Glossary of Terms

ADL: Activities of Daily Living ‐ Activities that a person does every day, like putting on clothes, that they do by themselves.

 

Adapted PE: Adapted Physical Education – Physical Education that is specially designed for students with significant disabilities who are not able to participate in general physical education classes.

 

ASD: Autistic Spectrum Disorders – a group of disorders that includes autism and non‐autistic developmental disorders, Asperger’s Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, Rett’s Syndrome, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder.

 

Assistive Technology Device – a piece of equipment or software that helps a child with a disability access education. Assistive Technology is offered by the school district.

 

BCBA or RBT: Board Certified Behavior Analyst or Registered Behavior Technician – a professional that works with teachers and parents to support a student’s behavior in a school setting.

 

Birth Mandate: Autism, Deaf, Deaf/Blind, Visual Impairment/Blind

 

BSP: Behavioral Support Plan – A written document that is developed to help a student with serious behavior challenges. The BSP becomes part of the IEP.

 

FBA: Functional Behavior Assessment – A team of professionals studies the root causes for a child’s behavior challenge in a school setting. They try to figure out what why the behavior occurs so it can be addressed.

 

Procedural Safeguards: Blue Booklet – This document outlines your rights as a parent of a child eligible for Special Education services or a child eligible for an Accommodations plan. You will receive a copy at all IEP and 504 Plan meetings.

 

ESR: Evaluation Summary Report – This document is shared in an IEP team meeting. It includes the data used to find a student eligible for special education. It also documents team’s decision about the student’s disability and need for special education and related services.

 

ESP: Educational Surrogate Parent – An ESP is assigned to students who do not have parents who can assume the parental special education rights. These students are being evaluated for or receive special education services. An ESP is considered a “parent” for special education purposes only.

 

ESY: Extended School Year – a special education program offered during the summer months to prevent slipping on their goals when school is not in session.

 

FAPE: Free and Appropriate Public Education – By law, every school‐age child with a disability is entitled to a free and robust education that meets his/her individual needs. Special Education and related services are provided for free by the school district.

 

IEP: Individualized Education Plan – A written document that defines a child’s disability and describes their ability to perform in the classroom. It includes annual goals and objectives for the child to work toward and states when an evaluations and progress report will take place. It is governed by law.

 

IDEA 2004: The latest version of federal regulations that pertain to providing education to those with disabilities.

 

IFSP: Individualized Family Plan Service – an individualized education plan that outlines needs and priorities for children under the age of 3.

 

LRE: Least Restrictive Environment – For students who have disabilities but are best placed with their peers in the general school population. In an LRE, student needs are met, but they are in general education classes with students their own age.

 

LEP: Limited English Proficiency – This is the level of ability measured for students whose first language is not English or for whom English is a struggle. These students are provided support in becoming an English speaker.

 

LEA: Local Education Agency – A school district providing special education services.

 

LI: Low Incidence Disabilities – Severe disabilities, like hearing impairments, vision impairments, and severe orthopedic challenges, that are addressed in less than one percent of the total statewide school population.

 

NOM: Notice of Meeting – A formal notice of a student’s IEP meeting. It alerts the parents as to who will be attending the child’s meeting.

 

O & M: Orientation and Mobility – Support for students with visual disabilities that helps them develop spatial awareness to move through space and travel without help from others.

 

OHI: Other Health Impaired – a category for eligibility for students that have certain chronic health problems that limit their strength, vitality and alertness, therefor affecting their ability to do well in school.

 

OI: Orthopedic Impairment – a physical disability that limits a student’s ability to perform well in school.

 

PCSD: Parent Council for Special Education – a representative group of parents Milford School District schools who meet regularly with district staff to discuss issues in special education.

 

PPD: Pervasive Developmental Disorders ‐ A category of disabilities that affect a student’s natural human development. These disorders include Autism, Aspergers Syndrome, Fragile X, Retts Syndrome, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder.

 

PPPSS: Parentally Placed Private School Student – A student who attends a non‐public school because the parent choses to send them. The student is not entitled to any special education services under federal law (IDEA)

 

PTE: Permission to Evaluate – A document given to the parent that askes for their consent to evaluate

their child for Special Education.

 

PWN: Prior Written Notice – A summary of a student’s IEP meeting that outlines what the team decided, all the proposed changes and any refusals.

 

Referral – the request to evaluate a child’s need for special education services. A referral can be made by a parent, teacher, medical professional, or anyone who knows the child well.

 

Related Services – Additional services that are offered to support a child’s educational program. They include Speech/Language therapy (SLP), Occupational Therapy (OT) and Physical Therapy (PT).

 

Spec Ed: Special Education – Services and support offered through the school that supports students with disabilities in meeting their individual education goals. Students must meet eligibility requirements to receive special education services. 

 

SLD: Special Learning Disability – A disorder that affects the basic psychological processes in understanding or using spoken word or written language.

 

SLI: Speech/Language Impairment – Difficulty in understanding or using language that affects a student’s learning. This disability category includes severe language disorders, hearing impairment and language delay.

 

SST: Student Study Team, Child Study Team – a group of people who meet to identify and implement modifications in the general education program when a student is have difficulties.

 

Surrogate Parent – a person selected by the school district to act as a parent if a child’s actual parents cannot be located or after a child has been made a ward of the court.

 

Transdisciplinary – a way of assessing a situation in which the family and professionals train each other in their area of expertise.

 

Transition Services – a set of activities and educational programs that help a student with a disability transition from school to post school activities like college or career.

 

VI: Visual Impairment – A disability, like blindness, that affects a student’s ability to see, even with glasses, and affects their ability to perform academically.

 

VocEd: Vocational Education – Programs designed to help students develop self confidence and career

skills so that they can get a job and become productive members of the community.