SPED Acronyms
A
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
BD | Behavioral Disorder
BIP | Behavioral Intervention Plan
BOE | Board of Education
C
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
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
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
FAPE | Free Appropriate Public Education
FAS | Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
FBA | Functional Behavioral Assessment
FERPA | Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
FM | Focused Monitoring
G, H
GE | General Education
GT | Gifted and Talented
HI | Hearing Impaired
HQT | Highly Qualified Teacher
I
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, N
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
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, R
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
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
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