / Abbreviations {Tip 23 of 31}
Special Education has a language of its own
As you participate in your child’s special education process, you may feel that everyone has started speaking in a foreign language during meetings. While it may seem like a foreign language, it is a language of initials (acronyms). Acronyms are used often and it is assumed that everyone is familiar with the meaning.
We put together a quick reference Special Education list (grab your copy below, and add to your IEP Notebook). in the hopes that it may bring more understanding and clarity. The complete list of special education and disability abbreviations and acronyms is below.
Special Education & Disability Acronyms / Abbreviations
Quick Reference Guide
Knowledge is power
A – Acronyms
AAC = Alternative Augmentative Communication
ABA = Applied Behavioral Analysis
ADA = Americans with Disabilities Act
ADD/ADHD =Attention Deficit/Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ADLs = Activities of Daily Living
APE = Adaptive Physical Education
ASD | Autism Spectrum Disorders
ASL | American Sign Language
AT | Assistive Technology
AYP | Adequate Yearly Progress
B – Acronyms
BD | Behavioral Disorder
BIP | Behavioral Intervention Plan
BOE | Board of Education
C – Acronyms
CBA | Curriculum Based Assessment
CCSS | Common Core State Standards
CDA | Child Development Associate
CD | Cognitive Delay
CF | Cystic Fibrosis
COTA | Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant
CP | Cerebral Palsy
CST | Child Study Team
D- Acronyms
DB | Deaf-Blind
DD | Developmental Delay
DOE | Department of Education
DoH | Department of Health
DPH | Due Process Hearing Officer
DS | Down Syndrome
DSM | Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association
E- Acronyms
ECE | Early Childhood Education
EBD | Emotional Disturbance
EHDI | Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program
EI | Early Intervention
ESD | Extended School Day
ESEA | Elementary and Secondary Education Act
ESL | English as a Second Language
ESY or EYS | Extended School Year or Extended Year Services
F – Acronyms
FAPE | Free Appropriate Public Education
FAS | Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
FBA | Functional Behavioral Assessment
FERPA | Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
FM | Focused Monitoring
G and H – Acronyms
GE | General Education
GT | Gifted and Talented
HI | Hearing Impaired
HQT | Highly Qualified Teacher
I – Acronyms
IA | Instructional Assistant
IAES | Interim Alternative Educational Setting
ID | Intellectual Disabilities
IDEA | Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IEE | Individualized Educational Evaluation
IEP | Individualized Education Program
IFSP | Individualized Family Service Plan
IQ | Intelligence Quotient
ITP | Individualized Transition Plan
L,M and N – Acronyms
LD | Learning Disability
LEA | Local Education Agency
LRE | Least Restrictive Environment
MD | Muscular Dystrophy
MD or MH | Multiple Disabilities or Multiply Handicapped
MMR | Mildly Mentally Retarded **
Mod MR | Moderately Mentally Retarded **
MR | Mental Retardation **
NCLB | No Child Left Behind Act (Elementary and Secondary Education Act)
NEA | National Education Association
NECTAC | National Early Childhood and Technical Assistance Center
O – Acronyms
OCD | Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
ODD | Oppositional Defiant Disorder
OHI | Other Health Impairment
OI | Orthopedic Impairment
O & M | Orientation and Mobility Services
OT | Occupational Therapy
P and R – Acronyms
PALS | Peer-Assisted Learning System
PARCC | Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers
Part B | Special Education – School – Aged Children
Part C | Special Education – Birth – Two Year’s Old
PASS | Plan for Achieving Self-Support
PBS | Positive Behavioral Supports
PD | Physical Disability
PDD | Pervasive Developmental Disorder
PEI | Spanish acronym for the Individualized Education Program (Plan Educativo Individualizado)
PLEP or PLP | Present Level of Educational Performance or Present Level of Performance
PP | Paraprofessional
PS | Preschool
PT | Physical Therapy
RDA | Results-Driven Accountability
RS | Related Services
RTI | Response to Intervention
S – Acronyms
SA | Self-Assessment
SAS | Supplementary Aids and Services
SAT | Student Assistance Team
SB | Spina Bifida
SE | Special Education
Section 504 | Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
SED | Serious Emotional Disturbance
SI | Sensory Integration
SLP | Speech Language Pathologist
SLD | Specific Learning Disability
SLI | Speech/Language Impairment
SLP | Speech/Language Pathologist
SSDI | Social Security Disability Income
SSI | Supplemental Security Income
T to Z – Acronyms
TBI | Traumatic Brain Injury
TDD | Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf
TS | Tourette Syndrome
TWWIIA | Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act
USDOE | United States Department of Education
VI | Visual Impairment
Voc Ed | Vocational Education
VR | Vocational Rehabilitation
** Editorial note **
Until October 2010, IDEA used the term “mental retardation.” In October 2010, Rosa’s Law was signed into law by President Obama. Rosa’s Law changed the term to be used in future to “intellectual disability.” The definition of the term itself did not change, only the use of “intellectual disability” instead of “mental retardation.”
Source: © 2015 Center for Parent Information and Resources August 2015. Disability & Special Education Acronyms, Newark, NJ, Legacy resource from NICHCY.
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I am Hellen a counselor in practice who would like to understand all the special needs persons abbreviation and how to help them if i come cross any in my entire life term as a counselor