Special Education Terminology

Acronyms

• ACCES-VR: Adult Career and Continuing Education Services – Vocational Rehabilitation
• ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act
• ADD: Attention Deficit Disorder
• ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• AE: Age equivalent
• AIS: Academic Intervention Services
• APE: Adaptive physical education
• ASD: Autism spectrum disorder
• ASL: American Sign Language
• AT: Assistive technology
• AU: Autism
• BOCES: Board of Cooperative Educational Services
• BOE: Board of Education
• COTA: Certified occupational therapy assistant
• CPSE: Committee on Preschool Special Education
• CSE: Committee on Special Education
• CST: Child Study Team
• DB: Deaf and Blind
• DD: Developmental disability
• DHH: Deaf/hard of hearing
• ED: Emotionally disturbed
• ERSS: Educationally related support services
• ESY: Extended school year
• FAPE: Free and Appropriate Public Education
• FBA: Functional behavioral assessment
• FERPA: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
• ID: Intellectual Disability (Formerly known as mental retardation)
• IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
• IEE: Independent Education Evaluation
• IEP: Individualized Education Program
• IH: Impartial hearing
• IHO: Impartial hearing officer
• IQ: Intelligence quotient
• ITP: Individual Transition Plan
• LD: Learning disabled
• LEA: Local education agency, local school district
• LRE: Least restrictive environment
• MA: Mental age
• MD: Multiple disabilities
• MR: Mental retardation
• MT: Music therapy
• NCLB: No Child Left Behind (federal law)
• NVLD: Non-verbal learning disability
• O&M: Orientation and mobility
• OHI: Other health impaired
• OI: Orthopedically impaired
• OMRDD: Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities
• OPWDD (Formerly OMRDD): NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities
• OT: Occupational therapy
• PBIS: Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports
• PDD: Pervasive developmental disorder
• PLEP: Present Levels of Educational Performance
• PPS: Pupil Personnel Services
• PT: Physical therapy
• SEA: State education agency
• SED: State Education Department
• SEIT: Special education itinerant teacher services
• SI: Speech impaired
• SLP: Speech language pathologist
• ST: Speech therapy
• TBI: Traumatic brain injury
• TDD: Tele-typewriting device
• TVI: Teacher of the visually impaired
• VI: Visually impaired
• VR: Vocational rehabilitation