Education is nothing if not in love with using acronyms in place of real life words. Special education seems to be particularly fond of using the alphabet soup of acronyms. As I continue to write for Bella, no doubt some of these acronyms will crop up in my articles. I will always try to define any acronyms that I use, but I thought it might be good to start off with some of my favorites - these are terms that are used throughout the country. Let's begin shall we?

ADA: The Americans with Disabilities Act – this is not just for education, but addresses issues of access for all Americans with Disabilities
ADD/ADHD: Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (sometimes used to mean the same thing)
BIP: Behavioral Intervention Plan (written as formal plan to teach replacement behaviors identified through Functional Behavioral Assessment- these should be more than just “punishment plans: if the student does this……….the adult will do that……..)
CAP: Continuum of alternative placements - districts are required to offer a coninuum of placements from general education classroom to home/hospital or residential - the general education classroom is NOT always the least restrictive environment and districts must consider each student's unique needs for placement
DAA: Developmentally Appropriate Assessment (sometimes known as Out of Level testing – or when a 7th grade student takes a test made for 4th graders)
ECES: Early Childhood Education Services (0-6 year old services are included in ECES)
EBD: Emotional Behavioral Disorder (a term used to identify the educational diagnosis of Emotional Behavioral Disorder – this is NOT a medical or psychological diagnosis)
ELL: English Language Learner (used to identify students who are from families where English is not their primary language)
ESL: English as a Second Language (used to identify students who are from families where English is not their primary language)
ESY: Extended School Year (official term used for special education services that are offered beyond the traditional school year- summer school services that are necessary for the student to hold on to skills learned during school)
FAPE: Free Appropriate Public Education (the basic idea behind Special Education- all students have the right to a Free and Appropriate Public Education)
FBA: Functional Behavioral Assessment (a term used to describe a process or procedure that is conducted to determine what the child gains from behaving in certain ways, this assessment identifies what function the behavior plays in getting the child’s needs met, these functions can be attention, avoidance of people, situations or activities, access to items or activities, or for sensory gain- because it feels good in some way)
FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (the rules preventing the release of educational information)
HI: Hearing Impairment (impaired hearing – not deafness)
HIPPA: Health Insurance Portability and Privacy Act (the rules identifying and preventing the release of health information)
IAES: Interim Alternative Educational Setting (a term used to describe where a student will be educated if he/she has been removed from school due to disciplinary measures)
IEE: Independent Educational Evaluation (a term used when parents or school personnel question the results of an evaluation conducted by school personnel (or NOT conducted at all – and IEE is done by someone outside the education establishment and is often paid for by the district)
IDEA: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (the basic law outlining special education – changed to IDEiA July 2005)
IDEIA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004 the special education law that was passed in 2004 and became law in 2005-replaces IDEA)
IEP: Individual Education Program (the program designed for students with disabilities under the special education law, requires parent input in all phases)
IFSP: Individual Family Service Plan (the program designed for children under age 3 to provide for special education services to the child and support services to the family)
LD/SLD: Learning Disability/Specific Learning Disability (a term used to identify students as eligible for special education due to a severe difference (discrepancy) between what the student is doing academically and what would be expected of a student with his/her ability – this the called the discrepancy model. Another model that may be used to identify learning disabilities is documenting the lack of progress in relation to the amount of academic intervention provided - this model is called the Response to Intervention Model or the Problem Solving Model.)
LRE: Least Restrictive Environment (another basic idea of the special education law which states, ‘Students have the right to a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment” this is the basis behind the inclusion movement)
MR: Mental Retardation (an educational diagnosis identifying students whose IQ and adaptive behavior scores are significantly below average –when used by schools this is an educational diagnosis only – not a medical diagnosis)
OCR: The Office of Civil Rights in the Federal Department of Education (where complaints regarding access to education are sent – usually associated with Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act)
OHI: Other Health Impaired (a term to identify students who have health problems that rise to the level of special education – often used for ADD/ADHD)
OI: Orthopedic Impairment (used to describe students who have physical disabilities that require special education services)
ORS: Office of Rehabilitation Services (the governmental agency that oversees services and regulations for rehabilitation services)
OSEP: Office of Special Education Programs (governmental agency that oversees special education regulations and services across the country)
& M: Orientation and Mobility Services (services provided to students with blindness or severe visual impairments – refers to teaching them to navigate streets, hallways, stores, and use money, daily hygiene and eating utensils, canes and other adaptive equipment)
OT: Occupational Therapy (refers to services meant to increase functioning in fine motor skills, daily living, and some small motor skills necessary for working with equipment, tools or other equipment)
PLEP/PLOP: Present Levels of Educational Performance (the term used to identify what the student is capable of doing and what types of help the student may need in certain areas, this is required to be in the IEP and must reflect information found in the evaluation and assessment)
PT: Physical Therapy (services meant to increase functioning in large motor skills, wheelchairs, range of motion, walkers, toileting equipment, etc)
Section 504: Section 504 refers to a particular section of the Federal Rehabilitation Act
of 1973.Section 504 is there to assure that local schools provide reasonable accommodations for any individuals who may be shown to have a handicap in one or more of the major life activities. Major life activities include: caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, working, and learning. behalf of a student. Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 should not be confused with special education legislation, (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – IDEA) which provides special education services for students who meet specific criteria and have an IDEA related disability.
TBI: Traumatic Brain Injury (a term used to describe brain injuries that occur after birth)
VI: Visual Impairment (term describing visual problems that are not categorized as blindness)

Unfortunately, these are just some of the many acronyms used in the special education field. If I find more that are commonly used, you can bet I will let you know what they are. In the meantime, send me acronyms you have seen or heard and I’ll try my hardest to define them for you.