Glossary For Disability, Special Education and Related Terms
Accessible – easy to approach, enter, operate, participate in, or use safely, independently and with dignity by a person with a disability (i.e., site, facility, work environment, service or program).
Accommodations – tools, materials, techniques, and procedures that provide equal access to instruction and assessment for students with disabilities. Designed to “level the playing field” for students with disabilities, accommodations are generally grouped into the following categories:
- Presentation (e.g., repeat directions, read aloud, use of larger bubbles on answer sheets, etc.)
- Response (e.g., mark answers in book, use reference aids, point, use of computer, etc.)
- Timing/Scheduling (e.g., extended time, frequent breaks, etc.)
- Setting (e.g., study carrel, special lighting, separate room, etc.)
Aids for Activities for Daily Living (ADL) – self-help aids for use in activities such as eating, bathing, shopping, home maintenance, etc.
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) – an individual state’s measure of yearly progress toward achieving state academic standards. “Adequate Yearly Progress”’ is the minimum level of improvement that states, school districts and schools must achieve each year.
Affective Domain – the classification of functions by the individual involving emotions and feeling.
Affirmative Action – proactive action to accomplish the purposes of a program which is designed to increase the employment opportunities of certain groups, which may involve goals, timetables. Or specifically outlined steps to be undertaken to assure that objectives are reached. The Americans with Disabilities Act does not mandate affirmative action for persons with disabilities, but dos require that covered entities ensue non-discrimination. Title 5, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act does require that affirmative action be taken in employment of persons with disabilities by Federal contractors.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) – a disease caused by a virus that destroys a person’s immune system. The AIDS virus, known as HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), severely weakens the immune system causing a person to be highly susceptible to a variety of infections. These infections may not normally be considered serious, but could become life-threatening to a person with AIDS.
Administrative Hearing – formal judicial process where appeal is heard.
Administrative Officer/Hearing Officer – Person in charge of and decision-maker for formal appeals hearing.
Age Equivalent Score – in a norm-referenced assessment, individual student scores are reported relative to those of the norming population. This can be done in a variety of ways, but one way is to report the average age of people who received the same score as the individual child. Thus, an individual child’s score is described as being the same as students that are younger, the same age, or older than that student (e.g., a 9 year old student may receive the same score that an average 13 year old student does, suggesting that this student is quite advanced).
Alternative Education Placement (AEP) – an alternative classroom setting used to improve classroom behavior and address needs that cannot be met in a regular classroom setting.
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) – a variety of procedures for resolving disputes. ADR is a fair and efficient alternative to court adjudication that must be entered into voluntarily by all parties. Some of the more common ADR procedures are arbitration, mediation, and conciliation.
Alternative Formats – formats usable by people with disabilities. These may include, but are not limited to, Braille, ASCII text, large print, and recorded audio.
Alternative Methods – Different means of providing information, including product documentation, to people with disabilities. Alternative methods may include, but are not limited to, voice, fax, relay service, TTY, Internet posting, captioning, text-to-speech synthesis, and audio description.
Americans with Disabilities Act – the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. It mandates equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in areas such as employment, public accommodations, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications.
Aphasia, expressive – the lack of ability to communicate orally.
Aphasia, receptive – the inability to communicate aurally (listening).
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) – a systematic process of studying and modifying observable behavior through a manipulation of the environment. Its principles are often applied in teaching individuals with autism and other developmental disorders. It uses an experimental approach of manipulating the environment and tracking alterations in behavior to understand and manipulate functional relationships between behavior and environments.
Apraxia – Difficulty in performing purposeful motor output, in the absence of paralysis or sensory limitation, due to brain lesion or dysfunction.
Aptitudes – Native and acquired characteristics that indicate a capacity for future success in learning.
Arbitration – process that is more formal than mediation but that also involves a neutral third party; after presentation of both sides a third person decides issue. Normally the third person has experience in the area.
Assessment – provides information and data which answer a specific set of questions for future planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Assessment, formal – provides data through the sue of standardized, norm or criterion-referenced instruments which have specific directions for administration, scoring, and interpretation.
Assistive Technology – assistive technology is any item or piece of equipment used to maintain or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.
Attention Deficit Disorder – attention deficit disorder, commonly referred to as ADD, is a neurological disability characterized by inappropriate attention skills, impulsive behavior, and in some cases, hyperactivity. ADD is marked by chronic behaviors that last at least six months and appear before age seven. The behaviors may include: fidgeting, difficulty remaining seated, difficulty following instructions, leaving tasks uncompleted, and appearing not to listen when others are speaking.
Attention Span – duration of time when one can attend to a specific task.
Auditory – relating to hearing.
Auditory Association – the ability to distinguish (to discriminate) between sounds which are heard and sounds which may be somewhat alike.
Auditory Dyslexia – difficulty translating speech into writing, difficulty distinguishing between certain sounds of speech accurately, and difficulty establishing sound with written equivalent.
Auditory Figure-Ground – the ability to concentrate on the task at hand despite the presence of other sounds (voice, miscellaneous noise) within the same environment.
Auditory Memory – the ability to remember information received through the auditory channel.
Auditory Processing – the ability to act upon auditory information in order to generalize, abstract, classify, integrate, etc.
Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) – an inability to accurately process and interpret sound information. Students with APD often do not recognize subtle differences between sounds in words.
Auditory Reception – auditory decoding, understanding spoken words.
Auditory Sequencing – the ability to recall previously heard details in their correct order.
Auditory-Visual Association – ability to switch from the auditory to the visual channel from learning through the sears to learning through the eyes. Included is the ability to relate sound to symbols (i.e., to identify the letter “r” sound and/or its letter name to the written “r” and transfer this association to other situations such as a word on a ditto sheet, chalkboard, or book).
Auditory-Vocal Association – ability to intelligently respond verbally to stimuli which has been heard.
Augmentative Communication – augmentative communication refers to the supplementation or replacement of speech through the sue of aided or unaided techniques. Sign language, gestures, and finger-spelling are examples of unaided communication, whereas aided communication is associated with technology. An example of aided communication would be a computer-based system that supports verbal and written communication.
Aural – learning through listening, attending with the ears.
Autism – is a developmental disability that appears before age three. It is characterized by qualitative differences in the areas of social competence and communication skills. Individuals with autism typically demonstrate a narrow range of interests, repeatedly engage in specific activities, and experience difficulties processing sensory input from the surrounding environment. Common behaviors include: a tendency to avoid social contact, a tendency to become upset by changes in routine, and an inability to effectively communicate.
Auxiliary Aids and Services – devices or services that accommodate a functional limitation of a person with a communication-related disability. Includes qualified interpreters and communication devices for person who have deafness or hardness of hearing; qualified readers, taped texts, Braille, or other devices for person with visual impairments; and adaptive equipment for persons with other communication disabilities.
Behavioral Contract – a behavioral contract is a written document between an instructor and student which specifies: (a) expected behaviors; (b) positive and negative consequences; and (c) time frame of the contract with review dates. The contract is then signed by the instructors, student, and others who participate in the contract. Behavioral contracts are a practical and creative way for instructors to help students of all ages improve various problematic behaviors, such as: classroom and social behavior, substance abuse, and school attendance.
Behavior Disorder – behavior disorders refer to a complex set of behavioral and emotional problems that are exhibited by children. Children with these disorders often engage in antisocial behavior. They are often physically and verbally aggressive and may lie, steal, proforma vandalism, or “act out” in other ways. Children with behavior disorders may also experience depression. If these disorders are not treated early in life the individual may continue to exhibit antisocial behavior into adulthood.
Behavior Intervention – a systematic implementation of procedures tat result in lasting positive changes in an individual’s’ behavior. Interventions may include positive strategies, program or curricular modifications, and supplementary aids and supports required to address the disruptive behaviors in question. It is helpful to sue data collected during a functional behavioral assessment to develop the plan and to determine the discrepancy between the student’s actual and expected behavior.
Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) – a plan that includes positive strategies, program modifications, and supplementary aids and supports that address a student’s disruptive behaviors and allows the child to be educated in the least restrictive environment (LRE).
Bilingual Education – an education program in which two languages are used to provide content matter instruction. Bilingual education programs vary in their length of time, and in the amount each language is used.
Birth Defects – the term, birth defect, refer to any anomaly, functional or structural that is caused before birth. A birth defect may be inherited or acquired and may be present in infancy or become apparent later in life.
Blind – a person’s vision is evaluated by visual acuity (20/20 scale) and the range of peripheral vision. Normal vision is defined as 20/20 visual acuity and an average range of 180 degrees in peripheral vision. An individual is legally blind if after methods of correction, such as glasses or contact lenses, he/she has a visual acuity of 20/200 or higher denomination or a range of peripheral vision under 20 degrees.
Brain Damage – a structural injury to the brain from accident, disease or surgery.
Brain Injury – the physical damage to brain tissue or structure that occurs before, during, or after birth that is verified by EEG, MRI, CAT or similar examination, rather than by observation of performance. When caused by accident, the damage may be called Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
Capacity – the potential point at which learning ceases; set by the limits of he learner’s intelligence and pyschomotor functioning.
Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) – a disorder that occurs when the ear and the brain do not coordinate fully. A CAPD is a physical hearing impairment, but one which does not show up as a hearing loss on routine screenings or an audiogram. Instead, it affects the hearing system beyond the ear, whose job it is to separate a meaningful message from non-essential background sound and deliver that information with good clarity to the intellectual centers of the brain (the central nervous system).
Cerebral Palsy – is a functional disorder caused by damage to the brain during pregnancy, delivery, or shortly after birth. It is characterized by movement disorders, such as: spasticity (tight limb muscle), purposeless movements, rigidity (severe form of spasticity), a lack of balance, or a combination of these disorders. Individuals with cerebral palsy may also experience seizures, abnormal speech, hearing and visual impairments, and mental retardation.
Child with Disability – a child who has a disability as defined in one of the 13 disability categories in IDEA and who needs special education and related services because of this disability; or a child three (3) through nine (9) who is experiencing developmental delay.
Child Find – ongoing activities undertaken by states and local school districts to locate, identify and evaluate all children residing in the state who are suspected of having disabilities so that a free appropriate public education (FAPE) can be made available to all eligible children, including all children in public and private schools, including religious schools.
Cleft Palate – is a birth defect characterized by a split or opening in the roof of the mouth. It results from failure of the parts of the roof of the mouth to join together during pregnancy. Cleft palates may be caused by genetic or environmental factors.
Cognition – process of knowing, perceiving, or reasoning.
Communication Disabilities – include any visual, hearing, or speech impairments that limit a person’s ability to communicate.
Consumer – an individual with a disability in the context of one who receives services.
Courses of Study – middle and high school course work (or classes) that lead to a certain type of diploma and/or are required for post-secondary education.
Crisis Management Plan – a plan of action, usually included in a student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP), with the purpose of minimizing the risk of injury to student(s) and staff and to safely de-escalate and manage a potentially explosive situation.
Crisis Situation – a state of events or actions that poses an immediate threat to self or others.
Curriculum-Based Assessment – a type of informal assessment in which the procedures directly assess student performance in learning-targeted content in order to make decisions about how to better address a student’s instructional needs.
Data Collection – is collecting specific information about a student’s academic and behavioral performance. Collecting data helps an instructor determine a program’s effectiveness. BY collecting and analyzing data in a systematic basis, an instructor knows when to make change sin both academic and behavioral programs. Data collection ahs two critical components: information gathering and decision making. Information gathering may involve curriculum-based assessment, observing classroom behavior, grading papers, or parent interviews. The more structured and systematic the process, the more valid the information. Once the data is collected, the instructor must then make decisions based on that information. Decisions might be made regarding changes in curriculum or the management of specific classroom behaviors.
Deaf-Blindness – or dual sensory impairment, is a combination of both visual and hearing impairments. An individual with deaf-blindness can experience severe communication, educational, and other developmental problems. A person with deaf-blindness cannot be accommodated by services focusing solely on visual impairments or solely on hearing impairments, so services must be specifically designed to assist individuals with deaf-blindness.
Deafness – can be defined as a total or partial inability to hear. An individual who is totally deaf is unable to hear with or without the use of a hearing aid, whereas a person who is partially deaf may be able to hear with the help of a hearing aid. Deafness can be genetic or also acquired through disease, most commonly from meningitis in the child or rubella in a woman during pregnancy.
Decoding – the ability to translate a word from print to speech, usually by employing knowledge of sound-symbol correspondences. It is also the act of deciphering a new work by sounding it out.
De-Escalation Skills – strategically employed verbal or non-verbal interventions used to reduce the intensity of threatening behavior before a crisis situation occurs.
Developmental Aphasia – a severe language disorder that is presumed to be due to brain injury rather than because of a developmental delay in the normal acquisition of language.
Developmental Delays – refer to conditions which represent a significant delay in the process of child development. They delays may involve cognitive, physical, communicative, social/emotional, and adaptive areas of development. Without special intervention, these delays may affect the educational performance of the child.
Developmental Disabilities – is a severe and long lasting disability which is the result of a mental and/or physical impairment, occurs before age 22, is likely to continue indefinitely, reflects the person’s need for specialized services and/or treatment, and results in substantial functional limitations in three or more areas. The areas include: self-care, self-direction, economic self-sufficiency, independent living, learning, receptive and expressive language and mobility.
Differential Reinforcement – is the reinforcement of one form of behavior and not another, or the reinforcement of a response under one condition but not another. Differential reinforcement uses positive reinforcement to differentiate or separate appropriate student behavior from inappropriate behavior by increasing one while decreasing the other.
Direct Instruction – an instructional approach to academic subjects that emphasizes the use of carefully sequenced steps that include demonstrations, modeling, guided practice, and independent application.
Disability – is basically defined as a mental or physical condition that restricts an individual’s ability to engage in substantial gainful activity.
Distractibility – the inability to “tune out” extraneous stimuli, poor attention span, and/or intermittent concentration.
Down Syndrome – is a chromosomal condition (trisomy 21) caused by the presence of one extra chromosome. Individuals with Down Syndrome experience slow physical and mental development and often exhibit certain identifiable physical characteristics, such as round face, slanting eyes, and a small stature. People with Down Syndrome usually function in the mild to moderate range of mental retardation and may experience health problems, most commonly hearing impairments and congenital heart disease.
Due Process Complaint – a written complaint filed by a parent or a school district involving any matter relating to the identification, evaluation, educational placement or provision of a free, appropriate, public education to a student with a disability. Due process complaints must be filed within two years of the matter in dispute.
Due Process Hearing – a formal, quasi-legal procedure before an impartial hearing officer or administrative law judge (or panel o judges) who is not an employee of the state educational agency or school district. Both the parents and the school district present arguments and evidence.
Dyscalculia – a severe difficulty in understanding and using symbols or functions needed for success in mathematics.
Dysgraphia – a severe difficulty in producing handwriting that is legible and written at an age-appropriate speed.
Dysphasia – difficulty comprehending the spoken word (receptive) and/or speaking (expressive).
Dyslexia – a severe difficulty in understanding or using one or more areas of language, including listening, speaking, reading, writing, and spelling.
Dysnomia – a marked difficulty in remembering names or recalling words needed for oral or written language.
Dyspraxia – a severe difficulty in performing drawing, writing, buttoning, and other tasks requiring fine motor skill, or in sequencing necessary movements.
Early Intervention – is an attempt to locate, identify and evaluate young children with developmental disabilities or developmental delays and provide services to counteract these disorders and facilitate the child’s’ development. Every state has organizations that provide early intervention services.
Early Intervention Services – services to infants and toddlers provided under Part C of IDEA. Part C established the Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities, a federal grant program that assists states in operating a comprehensive statewide program of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities aged birth through 2 years, and their families. Early intervention services include multidisciplinary evaluation of needs of children and family-directed identification of the needs of each family as set out in an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).
Echolalia – is the constant repeating or parroting of what has been said by others. Individuals with autism and Tourette syndrome commonly exhibit echolalia.
English as a Second Language (ESL) – English learned in an environment where it is the predominant language of communication.
English Language Learner (ELL) – students whose first language is not English and who are in the process of learning English.
Environmental Engineering – is a formal term for the process of arranging the physical environment of the classroom to enhance student learning and behavior. They physical environment of the classroom serves as a complex set of stimuli that may significantly influence appropriate or inappropriate behaviors. Instructors can positively affect student performance by paying careful attention to such factors as the basic layout of classroom space, wall displays, traffic patterns, and other more subtle aspects of the physical environment.
Epilepsy – is a physical condition that occurs when there is a sudden, brief disturbance in the function of the brain. This “disturbance” can alter an individual’s consciousness, movements, or actions. The sudden change is referred to as an epileptic seizure. Most individuals with epilepsy can reduce or eliminate the risk of seizures through the regular use of appropriate medication.
Essential Job Functions – fundamental job duties of an employment position that an individual with a disability holds or desires.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) – federal agency responsible for overseeing and enforcing non-discrimination in hiring, firing, compensation promotion, recruitment, training, and other terms and conditions of employment regardless of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin or disability.
Expressive Language – the aspect of spoken language that includes speaking and the aspect of written language that includes composing or writing.
Family Educational Rights to Privacy Act (FERPA) – a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) – refers to a group of symptoms exhibited by a child resulting from the mother’s consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. The symptoms may include differing levels of mental retardation, low birth weight, small size, and under development of the upper lip.
Figure-Ground Perception – the ability to select an object or form from the total field of incoming stimuli; the figure is the center of attention; the ground is the balance of the mass of stimuli.
Fine Motor Activities – output by which the muscle system underlying delicate movements is exercised.
Fluency – the ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with proper expression and comprehension. Because fluent readers do not have to concentrate on decoding words, they can focus their attention on what the text means.
Formal Assessment – the process of gathering information using standardized, published tests or instruments in conjunction with specific administration and interpretation procedures, and used to make general instructional decisions.
Fragile X Syndrome – also known as Martin-Bell Syndrome, is a genetic disorder that is the most common form of inherited mental retardation. Individuals with this disorder often have distinctive physical features, such as long face and large prominent ears. People with Fragile X Syndrome experience some degree of mental retardation along with speech and language delays. In addition, 15 to 20 percent may exhibit behaviors associated with autism.
Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) – according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), free appropriate public education is defined as special education and related services that: (1) are provided at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without charge; (2) meet the standards of the state educational agency; (3) include preschool, elementary and secondary school education in the state involved; and (4) are provided in conformity with the child’s individual’s education program.
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) – a problem solving process for addressing student problem behavior that uses techniques to identify what triggers a given behavior(s) and to select interventions that directly address them.
Functional Skills – skills needed to independent living, such as cooking, comparison shopping, working with or managing money, using public transportation, and knowing how to be safe in the community.
General Education Curriculum – the body of knowledge and range of skills that all students in the state are expected to master.
Genetics – is the study of heredity and in particular, genes. Human genetics attempts to understand human heredity in order to predict, diagnose, and treat genetic diseases.
Graphic Organizers – text, diagrams or other pictorial device that summarizes and illustrates interrelationships among concepts in a text. Graphic organizers are often known as maps, webs, graphs, charts, frames, or clusters.
Gross Motor Activities – movement in which groups of large muscles are employed and rhythm and balance are of major importance.
Group Homes – group homes are a housing option for individuals with developmental disabilities that allow them to live in residences within the community in a family-type setting. A small group of individuals with disabilities live together in a house and share household duties. The group home is usually supervised by live-in professionals or volunteer staff.
Haptic Perception – process of getting information through the modalities of kinesthesia and touch.
Health Impairments – the term health impairment refers to any type of chronic illness that affects how a person lives his or her life. Common examples of health impairments are AIDS, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, etc.
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) – one-stop healthcare organization which provides for all medical needs and makes referrals for any specialized care required but not available within the main structure of the organization. Most HMO’s consists of a large group of healthcare professionals who can provide services in a variety of general areas. The overall operations is managed like a business and the emphasis is on preventive healthcare measures.
Hydrocephalus – refers to an abnormal accumulation of fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) within cavities, called ventricles, inside the brain. Hydrocephalus can be congenital, caused by complex genetic and environmental factors, or acquired from spina bifida, intra-ventricular hemorrhage, head trauma, meningitis, humors and cysts. Individuals with hydrocephalus often experience mental and physical impairments and a variety of health problems.
Hyperactivity – generally refers to a group of behavioral characteristics, such as aggressiveness, constant activity, impulsiveness, and distractibility. The actual behaviors displayed include: fidgeting, an inability to remain seated or still, excessive talking, and an inability to play quietly. Hyperactivity is commonly associated with attention deficit disorder.
Hyperkinesis – over-activity or excessive motor movement.
Hypoactivity – pronounced lack of physical activity.
Hypokinesis – lack of normal bodily movement and motor skills.
Inclusion – in general, inclusion refers to a set of practices and beliefs that all children should be educated, regardless of disability, in their neighborhood school, and in age appropriate general education settings with appropriate supports and services.
Impulsivity – behavior characterized by acting hastily without thinking through the consequences of acts.
Independent Living – the concept of independent living involves the belief that individuals with disabilities have the same rights and responsibilities as other people in society. Thus, services provided to the public should be accessible to persons with disabilities, and systems of support should be made available to help individuals with disabilities live within the community and lead more independent lives.
Individual with a Disability – person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of that person’s major life activities, has a record of such impairment, or who is regarded as having such impairment.
Independent Education Evaluation (IEE) – an evaluation conducted by a qualified examiner, who is not employed by the school district at the public’s expense.
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) – Public Law 94-142 mandates that each child who receives special education services must have an individualized education plan. The IEP is the plan agreed upon by the school administrator, teacher, parents, and other relevant professionals (e.g., the person who administered the testing, therapists). The IEP is comprised of seven parts: (1) present level of functioning or performance; (2) annual goals; (3) short term instructional objectives or goals; (4) indication of any special services needed (e.g., speech and hearing clinic); (5) amount of time spent in regular education classroom; (6) when plan will begin, be reviewed, and end; and (7) evaluation of goals and objectives.
IEP Team – those responsible for developing and reviewing a student’s IEP annually. The IEP team must include: the parent(s)/guardian, a special education teacher, a regular classroom teacher, a person knowledgeable about general curriculum, a person who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results, a Local Education Authority (LEA), and, when appropriate, the student. When transition issues are being discussed, the team should include a career or technical education representative.
Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) – Public Law 99-457 directs states to develop and implement a comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary program of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. The law requires that an Individualized Family Service Plan is created to establish an agreement between families and professionals that the necessary resources will be provided to help the child and the family achieve their goals and satisfy their needs.
Individualized Program Plan (IPP) – an Individualized Program Plan is similar to an Individualized Family Service Plan except it is for individuals with disabilities who are over age three. The IPP identifies the preferred goals or outcomes of the individual and his/her family and lists objectives describing how these goals will be achieved (e.g., what services and types of supports will be used).
Individualized Transition Plan (ITP) – the Individualized Transition Plan is the part of a person’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that identifies the long range goals of the person in respect to life after school. Transition services are a coordinated set of activities that are designed to help a student with disabilities move from school to life after school. The person’s life after school may include: post secondary education, vocational training, integrated employment, continuing and adult education, independent living, participation in the community, and other activities. The ITP indicated how the individual will be supported or helped to participate in his/her preferred activities and achieve his/her goals.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) – the law that guarantees all children with disabilities access to a free and appropriate public education.
Informal Assessments – the process of collecting information to make specific instructional decisions, using procedures largely designed by teachers and based on the current instructional situation.
Informed Consent – procedure to ensure that the parent:
· Has been fully informed of all information related to the proposed activity (in his native language, or other mode of communication)
· Understands and agrees in writing to carrying out the activity for which his consent is sought
· Understands that giving consent is voluntary and may revoked at any time
· Understands that revoking consent will not apply to an activity that has already occurred Informed Consent is required for an evaluation, a revaluation and for the initial delivery of special education services.
Institutions – are residential facilities designed to house and care for individuals with mental disabilities.
Intelligence – learner’s ability to perceive relationships such as logical, spatial, numerical, and verbal – to learn to recall and to solve problems; sometimes referred to as mental age or scholastic aptitude; measured by verbal and non-verbal performance tests.
IQ Scores – the intelligence quotient or IQ is the number used to express a person’s relative intelligence. An intelligence test is used to compute an individual’s IQ score. The majority of scores fall between 70 and 130, with a score above 130 considered gifted and a score below 70 considered mentally deficient. However, intelligence tests have been widely criticized for not accurately depicting an individual’s mental capabilities.
Interim Alternative Educational Settings (IAES) – a setting other than the student’s current placement that enables the student to continue to receive educational services according to his/her IEP. The IAES must enable the student to continue to participate in the general education curriculum, although in another setting, and progress toward meeting the goals set out in the IEP. Students in an IAES should also receive, as appropriate, a functional behavioral assessment, behavioral intervention services and modifications that are designed to address the behavior violation so that it does not happen again. The particular IAES is determined by the student’s IEP team.
Intervention – a change in instructing the student in the area of learning difficulty to try to improve learning and achieve adequate progress.
Job Coach – a person hired by the placement agency or provided through the employer to furnish specialized on-site training to assist an employee with a disability in learning and performing a job and adjusting to the work environment.
Kinesthetic – pertaining to the muscles – doing, talking (the muscles of speech) and writing (the muscles of the hand and arm) as well as general body movement.
Learned Helplessness – a tendency to be a passive learner who depends on others for decisions and guidance.
Learning Disabilities – is a broad term used to refer to disorders that affect a person’s ability to interpret what they see or hear and link information from different parts of the brain. These disorders usually manifest as problems with reading, writing, reasoning or mathematics. Learning disabilities are neurological, lifelong disorders, but can often be overcome through appropriate intervention and support.
Learning Modalities – approaches to assessment or instruction stressing the auditory, visual, or tactile avenues for learning that are dependent upon the individual.
Learning Strategy Approaches – instructional approaches that focus on efficient easy to learn, rather than on curriculum. It includes specific techniques for organizing, actively interacting with material, memorizing and monitoring any content or subject.
Learning Styles – approaches to assessment or instruction emphasizing the variations in temperament, attitude, and preferred manner of tackling a task. Typically considered are styles along the active/passive, reflective/impulsive, or verbal/spatial dimensions.
Least Intrusive Physical Skills – safely matching the intervention to the circumstances of the crisis from the least intrusive to most restrictive non-harmful techniques of physically restraining a student.
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) – a learning plan that provides the most possible time in the regular classroom setting.
Limited English Proficient (LEP) – the term used by the federal government, most states, and local school districts to identify those students who have insufficient English to succeed in English-only classrooms. Increasingly, English language learner (ELL) or English learner (EL) are used in place of LEP.
Listening Comprehension – understanding speech. Listening comprehension, as with reading comprehension, can be described in “levels” – lower levels of listening comprehension would include understanding only the facts explicitly stated in a spoken passage that has very simple syntax and more advanced vocabulary.
Local Education Agency (LEA) – a public board of education or other public authority within a state that maintains administrative control of public elementary or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district or other political subdivision of a state.
Major Life Activity – basic activities that the average person in the general population can perform with little or no difficulty, such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working.
Mechanical Restraint – is the use of any device or material attached or adjacent to the student’s body, which the student cannot easily remove, and that restricts freedom of movement or normal access to any portion of the student’s body. In the context of this discussion, Mechanical Restraint does not include a protective or stabilizing device ordered by a physician, or another apposite professional when it is used as prescribed or directed.
Mediation – a confidential, voluntary process that allows parties to resolve disputes without formal due process hearing. An impartial mediator helps the parties to express their views and positions and to understand the other’s views and positions. The mediator’s role is to facilitate discussion and help parties reach an agreement – not to recommend solutions or take positions or sides.
Mental Illness - the term, mental illness, refers to any illness or disorder that: has significant psychological or behavioral manifestations, is associated with painful or distressing symptoms, and impairs an individual’s level of functioning in certain areas of life. There are several different types of mental illness with differing levels of severity. The cause of mental illness is relatively unknown. Therapy and appropriate medication are the most common forms of treatment.
Mental Retardation – is a mental disability that limits the intellectual capacity of an individual. A person is considered to have mental retardation if: they are an IQ below 70, the condition is present before age 18, and limitations exist in two or more adaptive skill areas. The adaptive skill areas include: communication, self-care, home-living, social skills, leisure, health and safety, self-direction, functional academics, and employment.
Mentoring – is an educational process where the mentor serves as a role model, trusted counselor or teacher who provides opportunities for professional development, growth and support to less experienced individuals in career planning or employment settings. Individuals receive information, encouragement and advice as they plan their careers.
Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) – the school-based team responsible for implementing the procedures, including evaluations, necessary to determine eligibility if a student is suspected of having a disability. The MDT must include a person qualified to conduct an individual diagnostic examination (i.e., school psychologist) and at least one teacher or specialist in the area of the child’s suspected disability. When a learning disability is suspected, the team must also include the student’s general education teacher or a person qualified to teach students with learning disabilities.
Multi-sensory Learning – an instructional approach that combines auditory, visual, and tactile elements into a learning task. Tracing sandpaper numbers while saying a number fact aloud would be a multi-sensory learning activity.
Natural Supports – supports provided to an employee with a disability from supervisors and co-workers, such as mentoring, friendship, socializing at breaks or after work, providing feedback on job performance or learning a new skill together. These natural supports are particularly effective as they enhance the social integration of the employee with a disability with his or her co-worker and supervisor. In addition, natural supports are more permanent, part of the workplace and more readily available than paid job coaches, thereby facilitating long-term job retention.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) – the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The act contains President George W. Bush’s four basic education reform principles: stronger accountability for results, increased flexibility and local control, expanded options for parents, and an emphasis on teaching methods based on scientifically-based research.
Nonverbal Learning Disability – a neurological disorder which originates in the right hemisphere of the brain. Reception of non-verbal or performance based information governed by this hemisphere is impaired in varying degrees, causing problems with visual-spatial, intuitive, organizational, evaluative, and holistic processing functions.
Norm-referenced Assessment – a type of assessment that compares an individual child’s score against the scores of other children who have previously taken the same assessment. With a norm-referenced assessment, the child’s raw score can be converted to improve hand-eye coordination.
Occupational Therapy (OT) – a rehabilitative service to people with mental, physical, emotional, or developmental impairments. Services can include helping a student with pencil grip, physical exercises that may be used to increase strength and dexterity, or exercises to improve hand-eye coordination.
Paraplegic – is a paralysis of the legs and lower part of the body. Paraplegia often involves loss of sensation as well as loss of movement. It is usually caused by injury or disease in the lower spinal cord or brain disorders, such are cerebral palsy.
Perseveration – the tendency to or process of continuing an activity long beyond the time for which it makes any sense to do so.
Physical Escort – the touching or holding a student with a minimum use of contact for the purpose of directing movement from one place to another.
Physical Restraint – the use of physical force or a mechanical device to restrict the free movement of all or a portion of the student’s body. The holding of a student with any purpose other than providing safety and support is considered physical restraint. Physical restraint does not include briefly holding a student in order to calm or comfort the student; holding a student’s hand or arm to escort the student safely from one area to another; holding a child for a brief time in order to prevent an impulsive behavior that threatens the child’s immediate safety (i.e., running in front of a car); moving a disruptive student who is unwilling to leave an area or breaking up a fight in the school building or on school grounds.
Physical Therapy (PT) – instructional support and treatment of physical disabilities, under a doctor’s prescription, that helps a person improve the use of bones, muscles, joints and nerves.
Positive Behavior Interventions – procedures used to provide positive intervention whenever a student displays, or is likely to display, a targeted serious behavior problem. Positive Behavior Interventions are implemented as a part of a student’s Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP).
Positive Behavior Support (PBS) – the assessment and reengineering of environments so people with problem behaviors experience reductions in their problem behaviors and increase experience reductions in their problem behaviors and increase social, personal, and professional quality in their lives (Horner, 1999).
Positive Behavior Plan – the design, implementation, and evaluation of individual or group instructional and environmental modifications, including programs of behavioral instruction to produce significant improvements in behavior through skill acquisition and the reduction of problematic behavior.
Postsecondary Education – formal education or training beyond high school, including college, university, vocational school and trade school.
Pre-referral Process – a procedure in which special and regular teachers develop trial strategies to help a student showing difficulty in learning remain in the regular classroom.
Prior Written Notice – a written notice that the school must provide to the parents of a student with a disability within a reasonable time if they wish to:
· Evaluate the student
· Determine whether the student is eligible for special education services
· Change the student’s evaluation, educational placement or IEP
· Refuse the parents’ request to evaluate their child or change their child’s educational plan (IEP) or placement.
Progress Monitoring – a scientifically based practice used to assess students’ academic performance and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction. Progress monitoring can be implemented with individual students or an entire class.
Quadriplegia – is the paralysis of all four limbs (see paraplegia).
Qualified Individual with a Disability – an individual with a disability who satisfies the requisite skill, experience, education and other job-related requirements of the employment position such individual holds or desires, and who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of such position.
Reasonable Accommodation – (1) modification or adjustment to a job application process that enables a qualified applicant with a disability to be considered for the position; (2) modifications or adjustments to the work environment, or to the manner of circumstances under which a position held or desired is customarily performed, that enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of that position; or (3) modifications or adjustments that enable an employee with a disability to enjoy the same benefits and privileges of employment as similarly situated employees without disabilities.
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 – Federal legislation that se up grant programs for vocational rehabilitation, supported employment, independent living and client assistance. The Rehabilitative Services Administration in the Department of Education oversees programs created by the Act.
Receptive Language – language that is spoken or written by others and received by the learner; listening and reading.
Related Services – supportive services that are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education. Related services included transportation, developmental and corrective services, speech-language pathology and audiology services, interpreting services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation (including therapeutic recreation), counseling services (including rehabilitation counseling), orientation and mobility services, and medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes. Related services also include school health services, school nurse services designed to enable a child with a disability to receive a free appropriate public education as described in the child’s IEP, social work services in schools, and parent counseling and training.
Response-to-Intervention (RTI) – a comprehensive, multi-step process that closely monitors how the student is responding to different types of services and instruction.
Resolution Session – a mandatory meeting that the school district must convene within 15 days of receiving the parents’ due process complaint. The resolution session includes parents members of the IEP team relevant to the complaint, and a representative of the school district who has decision-making authority.
Resource Program – a program model in which a student with LD in a regular classroom for most of each day, but also receives regularly scheduled individual services in a specialized LD resources classroom.
Response to Intervention (RTI) – under IDEA 2004, school districts can use this model (also called the Three-Tiered Model) as an alternative to the discrepancy model to determine whether a student has a learning disability.
Scaffolding – a way of teaching in which the teacher provides support in the form of modeling, prompts, direct explanations, and targeted questions – offering a teacher-guided approach at first. As students begin to acquire mastery of targeted objectives, direct supports are reduced ad the learning becomes more student-guided.
School Resource Officer (SRO) – a school based certified law enforcement officer whose primary responsibility is to maintain and enforce local, state and federal laws on the Public School campus. The SRO is specifically trained to perform three roles: law enforcement officer; law-related counselor; and law related education teacher.
Scientific, Research-based Instruction – curriculum and educational interventions that are research based and have been proven to be effective for most students.
Seclusion – the confinement of a student alone in a secured room or other space from which the student is physically prevented from leaving.
Section 504 – this section of the Rehabilitative Act of 1973 that establishes the policy that otherwise qualified handicapped persons may not be discriminated against in any federal or federally assisted program.
Seizure Disorder – see epilepsy.
Self-Advocacy – the development of specific skills and understandings that enable children and adults to explain their specific learning disabilities to others and cope positively with the attitudes of peers, parents, teachers, and employers.
Self-Monitoring – the mental act of knowing when one does and does not understand what one is reading.
Slow Learner – child or adult with a measured IQ from 70 to 80.
Spatial Orientation – refers to an awareness of self in space; this includes direction, position, distance, and the judging thereof.
Special Education (SPED) – services offered to children who possess one or more of the following disabilities: specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairments, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, multiple disabilities, hearing impairments, orthopedic impairments, visual impairments, autism, combined deafness and blindness, traumatic brain injury and other health impairments.
Specially Designed Instruction – ways that special education professionals adapt the content, methodology (approaches to teaching certain grade level content), or the delivery of instruction to address the unique needs that result from the child’s disability. Specially designed instruction should also ensure that the eligible child has access to the general curriculum so that he or she can meet the educational standards of the school district that apply to all children.
Specific Language Disability (SLD) – a severe difficulty in some aspect of listening, speaking, reading, writing, or spelling, while skills in the other areas are age-appropriate. Also called Specific Language Learning Disability (SLLD).
Specific Learning Disability – a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which disorder may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. The term does not include a learning problem that is primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of mental retardation, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural or economic disadvantage.
Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) – an expert who can help children and adolescents who have language disorders to understand and give directions, ask and answer questions, convey ideas, and improve the language skills that lead to better academic performance. An SLP can also counsel individuals and families to understand and deal with speech and language disorders.
Specific Learning Disability (SLD) – the official term used in federal legislation to refer to difficulty in certain areas of learning, rather than in areas of learning. Synonymous with learning disabilities.
Speech Impairments – the term, speech impairment, refers to disorders that impair an individual’s ability to verbally communicate. This could include the inability to speak, the inability to maintain a flow or rhythm of speech (e.g., dysfluency, or stuttering), or the inability to pronounce certain sounds. Speech impairments can be caused by hearing impairments, neurological disorders, mental retardations, or physical impairments such as cleft palate.
Spina Bifida – refers to an incomplete closure in the spinal column during prenatal development. There are three types of spina bifida: (1) spina bifida occulta is very common and is associated with an opening in one or more of the vertebrae, but no damage to the spinal cord, (2) meningocele is present when the protective covering around the spinal cord is pushed through an opening in the vertebrae, but the spinal cord remains intact, (3) myelomeningocele is the most severe form and occurs when the spinal cord protrudes through the back. The term, spina bifida, is most often used to indicated the most severe form of the disorder, myelomeningocele. I can cause weakness or paralysis below the area of protrusion as well as a loss of bowel and bladder control. Also, spina bifida is commonly associated with hydrocephalus.
State Complaint – a written complaint that can be filed by any organization or individual claiming that a school district within the state has either violated a requirement of Part B of IDEA (the part that contains all requirements regarding the delivery of special education services) or the state’s special education law or regulations. State complaints must be filed within one year of the alleged violation.
Summary of Performance – a summary of the student’s academic achievement and functional performance that includes recommendations to assist the student in meeting his or her post-secondary goals.
Supplemental Aids and Services – services offered to students from low-income families who are attending schools that have been identified as in need of improvement for two consecutive years. Parents can choose the appropriate services (tutoring, academic assistance, etc.) from a list of approved providers, which are paid for the by school district.
Supported Employment – supports that help people with severe disabilities (e.g., psychiatric, mental retardation, significant learning disabilities, and traumatic brain injury) find competitive work in an integrated setting where they might not otherwise be able to do so. The supports can include job coaches, transportation, assistive technology, specialized job training and individually tailored supervision.
Tactile-Kinesthetic – a term frequently used synonymously with “motor.” Combining the sensory impressing of touch and muscle movement.
Time-out – a behavior management technique in which a student, for a limited and specified time, is placed in an environment where access to positive reinforcement is unavailable. Time out should not be confused with seclusion because in a time-out setting a student’s movement is not physically restricted.
Title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 – Title of the law which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by the Federal government, Federal contractors, by recipients of Federal financial assistance, and in Federally-conducted programs and activities.
Token Economy - is a system of individual reinforcement of target behaviors in which tokens are administered and exchanged later for backup reinforcers. To be successful, a person must be reinforced for increasing or decreasing existing behavior as well as successive approximations of the behaviors we wish to establish.
Tourette Syndrome – is a genetic, neurological disorder characterized by repetitious, involuntary body movements and uncontrollable vocal sounds. Tourette syndrome is detected before age 18 and most commonly affects males. The majority of individuals with Tourette syndrome experience mild symptoms that do not impede them from performing their normal activities.
Transitions – commonly used to refer to the change from secondary school to post-secondary programs, work, and independent living typical of young adults. Also used to describe other periods of major change such as from early childhood to school or from more specialized to mainstreamed settings.
Undue Hardship – with respect to the provision of an accommodation, significant difficulty or expense incurred by a covered entity, when considered in light of certain factors. These factors include the nature and cost of the accommodation in relationship to the size, resource, nature and structure of the employer’s operation. Where the facility making the accommodation is part of a larger entity, the structure and overall resources of the larger organization would be considered, as well as the financial and administrative relationship of the employing facility to the larger organization.
Universal Screening – a step taken by school personnel early in the school year to determine which students are “at risk” for not meeting grade level standards. Universal screening can be accomplished by reviewing a student’s recent performance on state or district tests or by administering an academic screening to all students in a given grade. Students whose scores on the screening fall below a certain cut-off point are identified as needing continued progress monitoring and possibly more intensive interventions.
Visual Impairments – is an impairment of sight that cannot be corrected by glasses or contact lenses. This includes individuals with low vision as well as people who are legally blind.
Vocational Rehabilitation Agency – a publicly funded state agency that provides direct and indirect services to youth with disabilities as they transition from school to work, in order to maximize their employability, independence and integration into the workplace and the community.
Vocational Rehabilitation – programs deigned to help individuals with disabilities enter or reenter gainful employment.
(These terms are definitions were collected from the following sources: Dr. Jean Lokerson; ERIC Digest; Southwest Educational Laboratory (SEDL); Dr. Linda Willmshurst and Dr. Alan Brue, A Parent’s Guide to Special Education; American Management Association, 2005; The Partnership for Reading; Learning Disabilities Council; Dr. Don Deshler, University of Kansas; the U.S. Department of Labor; and Project REST (restraint, efficacy, safety and training).
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