All terms A–Z
98 terms explained in plain language.
- 504Section 504 Plan
- AACAugmentative and Alternative Communication
- ABAApplied Behavior Analysis
- Accommodations vs. Modifications
- ADAAmericans with Disabilities Act
- ADHDAttention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- AMAOAnnual Measurable Achievement Objectives
- APDAuditory Processing Disorder in Children
- ASDAutism Spectrum Disorder
- ATAssistive Technology
- BIPBehavior Intervention Plan
- Brain Breaks
- Bullying and Students with Disabilities
- Child Find
- CSTChild Study Team
- Decoding in Reading
- DHHDeaf or Hard of Hearing
- Differentiated Instruction
- DSPDirect Support Professional
- Due Process Hearing
- Dysarthria
- Dyscalculia
- Dysgraphia
- Dyslexia
- Dyspraxia
- EDEmotional Disturbance
- EHAEducation for All Handicapped Children Act
- ESSAEvery Student Succeeds Act
- ESYExtended School Year
- Executive Functioning Skills
- Expressive Language Disorder
- Failure to Launch Syndrome
- FAPEFree Appropriate Public Education
- FBAFunctional Behavior Assessment
- FERPAFamily Educational Rights and Privacy Act
- Fidgeting and Fidget Tools
- Fine and Gross Motor Skills
- Graphic Organizer
- IDIntellectual Disability
- IDEAIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act
- IDEIAIndividuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act
- IEEIndependent Educational Evaluation
- IEPIndividualized Education Program
- IHCPIndividualized Health Care Plan
- Impulsivity
- IQ Testing for Children
- ISPIndividual Service Plan
- ITPIndividualized Transition Plan
- LDLearning Disability
- LDT-CLearning Disabilities Consultants
- LEALocal Education Agency
- LRELeast Restrictive Environment
- Manipulatives
- MDRManifestation Determination Review
- Meltdown vs. Tantrum
- Metacognition
- MTSSMulti-Tiered System of Supports
- NCLBNo Child Left Behind Act
- NOREPNotice of Recommended Educational Placement
- OCROffice for Civil Rights
- ODDOppositional Defiant Disorder
- OHIOther Health Impairments
- OTOccupational Therapy
- Paraprofessional
- PBISPositive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
- PDAPathological Demand Avoidance
- Perseveration
- Person-Centered Planning
- Phonemes and Phonemic Awareness
- Phonics
- Phonological Awareness
- PLAAFPPresent Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance
- Procedural Safeguards
- PTPhysical Therapy
- PWNPrior Written Notice
- R-Word
- RDAResults Driven Accountability
- Reading Comprehension
- Reading Fluency
- Reevaluation
- Remedial Instruction
- RTIResponse to Intervention
- SDISpecially Designed Instruction
- Second Language Acquisition and English Learners in Special Education
- Selective Mutism
- Self-Advocacy
- Sight Words
- SLDSpecific Learning Disability
- SLPSpeech-Language Pathologist
- SMARTSpecific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound
- SPDSensory Processing Disorder
- SPEDSpecial Education
- Stay-Put Provision
- TBITraumatic Brain Injury
- Text Structure
- UDLUniversal Design for Learning
- VIVisual Impairment
- Working Memory
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When working with a person with a disability, it is important to know how to be an advocate. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) insures that all children, regardless of their disability, will receive an appropriate education. It is important that everyone involved with the education, training, and caring for those who qualify for special education be familiar with the terms involved in laws pertaining to the protection and education of these individuals. A special education dictionary should define somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 terms. That sounds like a lot, and it is, but there are many vital things to comprehend about the laws and requirements pertaining to the needs of special individuals. A comprehensive dictionary should define terms using simple words and sentences in order to avoid confusion. Longer phrases should be broken down, so the meaning is more clear. Cross-references should be included in order to show how different terms are interrelated.
Working in this special environment is complicated enough, a complete dictionary will cover current IDEA regulations in a meaningful way. It is critical to understand the laws, ideas like resolution sessions, and the importance of such things as the response to intervention (RTI), and how serious injuries to the body are handled.
Finally, it is a plus if the dictionary includes the terminology involved with the No Child Left Behind Act. For instance, what kinds of testing is involved, what parts of this law apply to all students including those with special needs? While these laws pertain to all children, the way they dovetail into the needs of special students should be explained.






