A
Accommodations
Changes in how test is administered that do not substantially alter what the test measures; includes changes in presentation format, response format, test setting or test timing. Appropriate accommodations are made to level the playing field, i.e., to provide equal opportunity to demonstrate knowledge.
Achievement Test
Test that measures competency in a particular area of knowledge or skill; measures mastery or acquisition of skills.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)
Legislation enacted to prohibit discrimination based on disability.
Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD)
Child with ADD or ADHD may be eligible for special education under other health impairment, specific learning disability, and/or emotional disturbance categories if ADD/ADHD condition adversely affects educational performance.
Appendix A
Appendix to the federal special education regulations that answers questions about IEPs, IEP teams, parental role, transition.
Assessment
Systematic method of obtaining information from tests or other sources; procedures used to determine child's eligibility, identify the child's strengths and needs, and services child needs to meet these needs.
Assistive Technology Device
Equipment used to maintain or improve the capabilities of a child with a disability.
Audiology
Related service; includes identification, determination of hearing loss, and referral for habilitation of hearing.
Autism
Developmental disability that affects communication and social interaction, adversely affects educational performance, is generally evident before age 3. Children with autism often engage in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resist environmental change or change in daily routines, and have unusual responses to sensory experiences.
B
Basic Skills
Skills in subjects like reading, writing, spelling, and mathematics.
Behavior Disorder (BD)
Behavior Intervention Plan
A plan of positive behavioral interventions in the IEP of a child whose behaviors interfere with his/her learning or that of others.
C
Calendar Day
See Day.
Case Law
Decisions issued by a court.
Child Find
Requirement that states ensure that all children with disabilities are identified, located and evaluated, and determine which children are receiving special education and related services.
CFR
Code of Federal Regulations in US law.
Complaint
Legal document that outlines plaintiff's claim against a defendant.
Confidential File
File maintained by the school that contains evaluations conducted to determine whether child is handicapped, other information related to special education placement; parents have a right to inspect the file and have copies of any information contained in it.
Consent
Requirement that the parent be fully informed of all information that relates to any action that school wants to take about the child, that parent understands that consent is voluntary and may be revoked at any time. See also Procedural Safeguards Notice and Prior Written Notice.
Controlled Substance
Means a drug or other substance identified under schedules I, II, III, IV, or V of the Controlled Substances Act; does not include a substance that is legally possessed or used under the supervision of a licensed health care provider.
Counseling Services
Related service; includes services provided by social workers, psychologists, guidance counselors, or other qualified personnel.
Cumulative File
General file maintained by the school; parents have the right to inspect the file and have copies of any information contained in it.
D
Damages
Monetary compensation that may be recovered by a person who has suffered loss, detriment or injury to his person, property or rights, through the unlawful act or negligence of another; damages are not generally available under the IDEA.
Day
Means calendar day unless otherwise indicated as school day or business day.
Deaf-blindness
IDEA disability category; includes hearing and visual impairments that cause severe communication, developmental and educational problems that adversely affects educational performance.
Deafness
IDEA disability category; impairment in processing information through hearing that adversely affects educational performance.
Disability
In Section 504 and ADA, defined as impairment that substantially affects one or more major life activities; an individual who has a record of having such impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment.
Discovery
Term for methods of obtaining evidence in advance of trial; includes interrogatories, depositions and inspection of documents.
Due Process Hearing (Impartial Due Process Hearing)
Procedure to resolve disputes between parents and schools; administrative hearing before an impartial hearing officer or administrative law judge.
E
Early Intervention (EI)
Special education and related services provided to children under the age of 5.
Education Records
All records about the student that are maintained by an educational agency or institution; includes instructional materials, teacher's manuals, films, tapes, test materials and protocols.
Educational Consultant/Diagnostician
An individual who may be familiar with school curriculum and requirements at various grade levels: may or may not have a background in learning disabilities; may conduct educational evaluations.
Emotional Disturbance (ED)
Disability category under IDEA; includes depression, fears, schizophrenia; adversely affects educational performance.
EMR
Educable Mentally Retarded.
ESY
Extended School Year services.
F
FERPA
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act; statute about confidentiality and access to education records.
FAPE
Free Appropriate Public Education; special education and related services provided in conformity with an IEP; are without charge; and meets standards of the SEA.
G
General Curriculum
Curriculum adopted by LEA or SEA for all children from preschool through high school.
H
Hearing Impairment
Disability category under IDEA; permanent or fluctuating impairment in hearing that adversely affects educational performance.
I
IDEA
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997.
IDELR
Individuals with Disabilities Law Reporter; a US government publication.
IEE
Independent Educational Evaluation.
IEP
Individualized Educational Plan.
IFSP
Individualized Family Service Plan.
Illegal Drug
A controlled substance; does not include substances that are legally possessed or used under the supervision of a licensed health-care professional.
Impartial Due Process Hearing
See Due Process Hearing.
Intellectual Disability
Disability category under IDEA refers to significantly sub-average general intellectual functioning with deficits in adaptive behavior that adversely affects educational performance. Formerly called Mental Retardation.
Inclusion
Practice of educating children with special needs in regular education classrooms in neighborhood schools. See also Mainstreaming and Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).
ITP
Individual Transition Plan.
J
Judgment
Order by a court.
K
L
Learning Disability
LRE
Least Restrictive Environment; requirement to educate special needs children with children who are not disabled to the maximum extent possible. Also referred to as Inclusion or Mainstreaming.
LEA
Local Education Agency (School District).
M
Mainstreaming
Practice of placing special needs children in regular classrooms for at least a part of the children's educational program. See also Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) and Inclusion.
Manifestation Determination Review
If a child with a disability engages in behavior or breaks a rule or code of conduct that applies to nondisabled children and the school proposes to remove the child, the school must hold a hearing to determine if the child's behavior was caused by the disability.
Mediation
Procedural safeguard to resolve disputes between parents and schools; must be voluntary, cannot be used to deny or delay right to a due process hearing; must be conducted by a qualified and impartial mediator who is trained in effective mediation techniques.
Medical Services
Related service; includes services provided by a licensed physician to determine a child's medically related disability that results in the child's need for special education and related services.
Mental Retardation
Modifications
Substantial changes in what the student is expected to demonstrate; includes changes in instructional level, content, and performance criteria, may include changes in test form or format; includes alternate assessments.
Multiple Disabilities
Disability category under IDEA; concomitant impairments (such as mental retardation-blindness, mental retardation-orthopedic impairment, etc.) that cause such severe educational problems that problems cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments; does not include deaf-blindness.
N
Native Language
See Standardized Test.
Norm-referenced Test
Language normally used by the child's parents.
O
OCR
U.S. Office of Civil Rights.
Occupational Therapy
Related service; includes therapy to remediate fine motor skills.
Orientation and Mobility Services
Related service; includes services to visually impaired students that enable students to move safely at home, school, and community.
Orthopedic Impairment
Disability category under IDEA; orthopedic impairment that adversely affects child's educational performance.
OSERS
U.S. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
OSEP
U.S. Office of Special Education Programs.
Other Health Impairment
Disability category under IDEA; refers to limited strength, vitality or alertness due to chronic or acute health problems that adversely affects educational performance.
P
Parent
Parent, guardian, or surrogate parent; may include grandparent or stepparent with whom a child lives, and foster parent.
Physical Therapy
Related service; includes therapy to remediate gross motor skills.
Prior Written Notice
Required written notice to parents when school proposes to initiate or change, or refuses to initiate or change, the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child.
Procedural Safeguards Notice
Requirement that schools provide full easily understood explanation of procedural safeguards that describe parent's right to an independent educational evaluation, to examine records, to request mediation and due process.
Psychological Services
Related service; includes administering psychological and educational tests, interpreting test results, interpreting child behavior related to learning.
Public Law (PL) 94-142
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act; enacted into law in 1975
Q
R
Recreation
Related service; includes therapeutic recreation services, recreation programs, and leisure education.
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Civil rights statute designed to protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination; purposes are to maximize employment, economic self-sufficiency, independence, inclusion and integration into society.
Rehabilitation Counseling Services
Related service; includes career development, preparation for employment, vocational rehabilitation services funded under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Related Services
Services that are necessary for child to benefit from special education; includes speech-language pathology and audiology services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, early identification and assessment, counseling, rehabilitation counseling, orientation and mobility services, school health services, social work services, parent counseling and training.
Remediation
Process by which an individual receives instruction and practice in skills that are weak or nonexistent in an effort to develop/strengthen these skills.
S
School Day
A day when children attend school for instructional purposes.
School Health Services
Related service; services provided by a qualified school nurse or other qualified person.
Section 504
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination due to disability by recipients of federal financial assistance.
Special Education
Specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability.
Specific Learning Disability (SLD)
Disability category under IDEA; includes disorders that affect the ability to understand or use spoken or written language; may manifest in difficulties with listening, thinking, speaking, reading, writing, spelling, and doing mathematical calculations; includes minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.
Speech-language Pathology Services
Related service; includes identification and diagnosis of speech or language impairments, speech or language therapy, counseling and guidance.
Speech or Language Impairment
Disability category under IDEA; includes communication disorders, language impairments, voice impairments that adversely educational performance.
Standardized Test
Norm-referenced test that compares child's performance with the performance of a large group of similar children (usually children who are the same age).
State Education Agency (SEA)
State departments of education.
Statutory Law
Written law enacted by legislative bodies.
Supplementary Aids and Services
Aids, services, and supports that are provided in regular education classes that enable children with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled children to the maximum extent appropriate.
T
Technology
Transcript
Official record taken during a trial or hearing by an authorized stenographer.
Transition Services
IEP requirement; designed to facilitate movement from school to the workplace or to higher education.
Transportation
Related service about travel; includes specialized equipment (i.e., special or adapted buses, lifts, and ramps) if required to provide special transportation for a child with a disability.
Traumatic Brain Injury
Disability category under IDEA; includes acquired injury caused by external physical force and open or closed head injuries that result in impairments; does not include congenital or degenerative brain injuries or brain injuries caused by birth trauma.
Travel Training
U
USC
United States Code, refers to laws that are codified so reference can be made to the chapters and sections.
V
Visual Impairment Including Blindness
Disability category under IDEA; impaired vision that adversely affects educational performance.
W
Weapon
Means a "dangerous weapon" as defined in the United States Code.
X
Y
Z
NOTICE: Some of the terms found on this page come from www.fetaweb.com.