The Language of Special Education Made Easy
The following is a list of abbreviations commonly used by special
education teachers, administrators and agencies who serve persons
with disabilities.
504……Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
AAC….Augmentative and Alternative Communication
AAD…..Adaptive Assistive Devices
ABA…..Applied Behavior Analysis
ACT….Adapted Cueing Technique
ADA…..Americans with Disabilities Act
ADD/ADHD…..Attention Deficit Disorder/ Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder
ADL….Activities for Daily Living
ADPE…..Adaptive Physical Education
AFO…Ankle- Foot Orthotics
AHA…American Hyperlexia Association
AI…Auditorily Impaired
AIT….Auditory Integrated Training
ALJ…..Administrative Law Judge
AMD…..Alternative Mobility Device
AOS…Apraxia of Speech
APD…Auditory Processing Disorder
APE…..Adaptive Physical Education
ARC….Associate of Retarded Citizens
AS….Asperger’s Syndrome
ASA….Autism Society of America
ASD…..Autism Spectrum Disorder
ASHA…American Speech Language Hearing Association
ASL…..American Sign Language
Aspie…Person with Asperger’s Syndrome
AT…..Assistive Technology
AU…..Autistic
AUT…..Autism
AYP….Adequate Yearly Progress
BD…..Behaviorally Disordered; Behavior Disorders; Brain
Damaged
BIL…..Bilingual
BIP…..Behavior Intervention Plan
BMP….Behavior Management Plan
BOCES….Board of Cooperative Education Services
CA…..Chronological Age
CAH….Care at Home
CAI…..Computer Assisted Instruction
CAPD….Central Auditory Processing Disorder
CAS….Childhood Apraxia of Speech
CBA….Curriculum-Based Assessment
CBI…..Community-Based Instruction
CD…..Conduct Disorder
CHI…..Closed Head Injury
CIL…..Center for Independent Living
CP…..Cerebral Palsy
CPSE…Committee on Preschool Special Education
CSE…Committee of Special Education
CSS…..Community Support Service
D…..Deaf
DAN….Defeat Autism Now
DAS….Developmental Apraxia of Speech
DB…..Deaf/ Blind
DCD…Developmental Coordination Disorder
DD….Developmental Disability; Developmentally Disabled;
Developmentally Delayed
DDSO….Developmentally Disabled Service Office
DFACS; DFCS….Department of Family and Children’s Services
DH…..Deaf/ Hard of Hearing
DHR…..Department of Human Resources
DI…..Direct Instruction
DJJ…Department of Juvenile Justice
DMG… DiMethyl Glycine
DOB…Date of Birth
DOE….Department of Education
DOH….Department of Health
DS…..Direct Instruction; Down Syndrome
DSI…Dysfunction of Sensory Integration (another acronym for
SID)
DSM…..Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (for Mental Disorders)
DSS….. Department of Social Services
DTT….Discrete Trial Teaching
DVD…Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia
DX….Diagnosis
EBD….Emotional and Behavioral Disorder
EC…..Early Childhood; Exceptional Child(ren)
ECDC….Early Childhood Direction Center
ECE…..Early Childhood Education
ECS….Early Childhood Services
ED…..Emotionally Disturbed; Emotional Disorders
EFA….Essential Fatty Acids
EH….Emotionally Handicapped
EHA…..Education for All Handicapped Children Act (since 1990,
known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA)
EI…..Early Intervention
EISP….Early Intervention Service Program
ENT….Ear, Nose and Throat
ESE…..Exceptional Student Education
ESL…..English as a Second Language
ESOL…..English for Speakers of Other Languages
ESY…..Extended School Year
FAPE…..Free Appropriate Public Education
FBA…..Functional Behavioral Assessment
FC….Facilitated Communication
FTE…..Full Time Equivelant
FERPA…..Family Educational Rights to Privacy Act
FRAXA…Fragile X Syndrome
FSP….Family Support Plan
FSS….Family Support Services
GAO…..Georgia Advocacy Office
GDD….Global Developmental Delays
GF/CF….Gluten-Free/Casein-Free diet (wheat and dairy)
GLRS…..Georgia Learning Resource System
GLS…..Georgia Legal System
GPAT….Georgia Project for Assistive Technology
GSN….Gifted with Special Need
GT…..Gifted and Talented
GT/LD….Gifted and Learning Disabled
HFA….High Functioning Autism
HH…..Hospital/ Homebound
HI…..Hearing Impaired
HOH…Hard of Hearing
ICC…..Interagency Coordinating Council
ICD…..International Code of Diseases
ICHAP…Infant Child Health Assessment Program
ID…..Intellectual Disability
IDEA…..Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IEE…..Independent Education Evaluation
IEP…..Individualized Education Plan
IFSP….Individualized Family Service Plan
IHDD…..Institute on Human Development and Disability
(formerly UAP)
ILC…Independent Living Center
IPP…..Individualized Program Plan
IQ…..Intelligence Quotient
ISP…..Individualized Service Plan
ISS…..In-School Suspension
ITP…..Individualized Transition Plan (similar to IEP)
LA…..Language Arts
LD…..Learning Disabled
LEA…..Local Education Agency; school district
LEICC…Local Early Intervention Coordination Council
LFA…Low Functioning Autism
LKS…Landau-Kleffler Syndrome (a form of aphasia with seizurelike activity)
LLD…Language-based Learning Disability
LRE….Least Restrictive Environment
LSHSS….Language, Speech, Hearing School Services
LSS…..Local School System
MA…..Mental Age
MBD…..Minimal Brain Dysfunction (another name ADD or
ADHD has been known by)
MD….Muscular Dystrophy
MDT…..Multidisciplinary Team; Manifest Determination Team
M/ED……Mental or Emotional Disturbance
MH…..Mental Health; Multiply Handicapped
MHDDAD…..Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and
Addictive Diseases
MID….Mild Intellectual Disability (formerly Mental Retardation)
MIT….Melodic Intonation Therapy
MOID….Moderate Intellectual Disability
MR…..Mental Retardation
MRI….Magnetic Resonance Imaging
NAEP….National Assessment of Yearly Progress
NCLB; NCLBA……No Child Left Behind Act (2002)
NDA….No Diagnosis of Anything
NDT….Neurodevelopmental Treatment
NI……School that needs improvement; not making AYP for 2
consecutive years
NITI…Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
NLD…Nonverbal Learning Disability
NS…Noonan’s Syndrome
NT… Neurologically Typical (Normally-Developing) or “no text”
02…Oxygen
O & M……Orientation and Mobility
OCD…..Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
OCR…..Office of Civil Rights
ODD…..Oppositional Defiant Disorder
OH…..Orthopedically Handicapped
OHI….Other Health Impaired
OI…..Orthopedically Impaired
OMRDD….Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental
disabilities
OSEP….Office of Special Education Programs (of the US
Department of Education)
OT…..Occupational Therapy; Occupational Therapist
OT/PT…..Occupational/ Physical Therapy
PACT…Parent and Childhood Training
PCA…..Personal Care Assistant
PDD…..Pervasive Developmental Disorder (milder end of the
Autism Spectrum)
PDD-NOS……Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise
Specified
PECS…..Picture Exchange Communication System
PHCP…Physically Handicapped Children’s Program
PICU….Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
PIQ…..Performance IQ
PL 94-142…. Education for All Children Act (now IDEA)
PLI….Pragmatic Language Impairment
PLOP….Present Level of Performance
POID….Profoundly Intellectually Disabled
PRE-K….Pre-Kindergarten
PT…..Physical Therapy; Physical Therapist
PTSD…..Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
PVL…PerVentricular Leukomalacia
RAD…..Reactive Attachment Disorder
RESA….Regional Education Service Agency
ROM….Range of Motion
RSP…Resource Specialist Program
SAT…..Scholastic Aptitude Test
SATIRN….Self-Advocacy Training and Resource Network
SBE; SBOE…..State Board of Education
SC…..Service Coordinator
SD…School District
SDD…..Significant Developmental Delay
SE…..Special Education
Section 504….. A part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 making it
illegal for any organization receiving federal funds to discriminate
against a person solely on the basis of disability.
SEA….State Education Agency
SED…..Seriously Emotionally Disturbed; Severely Emotionally
Disturbed
SED….State Education Department
SEED….Sewell Early Education Development
SEPTA….Special Education Parent Teacher Association
SERT….Special Education Resource Teacher
SES…Supplemental Education Services
SETRC…Special Education Training and Resource Center
SI…..Speech Impairment; Speech Impaired; Sensory Integration
SIB….Self-injurious Behavior
SID….Severely Intellectually Disabled
SID…Sensory Integration Dysfunction
SK…Spirited Kid
SLD…..Specific Learning Disability
SLI…Speech and Language Impairment
SLP…. Speech and Language Pathologist
SPD…Semantic Pragmatic Disorder
SPED…..Special Education
SSA….Social Security Act; Social Security Administration
SSD…..Social Security Disability
SSDI…..Social Security Disability Income
SSI…..Social Security Income
SST…..Student Support Team
ST…..Speech Therapy
STARN…State Technical Assistance Resource Network
TAG….Talented and Gifted
TBI….Traumatic Brain Injury
TDD…..Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf
TEACCH…Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related
Communication Handicapped Children
TOD…Teacher of the Deaf/ Hard of Hearing
TP……Transition Plan
TS…..Tourette’s Syndrome
TTY…..Teletypewriter (phone system for deaf individuals—see
TDD)
TVI….Teacher of Visually Impaired
TX….Treatment
UAP…..University Affiliated Program (see IHDD)
UAPDD….University Affiliated Program for Developmental
Disabilities
UCP…United Cerebral Palsy Association
VESID…Office for Educational Services for Individuals with
Disabilities
VI….Vision Impairment; Visually Impaired
VR…..Vocational Rehabilitation
WNL…Within Normal Limits