14 Jun Sped-onyms
Special Education is filled with acronyms, which can be extremely difficult to decipher meaning from, especially when you are new to the IEP process. I often compare it to having a basic understanding of Spanish, and attempting to learn content spoken in Spanish in a high school chemistry class- near impossible! This first blog is to assist parents and teachers in not only identifying what all of these acronyms stand for, but to also give you a brief description of what they mean.
| Acronym | Stands for | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| IFSP | Individual Family Service Plan | An IFSP provides services to children with developmental delays between the ages of birth-3, once a child turns 3, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) may be put into place. |
| EI | Early Intervention | Early Intervention Services are provided for children who qualify for an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP), and may include speech, occupational therapy (OT), or specialized preschool programs. |
| IEP | Individualized Education Plan | A legally binding document written for students with disabilities that outlines, services, placement, goals, and accommodations specific to that individual child. |
| SST | Study Study Team | A group meeting to help identify solutions when a child is struggling academically and/or behaviorally (may occur before referral to special education). |
| APT | Assessment Planning Team | This team determines which assessments will be given to a child who has been referred for special education (all areas of suspected disability). |
| IDEA | Individuals with Disabilities Act | IDEA was renewed in 2004, and is the law that ensures that students with disabilities have access to early intervention, special education, and related services. |
| FBA | Functional Behavioral Assessment | This is a data collection process that is the backbone of a strong behavior intervention plan. It is conducted by a psychologist or behaviorist. |
| BIP | Behavior Intervention Plan | This plan outlines the specific steps used to reduce a difficult behavior and increase a more positive behavior. It looks at preventative ways to reduce behavior, as well as positive interventions. |
| ESY | Extended School Year | For many schools, ESY is the summer program, and there are a variety of ways to show your child requires this service be added to their IEP. |
| FAPE | Free and Appropriate Public Education | IDEA outlines that all students with disabilities have the right to FAPE, and thus can not be excluded from school. |
| LRE | Least Restricted Environment | One of the pillars of IDEA, states that students with disabilities should be educated, to the maximum extent possible, with their nondisabled peers. |
| RTI | Response to Intervention | RTI is a school-wide multi-tiered approach to support students with academic and behavioral needs. It uses high quality instruction, and data driven measures to identify struggle students, and to implement and monitor interventions to bridge the gap. |
| NPS | Non-public School | NPS are private schools, certified by the state, to educate students based on their IEP. |
| OHI | Other-Health Impaired | This is a category under which children can qualify for a disability and special education services. This category includes a variety of health-related needs including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), asthma, and Tourette’s Syndrome. |
| SLD | Specific Learning Disability | This is another IDEA category under which children can qualify for special education. Children may have a SLD in math, reading, or writing, and involves a processing disorder that impacts their ability to read, write, spell or do math. This category includes dyslexia. |
Colleen Arnold
Posted at 13:14h, 15 JuneThere are so many more acronyms that could be a part of this post! We are considering a follow up, so what terms are you hearing that need further explanation? Post your comments here and we will consider them for part 2 of this post.