What are all those letters?
As you participate in the special education process, you will encounter unfamiliar language and acronyms. The language is often referred to as “acronyms.” It may seem like a foreign language, but it is really just a language of initials. These initials are explained and defined in this booklet.
Often, during meetings, many of these terms and acronyms are used frequently, and it is assumed that everyone is familiar with the meaning. If you are in a meeting and this occurs, feel free to ask, “what does that term mean?”
ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act
ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder
ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
APE - Adapted Physical Education
APR - Annual Performance Report
ASHA - American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
ASL - American Sign Language
AT - Assistive Technology
AU - Autism
AYP - Adequate Yearly Progress
BD - Behavior Disorders
BIP - Behavioral Intervention Plan
CEC - Council for Exceptional Children
CD - Cognitive Delay
CP - Cerebral Palsy
DB - Deaf-Blindness
DD - Developmental Disability
DESE - Department of Elementary & Secondary Education state of Missouri
DOH - Department of Health
DSM-IV - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV
ED - Emotional Disturbance
EI - Early Intervention
ESY - Extended School Year
FAPE - Free Appropriate Public Education
FBA - Functional Behavior Assessment
FERPA - Family Education Rights and Privacy Act
HIPAA - Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act
HQT - Highly Qualified Teacher
IDEA- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IEP- Individual Education Program
IFSP - Individual Family Service Plan
IHCP - Individualized Health Care Plan
IQ - Intelligence Quotient
LD - Learning Disability
LEA - Local Education Agency
LEP - Limited English Proficiency
LRE - Least Restrictive Environment
NCLBA - No Child Left Behind Act
OCR - Office for Civil Rights
ODD - Oppositional Defiant Disorder
OHI - Other Health Impaired
OI - Orthopedic Impairment
OT - Occupational Therapy
PDD - Pervasive Development Disorders
PT - Physical Therapist
RtI - Responsiveness to Intervention
SI - Sensory Integration
SL - Speech Language
SLP - Speech Language Pathologist
TBI - Traumatic Brain Injury
TDD/TTY - Telecommunications Device for the Deaf
USDE - United States Department of Education
VI - Visual Impairment
VR - Vocational Rehabilitation
