You will find that people tend to throw around a bunch of letters and just assume you know what they mean. Below is a list of commonly used terms you may encounter.
- AAC – Augmentative and Alternative Communication
- ABA – Applied Behavior Analysis
- ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act
- ADD – Attention Deficit Disorder
- ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- AE – Age Equivalent
- AIT – Auditory Integration Therapy
- AS – Asperger’s Syndrome
- ASD – Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- ASL – American Sign Language
- ASPIE -A person with Asperger’s Syndrome
- BD/ED -Behavior Disordered / Emotionally Disturbed
- BOCES – Board of Cooperative Educational Services
- BOE – Board of Education
- BP – Bi-Polar
- CAPD – Central Auditory Processing Disorder
- CHATT – Checklist for Autism in Toddlers
- CNS – Central Nervous System
- CSE – Committee on Special Education
- DAS – Developmental Apraxia of Speech
- DD – Developmental Disability
- DSM – Diagnostic Statistical Manual
- DX – Diagnosis
- ED – Emotional Disability
- EEG – Electrocephalogram (used to test for seizures)
- EI – Early Intervention
- FAPE – Free and Appropriate Public Education
- FC – Facilitated Communication
- FERPA – Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
- GARS – Gilliam Autism Rating Scale
- HFA – High Functioning Autism
- IDEA – Individuals with Disabilities Act
- IEP – Individualized Education Program
- IQ – Intelligence Quotient
- IFSP – Individualized Family Service Plan
- LD – Learning Disability (Learning Disabled)
- LRE – Least Restrictive Environment
- MRI -Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- NICHCY – National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities
- NIH – National Institutes of Health
- NOS -Not Otherwise Specified, usually seen as PDD-NOS
- NT -Neurotypical
- OCD -Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- ODD -Oppositional-Defiant Disorder
- OHI – Other Health Impaired
- OT -Occupational Therapy
- PDD -Pervasive Developmental Disorder
- PT – Physical Therapy
- SED – State Education Department
- SEIT – Special Education Itinerant Teacher Services
- SETRC – Special Education Training Resource Centers
- SI – Sensory Integration
- SLP – Speech Language Pathologist
- SPD – Sensory Processing Disorder
- SPED – Special Education
- TEACCH -Treatment & Education of Autistic & Related Communication Disorders
- TOM -Theory of Mind
- TS -Tourette’s Syndrome
- VESID – Office of Vocational & Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities
- VI – Visually Impaired
- VR – Vocational Rehabilitation
- WISC -Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children