Learn the Lingo

IDEA: Individuals with disabilities education act

• only addresses needs of students with disabilities in schools

AAIDD: American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

WISC: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

• often used to determine whether a student qualifies under a disability category; this method is very limited

ASD: Autism Spectrum Disorders

• affects “verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction...that adversely affects a child’s educational performance”

AS: Aspergers, a specific disability of ASD

CP: Cerebral Palsy

• “a disorder of movement and posture that is caused by a non-progressive abnormality of the immature brain”
• includes spasticity, athetosis, ataxia, rigidity

TBI: Traumatic Brain Injury

ASD: Autism Spectrum Disorders

SLI: Speech or Language Impairment

DD: Developmental Delay

ADD: Attention Deficit Disorder

PT: Physical Therapist

RTI: Response to Intervention

• An early prevention method that gives students who might need special education of some kind early help in younger grades to see if they can avoid needing to receive special services

OT: Occupational Therapist

• includes “helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes.” Here. Helps provide adaptive equipment.

IEP: Individualized Education Program

• must include: current functioning levels; annual goals; how progress toward goal will be measured;services to be provided; explanation of extent that student will be removed from general ed classroom (if at all); and statements of any needed accommodations of high stakes testing (Smith et. al., 35)

ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act

• applies to people with disabilities of all ages and at all times in life (education, employment, and accessing public places); section 504 does this as well

ADAA: Anxiety and Depression Association of America

RTI: Response to Intervention

• before students are evaluated for special education services, other accommodations are provided to see if any difficulties can be resolved without going further

FAPE: Free and Appropriate Public Education

UDL: Universally Designed Learning

DI: Differentiated Instruction

ABA: Applied Behavioural Analysis

BIP: Behavioural Intervention Plan

AIM: Accessible Instructional Materials

Terms and Definitions

People/Person First Language

Describing students by who they are, not by any labels such as disabilities. Ex, saying “Susie wears glasses” instead of “Susie has a problem seeing” or “my visually impaired student.” Focuses on needs and strengths, avoids using words that generate pity or negative feelings. ex, suffers from, is a victim of, afflicted with, etc.

Laws and Policies

IDEA: Individuals with disabilities education act (2004)

Originally passed as Public Law 94-142 in 1978. Increased number of students receiving special education services, increased number of students with disabilities included in the general education classroom, and increased funding for special education services. (Smith et. al., 23).