As you participate in your child’s special education process, you may feel that everyone has started speaking a foreign language during meetings. While it may seem like a foreign language, it is a language of initials (acronyms). Acronyms are used often and it is assumed that everyone is familiar with the meaning. We put together a quick reference list in the hopes that it may bring more understanding and clarity.
Knowledge is power
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
BIA: Bureau of Indian Affairs
BIP: Behavioral Intervention Plan
CEC: Council on Exceptional Children
CD: Cognitive Delay
CHADD: Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder
CIFMP: Continuous Improvement and Focused Monitoring Process
COTA: Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant
CSPD: Comprehensive System of Personnel Development
CP: Cerebral Palsy
DB: Deaf-Blindness
DD: Developmental Disability
DOH: Department of Health
DPH: Due Process Hearing
DPHO: Due Process Hearing Officer
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
FM: Focused Monitoring
GT: Gifted and Talented
HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act
ICC: Interagency Coordinating Council
IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IEE: Individual Education Evaluation
IEP: Individual Education Program
IFSP: Individual Family Service Plan
IHCP: Individualized Health Care Plan
IQ: Intelligence Quotient
LA: Lead Agency
LD: Learning Disability
LEA: Local Education Agency
LEP: Limited English Proficiency
LRE: Least Restrictive Environment
NASDSE: National Association of State Directors of Special Education
NCLB: No Child Left Behind
NECTAC: National Early Childhood and Technical Assistance Center
OCR: Office for Civil Rights
ODD: Oppositional Defiant Disorder
OHI: Other Health Impaired
OI: Orthopedic Impairment
O&M: Orientation and Mobility
OSEP: Office of Special Education Programs
OSERS: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services
OT: Occupational Therapy
P&A: Protection and Advocacy
Part B: Special Education—School-Aged Children
Part C: Special Education—Birth–Two Years Old
PDD: Pervasive Development Disorders
PLP: Present Levels of Educational Performance
PT: Physical Therapist
PTIC: Parent Training and Information Center
RRC: Regional Resource Center
SA: Self-Assessment
SAT: Student Assistance Team
SEA: State Education Agency
SEAP: State Special Education Advisory Panel
SI: Sensory Integration
SIG: State Improvement Grant
SIP: State Improvement Plan
SL: Speech Language
SLP: Speech Language Pathologist
STO: Short Term Objective
TAT: Teacher Assistance Team
TBI: Traumatic Brain Injury
TDD/TTY: Telecommunications Device for the Deaf
USDE: United States Department of Education
VI: Visual Impairment
VR: Vocational Rehabilitation