Special Education Acronyms and Their Meanings
Topic: Special Education
Ian C. Langtree - Content Writer/Editor for Disabled World
Published: 2008/12/31 - Updated: 2023/12/25
Publication Type: Informative
Contents: Summary - Introduction - Main Item - Related Topics
Synopsis: Glossary of special education acronyms including short definition of each listed abbreviation. This list provides common special education acronyms and their meaning to make it easier for you to actively participate in your child with disabilities education.
Introduction
Do you sometimes wonder what some of the Acronyms in special education mean? This glossary of terms below will discuss common special education acronyms and what they mean to make it easier to actively participate in the education of someone with disabilities.
Main Item
These acronyms are just a glimpse into the vast range of terms used in special education. If you have any specific acronyms you'd like more information on, feel free to ask!
504 | Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act |
AAC | Augmentative and Alternative Communication |
ABA | Applied Behavior Analysis |
ABC | Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence |
ABC | Association for Bright Children |
AC | Accommodated Only |
ACC | Augmentative Communication Clinic |
ACCES-VR | Adult Career and Continuing Education Services |
ADA | Americans with Disabilities Act |
ADA | Average Daily Attendance |
ADD | Attention Deficit Disorder |
ADHD | Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder |
ADL | Activities of Daily Living |
ADP | Assistive Devices Program (MOHLTC) |
ADR | Alternative Dispute Resolution |
AEP | Alternative Education Placement |
AIS | Academic Intervention Services |
ALJ | Administrative Law Judge |
ALP | Annual Learning Plan |
APD | Auditory Processing Disorder |
APE | Adaptive Physical Education |
AQ | Additional Qualification |
ASCD | Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development |
ASD | Autism Spectrum Disorders |
ASL | American Sign Language |
AT | Assistive Technology |
AU | Administrative Unit |
AYP | Adequate Yearly Progress |
BD | Behavioral Disorder |
BEST | Behavior Education Support Training |
BIP | Behavioral Intervention Plan |
BLDS | Board Leadership Development Strategy |
BOCES | Board of Cooperative Educational Services |
BOE | Board of Education |
BRIEF | Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function |
BRT | Behavior Resource Teacher |
BSW | Behavior Support Worker |
BUILLD | Building Understanding and Independence in Lifeskills for Developmental Delays |
CAC | Community Advisory Committee on Special Education |
CADDAC | Center for ADHD/ADD Advocacy, Canada |
CAP | Central Auditory Processing |
CAPD | Central Auditory Processing Disorder |
CAS | Children's Aid Society |
CASE | Community Alliance for Special Education |
CAT | Canadian Achievement Test |
CBA | Curriculum Based Assessment |
CBM | Curriculum-Based Measurement |
CCAC | Community Care Access Center |
CCBD | Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders |
CCSS | Common Core State Standards |
CD | Cognitive Delay |
CD | Conduct Disorder |
CDA | Child Development Associate |
CDOS | Career Development and Occupational Studies |
CEC | Council for Exceptional Children |
CELF | Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals |
CFR | Code of Federal Regulations |
CFS | Children and Family Services |
CFSA | Child and Family Services Act |
CHP | Child Health Plus |
CI | Communication Impaired |
CID | Communication Interaction Disorder |
CL | Cooperative Learning |
CMS | Children's Memory Scale |
CODE | Council for Directors of Education |
COE | County Office of Education |
COLA | Cost of Living Adjustment |
COQ | Certificate of Qualification |
COTA | Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant |
CPI | Crisis Prevention Intervention |
CPR | Content, Process, Results |
CPSE | Committee on Preschool Special Education |
CR | Community Residence |
CSE | Committee on Special Education |
CST | Child Study Team |
CT | Consultant Teacher |
CTE | Career and Technical Education |
CTOPP | Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing |
CYW | Child and Youth Worker |
DAPE | Developmental Adaptive Physical Education |
D/HH | Deaf and Hard of Hearing |
DB | Deaf-Blindness or Deaf-Blind |
DCD | Developmental Cognitive Disability |
DCT | Direct Consultant Teacher |
DD | Developmental Delay or Developmental Disabilities or Developmental Disability |
DDRO | Developmental Disabilities Regional Office |
DI | Differentiation of Instruction |
DIS | Designated Instruction and Services |
DOE | Department of Education |
DOH | Department of Health |
DOR | Department of Rehabilitation |
DPH | Due Process Hearing Officer |
DRA | Developmental Reading Assessment |
DREDF | Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund |
DS | Down Syndrome |
DSM | Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders |
DSM-IV | Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disordersl, 4th Edition |
DSM-V | Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition |
DSS | Department of Social Services |
DSW | Developmental Service Worker |
DX | Diagnosis |
EA | Educational Assistant |
EAA | Education Accountability Act (Bill 74) |
EAP | Employee Assistance Program |
EBD | Emotional Behavioral Disorder or Emotional Disturbance or Emotional and Behavioral Disorders |
EBP | Evidence-Based Practices |
EC | Education Code |
ECDC | Early Childhood Direction Centers |
ECE | Early Childhood Education |
ECFE | Early Childhood Family Education |
ECSE | Early Childhood Special Education |
ED | Emotional Disability, Emotional Disturbance |
EHA | Education for All Handicapped Children Act |
EHDI | Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program |
EI | Early Intervention |
EIC | Education Improvement Commission |
EIS | Early Intervening Services |
ELKP | Early Learning Kindergarten Program |
ELL | English Language Learner (formerly ESL or ESD) |
ELP | Early Learning Program |
ENT | Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist |
EQAO | Education Quality and Accountability Office |
EQIA | Education Quality Improvement Act (Bill 160) |
ER | Evaluation Report |
ESD | Extended School Day |
ESEA | Elementary and Secondary Education Act |
eSIS | Enhanced Student Information System |
ESL | English as a Second Language |
ESP | Essential Skills Program |
ESY or EYS | Extended School Year or Extended Year Services |
ETFO | Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario |
EVT | Expressive Vocabulary Test |
FAPE | Free Appropriate Public Education |
FAS | Fetal Alcohol Syndrome |
FBA | Functional Behavior Assessment |
FEP | Fluent English Proficient |
FERPA | Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act |
FFC | Family Foster Care |
FFH | Foster Family Home |
FIEP | Facilitated IEP |
FM | Focused Monitoring |
FMTA | Focused Monitoring Technical Assistance |
FRC | Family Resource Center |
FSS | Family Support Services |
FTE | Full-Time Equivalent |
GDD | Global Developmental Delays |
GE | General Education |
GED | General Educational Development |
GGRC | Golden Gate Regional Center |
GSN | Grants for Student Needs |
GT | Gifted and Talented |
HCBS | Home Community Based Waiver |
HI | Hearing Impairment or Hearing Impaired |
HOH | Hard of Hearing |
HQT | Highly Qualified Teacher |
IA | Instructional Assistant |
IAES | Interim Alternative Educational Setting |
IBI | Intensive Behavioral Intervention |
ICE | Intensive Counseling Enriched class |
ICF | Intermediate Care Facility |
ICS | Individual Community Services |
ICT | Information and Communication Technology |
ICT | Integrated Co-Teacher |
ID | Intellectual Disability or Intellectually Disabled |
IDEA | Individuals with Disabilities Education Act |
IDEIA | Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act |
IEE | Independent Education Evaluation |
IEIC | Inter-agency Early Intervention Committee |
IEP | Individual Education Plan or Individualized Educational Program |
IFSP | Individualized Family Service Plan or Individual Family Service Plan |
IHP | Individual Health Plan |
IIIP | Individual Interagency Intervention Plan |
ILC | Independent Living Center |
IPP | Individual Program Plan |
IPRC | Identification, Placement and Review Committee |
IPs | Individual Plans (for students with anaphylactic allergies) |
IQ | Intelligence Quotient |
ISA | Intensive Support Amount (Funding Term) |
ISP | Individual Services Plan |
ISS | In School Suspension |
IST | Instructional Support Team |
ITP | Individual Transition Plan |
ITP | Individualized Transition Plan |
JK | Junior Kindergarten |
KPI | Key Performance Indicators |
KTEA | Kaufman Test of Education Achievement |
LC | Learning Center |
LCI | Licensed Children's Institutions |
LD | Learning Disability |
LEA | Local Educational Agency or Local Education Agency |
LEP | Limited English Proficiency or Limited English Proficient |
LLD | Language-based Learning Disability |
LRE | Least Restrictive Environment |
LTD | Long Term Disability |
LTO | Long Term Occasional |
MD | Multiple Disabilities |
MD | Muscular Dystrophy |
MDT | Multi-Disciplinary Team |
MID | Mild Intellectual Disability |
MIS | Management Information System |
MISA | Managing Information for Student Achievement |
MOD | Modified |
MR | Mental Retardation |
MTSS | Multi-Tier System of Support |
MTU | Medical Therapy Unit |
MU | Multiple Exceptionalities |
NCLB | No Child Left behind Act (ESEA) |
NEA | National Education Association |
NEADS | National Education Association of Disabled Students |
NEER | Notice of Evaluation/Re-evaluation form |
NLD | Non-verbal Learning Disability |
NOPAD | Notice of Proposed Action of Denial form |
NOS | Not Otherwise Specified |
NP | Nurse Practitioner |
NPS/NPA | Non-Public Schools/Non-Public Agencies |
NYSAA | New York State Alternate Assessment |
NYSED | New York State Education Department |
O&M | Orientation and Mobility |
OAH | Office of Administrative Hearings |
OCD | Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder |
OCFS | Office of Children and Family Services |
OCR | Office of Civil Rights |
ODD | Oppositional Defiant Disorder |
OEO | Office of Equal Opportunity / CDE |
OHD | Other Health Disability |
OHI | Other Health Impairment |
OI | Orthopedic Impairment |
OMG | Objectives, Materials, Goals |
OMH | Office of Mental Health |
OSE | Office of Special Education |
OSEP | Office of Special Education Programs |
OSERS | U.S. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Programs |
OT | Occupational Therapy |
OT/PT | Occupational and Physical Therapy |
PA | Physician's Assistant |
PAAC | Parent Association Advisory Committee |
PAAC on SEAC | Parent Association Advisory Committee on Special Education Advisory Committees |
PAI | Protection and Advocacy, Inc. |
PALS | Peer-Assisted Learning System |
PBIS | Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports or Positive Behavioral and Instructional Supports |
PBS | Positive Behavior Supports |
PBS | Positive Behavioral Supports |
PCA | Personal Care Assistant |
PD | Professional Development |
PD | Pupils with Disabilities, Physical Disability |
PDD | Preschooler with a Disability, Pervasive Developmental Disability |
PE | Physical Education |
PECS | Picture Exchange Communication System |
PI | Physical Disability |
PIC | Parent Involvement Committee |
PIRLS | Progress in International Reading Literacy Study |
PISA | Program for International Assessment |
PLA | Prior Learning Assessment |
PLAAFP | Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance |
PLC | Professional Learning Community |
PLEP | Present Levels of Educational Performance |
PPA | Principal/Vice-principal Performance Appraisal |
PPE | Parents partenaires en éducation |
PPM | Policy/Program Memoranda |
PPS | Pupil Personnel Services |
PPVT | Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test |
PQP | Principal's Qualification Program |
PRS | Professional Relations Services |
PSRS | Procedural Safeguards and Referral Services / CDE |
PSS | Procedures, Strategies, Steps |
PT | Physical Therapist or Physical Therapy |
PTI | Parent Training and Information Center |
PTR | pupil:teacher ratio |
PTSD | Post Traumatic Stress Disorder |
PWN | Prior Written Notice |
QAP | Quality Assurance Process |
QECO | Qualifications Evaluation Council of Ontario |
RA | Regional Associate |
RCT | Regents Competency Test |
REACCH | Reaching Exceptionalities Through Academics in a Catholic Community of Hope |
RIC | Regional Information Center |
RLA | Responsible Local Agency |
ROM | Range of Motion |
RS | Related Services |
RSP | Resource Specialist Program |
RT | Resource Teacher |
RTI | Response to Intervention |
RTO | Retired Teachers of Ontario |
SAIP | Student Achievement Indicators Program |
SALEP | Supervised Alternative Learning for Excused Pupils |
SB | Spinal Bifida |
SBAC | Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium |
SBHAO | Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Society |
SBT | School Based Team |
SDC | Special Day Class |
SE | Special Education |
SEA | Special Equipment Amount or State Educational Agency |
SEAB | Special Education Appeal Board |
SEAC | Special Education Advisory Committee |
SEB | Supplementary Employment Benefits |
SED | State Education Department |
SEF | School Effectiveness Framework |
SELPA | Special Education Local Plan Area |
SEOS | Special Education Online System |
SEPPA | Special Education Per Pupil Amount |
SERR | Special Education Rights and Responsibilities (book) |
SERT | Special Education Resource Teacher |
SET | Special Education Tribunal |
SETRC | Special Education Training Resource Center |
SFFM | Student-Focused Funding model |
SI | Speech Impairment |
SID | Sensory Integration Disorder |
SIP | Special Incidence Portion |
SK | Senior Kindergarten |
SLD | Specific Learning Disability |
SLI | Speech and Language Impairment |
SLP | Speech Language Pathologist |
SLP | Social Learning Profile |
SLP | Speech and Language Pathologist |
SMI | Severely Multiply Impaired |
SO | Supervisory Officer |
SOE | Superintendent of Education |
SOP | State Operated Programs |
SPED | Special Education |
SRI | Standardized Reading Inventory |
SRO | State Review Officer |
SRT | School Resource Team |
SSA | Safe Schools Act (Bill 81) |
SSDI | Social Security Disability Income |
SSI | Supplemental Security Income |
SSP/ASD | School Support Program/Autism Spectrum Disorder |
SST | Student Study Team |
STAC | System for Tracking and Accounting of Children |
STAR | State Testing and Reporting |
STSCO | Student Transportation Services of Central Ontario |
SWAP | School Work Assistive Program |
SWD | Students with disabilities |
Section 504 | Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act |
Sub CSE | Subcommittee on Special Education |
T-LCP | Teaching-Learning Critical Pathway |
TA | Teaching Assistant |
TAP | Teacher Advisor Program |
TAPS | Test of Auditory Perceptual Skills |
TBI | Traumatic Brain Injury |
TDD | Telephone Device for the Deaf |
TDS | Therapeutic Day School |
TESL | Teachers of English as a Second Language |
TESS | The Easter Seal Society |
TIMSS | Trends International Mathematics and Science Study |
TOEFL | Test of English as a Foreign Language |
TOWL | Test of Written Language |
TPA | Teacher Performance Appraisal |
TS | Tourette Syndrome |
TSF | Tourette Syndrome Foundation |
TTY | Teletypewriter |
TVO | Television Ontario |
TWS | Test of Written Spelling |
TnT | Teachers and Technology |
U/C | University/College Preparation Course |
UCPA | United Cerebral Palsy Association |
VESID | Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities |
VI | Visual Impairment or Visually Impaired |
VIEWS | VIEWS for the Visually Impaired |
VMI | Visual Motor Integration |
VOCA | Voice Output Communication Aids |
VOICE | VOICE for the Hearing Impaired |
VR | Vocational Rehabilitation |
WHMIS | Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System |
WIAT | Wechsler Individual Achievement Test |
WISC | Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children |
WISC-III | Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children, Third Edition |
WISC-R | Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children, Revised |
WJ-III | Woodcock-Johnson III Test of Achievement |
WPM | Words per Minute |
WRAP | Wraparound Program |
WSIB | Workplace Safety and Insurance Board |
YCW | Youth Care Worker |
YO | Young Offenders |
YOA | Young Offenders Act |
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1 - Choosing the Best Educational and Social Environment for Disabled Children - Article by Kathleen M. Cleaver regarding choosing the best educational and social environment for disabled children.
2 - Special and Special Needs - Are These Labels Helpful or Harmful? - Article by Kathleen M. Cleaver regarding using the words special and special needs to describe children who are disabled or learn differently than their classmates.
3 - The Most Common Learning Disabilities Today - List of common learning disabilities including an explanation of each, and signs or symptoms a child with an LD may display.
4 - Are English Language Learners in Need of Special Education - Paper by Elizabeth Barker-Voss and Kristin Basinger from The University of Phoenix focuses on challenges of managing needs of English language learners (ELLs) in the special education sector.
5 - Kids with Intellectual Disabilities Spending Little Time in General Education Classes - Findings show over the past 40 years 55 - 73% of students with intellectual disabilities spend most or all of the school day in self-contained classrooms or schools and not with their peers without disabilities.
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Cite This Page (APA): Langtree, I. C. (2008, December 31 - Last revised: 2023, December 25). Special Education Acronyms and Their Meanings. Disabled World. Retrieved October 11, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/disability/education/special/special-education-acronyms.php
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