Acronyms for Special Education

Special education deals with children that have special needs. This includes children who are above or below the average of the population. It includes physical and learning disabilities, development, behavioral, and emotional disorders, and gifted and/or talented children.

A List of Acronyms

The following acronyms for special education are used to represent various abilities and are used in the evaluation process.

• ADD Attention Deficit Disorder: A child who has this neurobiological disorder will have difficulties with self-control and in paying attention. He or she will also exhibit inappropriate behavior at times.
• ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A child with this disorder will have the same problems as one with ADD, but is also hyperactive.  
• AU Autism: This disability is developmental in nature and affects the way the child interacts with his or her environment verbally and non-verbally. 
• BD Behavior Disorders: This covers inappropriate behaviors and difficulties with social interactions that interfere with learning. 
• CD Cognitive Delay: A child with cognitive delay is performing intellectually below the norm which impacts his or her education.
• CP Cerebral Palsy: A child with CP has loss of control over bodily movement. It is caused by abnormal brain development or injury. 
• DD Developmental Disability: This means the child acquires skills slower than his or her peers. 
• ED Emotional Disturbance: An emotionally disturbed child has trouble with learning, social interactions, and exhibiting appropriate behavior. He or she is often depressed and fearful.  
• GT Gifted and Talented: This is a child whose abilities are above average intellectually.
• LD Learning Disability: LD is a disorder of one or more of the psychological processes that are needed to speak, write, listen, do mathematical calculations, etc.
• ODD Oppositional Defiant Disorder: The ODD child is strong-willed, defiant and anti-social.
• OHI Other Health Impaired: This covers health problems that affect the child’s school performance.  
• OI Orthopedic Impairment: OI covers any orthopedic impairment that impedes a child’s education.
• PDD Pervasive Development Disorders: A few disorders under this category are autism, Asperger’s syndrome, Rett Syndrome, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder.
• TBI Traumatic Brain Injury: This is injury to the brain that results in mental, physical, or behavioral changes.
• VI Visual Impairment: This is simply visual impairment that affects school performance.

Paperwork Acroynms

There are several acronyms for special education that are used in the paperwork involved in the assessment and placement of children with special needs.  Following are some of the most used acronyms.  

• APR Annual Performance Report: This as a yearly report that covers the student’s progress that is sent to the US Department of Education for monitoring purposes. 
• AYP Adequate Yearly Progress: These are standards established by state education departments covering the amount of progress a student should make in a given year. 
• BIP Behavioral Intervention Plan: This is an individual plan to help modify a student’s behavior that is positive in nature.  
• EI Early Intervention: These are services geared to children who show a risk or signs of development delay who are age three or below. 
• IEE Individual Education Evaluation: This is an independent evaluation of a student’s abilities, conducted by a non-school employee.
• IEP Individual Education Program: This is a plan tailored to the student’s needs according to his or her abilities. It lists the goals, timelines, and services that will be administered among other things. It is usually developed by a committee of teachers and other professionals. 
• LRE Least Restrictive Environment: This means that the special needs student will be put in a classroom environment with the least amount of restrictions according to the student’s needs.
• PLEP Present Levels of Educational Performance: This is a statement of the student’s current level of functioning and includes his or her academic strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. It is part of the IEP.