Dictionary of Terms Used in Special Education

A

• Accommodations: Adjustments in the learning environment or teaching strategies to help students with disabilities access the curriculum.
• Adaptive Behavior: Skills required for daily living, including communication, social skills, and self-care.
• Advocate: A person who supports and speaks on behalf of a student with disabilities.
• Aphasia: A condition affecting the ability to communicate, often caused by brain injury.
• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA): A therapy based on the science of learning and behavior, often used with individuals with autism.
• Assessment: The process of collecting data to understand a student’s strengths and needs.

B

• Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP): A plan that includes strategies to address and modify challenging behaviors.
• Braille: A tactile writing system used by individuals who are visually impaired.

C

• Cerebral Palsy (CP): A group of disorders affecting movement and muscle tone, caused by damage to the developing brain.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): A type of psychotherapy that helps individuals change negative thought patterns.
• Collaborative Teaching: When special education and general education teachers work together to instruct students with and without disabilities.
• Communication Disorder: A condition affecting an individual’s ability to comprehend, detect, or apply language and speech.
• Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM): A method to assess students’ progress in basic academic areas.

D

• Developmental Delay: A noticeable lag in a child’s physical, cognitive, behavioral, emotional, or social development compared to normative milestones.
• Differentiated Instruction: Adapting teaching methods to meet the diverse needs of students.
• Down Syndrome: A genetic disorder caused by an extra chromosome 21, associated with physical growth delays and intellectual disabilities.
• Dyscalculia: A learning disability affecting mathematical abilities.
• Dysgraphia: A learning disability affecting writing abilities.
• Dyslexia: A learning disability affecting reading abilities.

E

• Early Intervention: Services provided to very young children with developmental delays to help them catch up in their development.
• Emotional Disturbance (ED): A condition exhibiting one or more specific emotional or behavioral problems over a long period, adversely affecting educational performance.
• Expressive Language Disorder: A condition where a person has difficulty expressing themselves through speech.

F

• Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE): The provision of personalized instruction and necessary services designed to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities, free of charge.
• Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA): A process of identifying specific problematic behaviors and the factors that reinforce them.

G

• Generalization: The ability to apply skills learned in one setting to other settings or situations.
• Gross Motor Skills: Abilities required to control the large muscles of the body for walking, running, sitting, crawling, and other activities.

H

• Hearing Impairment: Any degree of hearing loss that affects a student’s educational performance.
• Hyperlexia: An advanced ability to read at a young age, often accompanied by difficulty understanding spoken language.

I

• Individualized Education Program (IEP): A written plan developed for each public school child who is eligible for special education, tailored to their individual needs.
• Inclusion: The practice of educating students with disabilities alongside their non-disabled peers in a general education classroom.
• Intellectual Disability (ID): A disability characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior.

J

• Job Coaching: Support provided to individuals with disabilities to help them succeed in the workplace.
• Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA): A type of arthritis that occurs in children and can affect their ability to participate in school activities.

K

• Kinesthetic Learner: A person who learns best through hands-on activities and movement.
• Klinefelter Syndrome: A genetic condition affecting males, characterized by an extra X chromosome.

L

• Learning Disability (LD): A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written.
• Least Restrictive Environment (LRE): The setting that allows students with disabilities to be educated with their non-disabled peers to the greatest extent appropriate.
• Low Incidence Disabilities: Disabilities that occur infrequently, such as blindness, deafness, and severe intellectual disabilities.

M

• Mainstreaming: The practice of placing students with disabilities in general education classes for part or all of the school day.
• Modifications: Changes to the curriculum or instructional methods that alter the level of instruction provided.
• Multisensory Instruction: Teaching methods that engage multiple senses (sight, sound, touch) to enhance learning.

N

• Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD): A condition characterized by difficulties with motor coordination, visual-spatial skills, and social interactions.
• Norm-Referenced Assessment: Tests that compare a student’s performance to that of their peers.

O

• Occupational Therapy (OT): Therapy aimed at helping individuals develop, recover, or maintain daily living and work skills.
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD): A behavior disorder characterized by a pattern of uncooperative, defiant, and hostile behavior toward authority figures.
• Orthopedic Impairment: A disability that affects a child’s ability to move, caused by congenital anomalies, diseases, or other causes.

P

• Physical Therapy (PT): Therapy focused on improving physical function and mobility.
• Positive Behavior Support (PBS): A proactive approach to behavior management that uses evidence-based strategies to improve overall behavior.
• Pragmatic Language: The social use of language, including understanding and using language in social contexts.
• Processing Speed: The rate at which an individual can take in, understand, and respond to information.

Q

• Qualified Individual with a Disability: A person who meets the essential eligibility requirements for a program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

R

• Response to Intervention (RTI): A multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs.
• Receptive Language Disorder: A condition where a person has difficulty understanding spoken or written language.
• Resource Room: A separate classroom where students with disabilities receive specialized instruction for part of the day.

S

• Section 504: Part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that prohibits discrimination based on disability.
• Self-Contained Classroom: A classroom where students with significant disabilities are taught for most or all of the school day.
• Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD): A condition where the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information that comes in through the senses.
• Social Skills Training: Programs designed to teach individuals how to interact appropriately with others.
• Specific Learning Disability (SLD): A group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to read, write, speak, or do math.

T

• Transition Plan: A component of the IEP that outlines the transition services required to help the student move from school to post-school activities.
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): An injury to the brain caused by an external force, resulting in impairments that affect educational performance.
• Twice-Exceptional (2e): Students who are both gifted and have a disability.

U

• Universal Design for Learning (UDL): An educational framework that accommodates the diverse needs of all students.
• Understanding by Design (UbD): A framework for designing curriculum and assessments focused on teaching for understanding.

V

• Visual Impairment (VI): Any degree of vision loss that affects a student’s educational performance.
• Vocational Rehabilitation (VR): Services that help individuals with disabilities prepare for, obtain, or retain employment.

W

• Wraparound Services: Comprehensive support services that address the needs of the whole child and family.

X

• X-linked Disorders: Genetic disorders linked to the X chromosome, often affecting males more severely.

Y

• Youth Transition Programs: Programs that help young people with disabilities transition from school to adult life.

Z

• Zero Reject: A principle ensuring that no student with a disability is denied a free appropriate public education.