Terminology
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T V W X
Abduction - Movement of a limb outward from the body. Usually used in relation to a shoulder or hip.
Abruptio placenta - Premature detachment of a normally situated placenta.
Accessible - A building or classroom that is designed to accommodate students who are disabled (e.g., wheelchair accessible).
Accountable - Responsible for or to someone.
Achievement Test - A test that measures the extent to which students have acquired certain information or learned how to do something, usually because they have been taught.
Acute - Sudden and not long lasting. An acute illness is one that starts suddenly and lasts a short time. It is the opposite of chronic.
Adaptation - change or changes to better fit a specific child or local area. A seat may be adapted by the addition of straps and pads to better support the body.
Adapted - Changed, altered, or adjusted to meet a student's unique needs (e.g., curriculum, materials, equipment, toys, activities, classroom environment).
Adapted Physical Education - Physical education that is designed to be safe and successful for students with disabilities; ideally taught by a certified adapted physical education teacher.
Adaptive Behavior - The degree to which a student meets the standards of social responsibility and personal independence expected for his/her age and culture, e.g., applying basic academic and social skills in daily life activities.
Adduction - Movement of a limb toward the midline of the body. Usually used in relation to shoulder or hip.
Advocate - A person knowledgeable about disability issues and procedures who takes action to help a child with disabilities; an advocate can be a parent of a child with disabilities or a professional.
Affect - Related to feelings.
Aid - An assistive or corrective device, such as hearing aids.
Aide - See: Paraprofessional and Teaching Assistant.
Akinetic - A form of seizure associated with a sudden loss of muscle tone.
Amendment - A revision or change made in a law.
Ambulatory - Able to walk.
Amniotic fluid - Fluid that surrounds and protects the developing fetus; this fluid is sampled through amniocentesis.
Anemia - Disorder in which the blood has either too few red blood cells or too little hemoglobin.
Anencephaly - Malformation of the brain; area above the brain stem is not formed; incompatible with prolonged survival.
Annual Case Review - The case conference held at the end of the school year, usually in the spring, to review and revise the IEP and to discuss placement for next year; also called annual case conference.
Annual Goal - What a student can be expected to accomplish within a 12 month period (educational goal).
Anoxia - Lack of oxygen in body tissues.
Anterior fontanel - The membrane-covered space on the top of the head; also called the soft spot. It generally closes over by 18 months of age.
Antibiotic - A medicine that fights infections caused by bacteria. Penicillin and tetracycline are antibiotics.
Anticonvulsant - Any medication used to control seizures.
Aphasia - Loss of the ability for expressive or receptive language; often due to tramatic injury or stroke.
Apnea - Episodic cessation of breathing.
Appropriate - Able to meet the need; suitable or fitting.
Aptitude Test - A test to measure a student's ability to learn in some particular area, like music or mechanics.
Architectural barrier - Any feature of construction or design of a building or room which impedes mobility of people with disabilities.
Arthritis - Pain and inflammation in one or several joints of the body such as the knees, elbows, or hips.
Articulation - Speaking; disorders of articulation are shown in omissions (leaving out sounds), substitutions (teef for teeth), distortions (lisping) or additions (pulay for play).
Asphyxia - Interference with circulation and oxygenation of the blood that leads to loss of consciousness and possible brain damage.
Assessment - Gathering information about the strengths and needs of a student to determine the level of functioning and learning characteristics (learning needs).
Assessment Team - A group of professionals representing different areas of expertise, who observe and test a child to find out his strengths and weaknesses (e.g., psychologist, speech/language therapist, physical therapist, special education teacher).
Assistive Technology - Any device, piece of equipment, or apparatus designed to help a child compensate for an impairment (e.g., computer, voice synthesizer, Braille writer).
Asymmetrical - One side of the body different from the other (unequal).
At Risk - A term used with children who have, or could have, problems with their development that may affect later learning.
Ataxia - Marked loss of motor coordination. A type of cerebral palsy in which the child has problems with balance.
Athetoid - Pertaining to repeated, involuntary, writhing movements most prominent in the hands.
Atonic - Loss of normal muscle tone.
Atresia - Congenital absence of a body part.
Atrophy - A progressive wasting or weakening of the muscles that comes from a problem in the nerves. Compare with dystrophy.
Audiogram - The record or graph of the findings of a child's hearing threshold levels (how well the child hears).
Audiologist - Audiologists specialize in the diagnostic evaluation of hearing. No child or baby is too young to have a hearing check.
Audiology - Services provided by an audiologist such as identification of hearing loss, hearing evaluations, consultation, determining need for amplification equipment.
Audiometer - Instrument for testing acuity of hearing.Auditory Perception - The ability to discern likenesses and differences in sound (auditory discrimination).
Augmentative Communication - An additional or alternative means of communicating (e.g., verbal communication paired with sign language, communication book/board, computer with voice synthesizer).
Aura, epileptic - Asubjective sensation that precedes and marks the onset of an epileptic seizure.
Autism - A disorder rendering the child noncommunicative and withdrawn.
Autosomal dominant trait - A genetic trait carried on the autosomes. The disorder appears when one of a pair of chromosomes contains the abnormal gene.
Autosomal recessive trait - A genetic trait carried on the autosomes. Both asymptomatic parents must carry the trait to produce an affected child, who must have two abnormal genes. Tay-Sachs disease is one example.
Autosome - Any of the first 22 pairs of chromosomes; all chromosomes are autosomes except for the two sex chromosomes.Aversive Behavior Management - Reacting to negative behavior in a punitive manner, e.g., time out, sit out, suspension, expulsion, exclusion, corporal punishment (spanking). See Nonaversive Behavior Management.
Babinski reflex - Extension of the big toe upon stimulation of the sole of the foot. This abnormal response is found in individuals with brain or nerve tract damage.
Behavior - A person's way of doing things; pattern of actions; the way a child acts, reacts, or relates to others, both positively and negatively.
Behavior Plan - A written, agreed upon method of dealing with a child's behavior; intended to decrease inappropriate behavior by increasing appropriate behavior.
Behavior Specialist - A person trained in behavior management.
Bilateral - Having two sides. A bilateral activity is one involving the simultaneous and identical use of both hands or both feet.
Birth defect - An abnormality of structure, function, or metabolism, whether genetically determined or the result of environmental interference during embryonic or fetal life. A birth defect may cause disease from the time of conception through birth, or later in life.
Bradycardia - Slowing of the heart rate, usually below 60 beats a minute.
Braille - A printed alphabet utilizing patterns of raised dots, which enables the blind to read with the sense of touch.
Case Conference - A formal meeting with the school to discuss a child's program and IEP, also called an IEP meeting.
Case Conference Committee - The persons who attend the case conference, including the parents.
Case Conference Coordinator - A representative of the special education department who conducts or facilitates the case conference meeting; the designee of the school.
Cataract - A clouding of the lens of the eye.
Causal Relationship - A direct relationship between the child's disability and the behavior he exhibits; behavior caused by, or a manifestation of, the child's disability; the case conference committee may determine, after reviewing all information, whether a child's behavior is caused by his disability.
Central nervous system - The portion of the nervous system that consists of the brain and spinal cord. It is primarily involved in voluntary movement and thought processes.
Cephalocaudal - From the head to tail; refers to neurological development that proceeds from the head downward.
Certified - Licensed or qualified.
Change in Placement - Change of program, change of label; expulsion from school.
Child Advocacy - A movement of local and national organizations committeed to protecting and expanding the civil rights of children with disabilities.
Chronic - Continuing over a long period of time, or frequently returning. A chronic disease is one that lasts a long time. Compare with acute.
Chronological Age (CA) - A student's actual age by the calendar, usually given by year and month; birth date.
Classroom Aide - See Teaching Assistant.
Clonus - Alternate muscle contraction and relaxation in rapid succession.
Cognition - Intellectual activities as distinguished from feeling or willing.
Cognitive - A term that describes the process people use for remembering, reasoning, understanding, and using judgment; the ability to think and make sense out of what is seen, heard, felt, and experienced, in order to solve problems.
Collaborate - To work together.
Communication - The ability to make understood wants and needs using verbal language, sign language, gestures, facial expression, computers, or a combination of methods.
Complainable Issue - A technical violation of the law.
Complaint - A procedure followed when services or programs are not provided, as outlined in the IEP (e.g., therapy, instruction, transportation); a technical violation of the law.
Compliance - Adhering to, abiding by.
Congenital - Present at or before birth.
Consent - When a parent has been informed, understands, and voluntarily grants permission (e.g., for placement, evaluation).Contracted Services - Services purchased from or provided by a person or agency outside the public school (e.g., psychological, therapy or transportation services).
Convulsion - A seizure; it most commonly involves a series of involuntary contractions of voluntary muscles.
Cornea - The transparent, dome-like covering of the iris (the colored part of the eye).
Corpus callosum - The bridge of white matter connecting the two cerebral hemispheres in the brain.
Cortex - The gray matter that lies at the outer portion of the cerebrum.
Counseling - Advice or help provided by a person qualified to give such advice or help (often psychological counseling).
Criteria - Standards or guidelines.
Criterion-Referenced Tests - Tests which do not produce a number or quotient, but show what a student can or cannot do. It compares a child, not to other children, but to a set of standards or criteria; tests to measure a child's own progress within himself.
Cross-Categorical/Cross Grade - Refers to a classroom composed of students with two different handicapping conditions.Curriculum - A course of study; what is taught in the classroom.
Department of Human Resources (DHR) - A department of the Indiana state government that includes the major human services programs (e.g., mental health, mental retardation, substance abuse, health services).
Designee - Acting on behalf of; the representative of the school or special education department (the case conference coordinator may be the designee of the director of special education; the director of special education may be the designee of the superintendent).
Development - Stages of growth from infancy on up, observable in sequential steps (rolling over, sitting up, standing, walking, talking); development is generally measured in the following areas: fine motor, gross motor, cognitive, self-help, social-emotional, language (expressive and receptive).
Developmental - Hving to do with steps or stages in growth and development.
Developmental Age Level - The age at which a particular skill typically emerges (in the stages of development).
Developmental Delay - A delay in the appearance of some steps or phases of growth and development.
Developmental Disability - The law defines a developmental disability as a severe, chronic disability of a person which: (A) is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of mental and physical impairments; (B) is manifested before the person attains age twenty-two; (C) is likely to continue indefinitely; (D) results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activity: (i) self-care, (ii) receptive and expressive language, (iii) learning, (iv) mobility, (v) self-direction, (vi) capacity for independent living, and (vii) economic self-sufficiency; and (E) reflects the person's need for a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, or generic care, treatment, or other services which are of lifelong or extended duration and are individually planned and coordinated.
Developmental Evaluation Center (DEC) - A statewide network of regional centers which are part of the Division of Health Services in the Department of Human Resources. The purpose is to provide interdisciplinary and specialized diagnostic services for children with known or suspected developmental disabilities.
Developmental History - The recorded developmental progress of a child (ages birth to 18 years) in such skills as sitting, walking or talking.
Developmental Tests - Tests that measure a child's development as it compares to the development of all other children at that age.
Diagnosis - The study of the nature of a disorder, its origin, development, and symptoms; also the identification of a disorder by such procedure.
Diagnostic Test - Tests which diagnose or locate areas of weakness and strength; there are diagnostic achievement tests which are used for skill subjects like reading, math, and spelling.
Diplegia - A term used to describe some cases of cerebral palsy: the legs are most affected, but often with some involvement of the arms.
Disability - A handicapping condition.
Dislocation - Damage to a joint; the bone ends have slipped out of their normal position. Dislocation can be from birth, from an accident, or from weakness and muscle imbalance.
Dissenting Opinion - To disagree (usually in writing); also called letter of dissent or written opinion.
DNA - Deoxyribonucleic acid. A fundamental component of living tissue; it contains the genetic code.
Dominant - Controlling or more skilled side of the brain or body.
Due Process - The procedure available to safeguard the rights of parents and children with respect to notification, evaluation, placement, individualized education program consent, examination of records, confidentiality, impartial hearings, appeal and civil actions.Due Process Hearing - A meeting or hearing with the public school and an independent hearing officer to resolve disagreements resulting from placement or evaluation decisions (called hearable issues).
Dyslexia - Neurological disorder characterized by visual-motor disturbances in reading. Impaired ability to read.
Dystrophy - Any disorder arising from defective or faulty nutrition, especially the muscular dystrophies.
Early Intervention Program - Programs or services designed for children with disabilities, or children considered at risk; usually for children from birth to age 2.
Echolalia - The automatic involuntary repetition of heard phrases and sentences.
Educable Mentally Handicapped (EMH)/Educable Mentally Retarded Person (EMR) - An individual whose general intellectual functioning and social adaptation is mildly impaired due to medical or social disability. IQ range 55-79.
Educational Evaluation - The procedures used to determine whether a child is disabled, and the nature and extent of special education and related services the child needs. See Psychological Evaluation.
Educational Records - Records maintained by the local public school on each child. See Permanent File.Educational Surrogate Parent - A person trained to advocate or speak up on behalf of a student in special education in the absence of the parent; must be trained and appointed by the public school corporation.
Educational Team - The persons responsible for implementing the IEP (e.g., special education teacher, teaching assistants, therapists, general education teacher, parents).
Eligible - Able to qualify; meeting certain requirements.
Emotional Disturbance (ED) - Socially or emotionally disturbed. A condition in which a person's adaptation and conformity to cultural and social demands presents a crisis, resulting in defiant behavior.
Epilepsy - The name given to a group of neurological diseases marked primarily by convulsions of varying forms and degrees.
Equilibrium - Balance.
Etiology - The study of causes or origins of a disease or condition.
Eustachian tube - The air canal connecting the throat cavity with the middle ear.
Evaluating - Analyzing a child's special learning needs.
Evaluation - Observations and study to find out how well something is working and where the problems are. A way of collecting information about a student's learning needs, strengths, and interests. See Educational Evaluation.
Exclusion - Removing or excluding a student with disabilities from school programs or activities (e.g., denial of recess, time out, sit out, removal from integrated classes).
Expressive Communication - The ability to communicate wants and needs; the ability to make oneself understood.
Expressive Language - The ability to communicate wants and needs; the ability to make oneself understood.
Expulsion - Discharged or removed from school.
Extension - The opposite of flexion or bending forward; bending backwards (except at the knee where flexion is bending the knee; extension is straightening the leg).
Fine motor - Refined, skilled movements which require the coordination of small muscle groups, such as hands and fingers to grasp; using the tongue and lips, toes. Speech, as well as many eye-hand activities (writing, bead-stringing, peg board) are fine motor tasks.
Flaccid - Paralysis with loss of muscle tone; weak, flabby and limp.
Flexion - Bending of elbows, hips, knees, etc.
Flexor - A muscle whose primary function is flexion at a joint.Fragile X - The most common inherited cause of genetic mental retardation and is associated with autism. It is a genetic disorder caused by mutation of the FMR1 gene on the X chromosome. Mutation in that site is found in one out of every 4,000 males and one out of every 6000 females.
Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) - One of the key requirements of Public Law 94-142, which requires that an education program be provided for all students (regardless of disability) without cost to families; the exact requirements of "appropriate" are not defined, but other references within the law imply the most "normal" setting possible.
Frustration Level - The level at which a child is tense, hesitates, makes many errors, and/or lacks confidence.
Function - The use or intent of a skill or activity being taught.
Functional - Useful; serving some purpose for day-to-day life. Exercise or therapy is functional when it is done as part of some useful activity.
Functional-Based Curriculum - Skills taught that are considered to be life-skills (feeding, dressing, reading sight words); learning skills needed to function in school, the home, or the community.
Functional Goal - A life-skill goal; a skill or activity that a child does for himself.
Gastrostomy - An operation in which an artificial opening is made into the stomach through the wall of the abdomen.
General Education - Regular education; educational services for students without disabilities.
Generalize - To transfer and use information and skills learned in one environment (e.g., school) to another environment (e.g., home or community). For example, is the child able to apply the same procedures used in the school cafeteria to a public cafeteria? Another example may be if a child masters buttoning using a "button board," can he use that skill to button his coat?
Genotype - The genetic composition of an individual, e.g., blood type.Goal (Educational) - The level of educational achievement accepted as reasonable and desirable within a specific time period; a long-term or annual goal.
Grand mal - A form of seizure in which there is a sudden loss of consciousness immediately followed by a generalized convulsion.Gross motor skills - Large muscle and body control and coordination; development of skills like head control, rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, and walking; movements which primarily require the larger, more proximal muscle groups. Gross motor activities are those motor tasks utilized in play and sports; e.g., running, jumping and hopping.
Handicapping Condition - A disability.
Hearable Issue - A disagreement about the identification, placement decision, or evaluation (label) which results in mediation or a due process hearing.
Hearing impaired - A hearing loss ranging from mild (hard of hearing) to profound (deaf), which interferes with the development of the communication process and/or results in failure to achieve full educational or functional potential.
Hearing Officer - Ther person who conducts the due process hearing.
Hematocrit - Percentage of red blood cells in whole blood, normally about 35-40%.
Hemiplegia - Paralysis of one lateral half of the body resulting from injury to motor centers of the brain.
Herpes virus - A virus leading to symptoms that range from cold sores to vaginal infections to encephalitis; also a cause of fetal malformations and sepsis in early infancy.
Heterozygote - A carrier of a recessive genetic disorder.Home Program - An education program provided in the child's home, residential placement, or hospital setting.
Home School - The local public school; the school your child would attend if not going to classes elsewhere.Hydrocephalus - A condition characterized by the abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid within the ventricles of the brain.
Hygiene - Actions or practices of personal cleanliness that protect health.
Hyperactivity - Constant and excessive movement and motor activity.
Hyperbilirubinemia - Excess of bilirubin in the blood, leads to jaundice or yellowing of the skin.Hypertelorism - Widely spaced eyes.
Hypoglycemia - Low blood sugar; often found in premature infants and infants of diabetic mothers.Hypotonia - Decreased muscle tone.
Hypoxia - Reducation of oxygen content in body tissues.
IEP - See Individualized Education Program
Impairment - A disability (e.g., hearing impairment, visual impairment, learning impairment, physical impairment); physical weakness or damage; a functional problem.Implement - Carry out; do.
In-service - Training provided for professionals and paraprofessionals.
In utero - Occurring during fetal development; inside the uterus or womb.
Inclusion - Including or accepting children with disabilities in regular school, programs, and activities in a meaningful way.
Independence (Level of) - A way of expressing a child's level of mastering activities based on the amount of direct adult supervision or instruction required; the ability to take care of one's personal needs; the ability to maneuver or move about the school, home, or community with or without adult support or supervision.
Independent Evaluation - An evaluation conducted by a professional outside the public school (e.g., private psychologist or therapist).
Individualized Education Program (IEP) - The written educational plan for a student with disabilities, developed by a team of professionals (teachers, therapists, etc.) and the child's parents, and implemented to provide specially designed instruction and related services in accordance with prerequisites of P.L. 94-142. See Case Conference.
Inhibition - Position and movements which stop or diminish abnormal patterns which interfere with normal movement.
Instructional Day - A day that school is in session (not counting holidays, breaks, in-service days, etc.).
Integrated Therapy - Therapy (e.g., occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech/language) services presented in the classroom setting.Integration - Including students with disabilities in typical educational and community settings with persons who are not disabled; includes physical location of classrooms as well as social interactions.
Intelligence Quotient (IQ) - The ability to learn from experience and apply this learning in the future to solve problems and make judgments; an intelligence quotient of 100 is usually considered average; IQ scores compare a person tested with a large number of persons of the same age.
Interruption of Service - Refers to a period of time (usually two weeks) that a therapist is not available to provide services as specified in the IEP (a complainable issue).
Intervener - A person with knowledge and skill in the mode of communication of a student with a dual-sensory impairment who can communicate to the student what is occurring in the educational setting.Intubation - The insertion of a tube through the nose or mouth into the trachea to provide artificial ventilation or breathing.
Jargon - Specialized language used in professional fields.
Jaundice - Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes caused by an accumulation of bilirubin in the blood. This condition is often foun in liver disease and Rh incompatibility; also called icterus.
Karyotype - Photograph of the chromosomal makeup of a cell; in a human, there are 23 pairs of chromosomes in a normal karyotype.
Label - The name given to a certain handicapping condition (e.g., communication disorder, mild mental handicap).
Language - The ability to understand and communicate; verbal and nonverbal expression using a formal symbol system of communication.
Learning Style - The way a person goes about learning.
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) - An educational setting or program that provides a student with disabilities the chance to work and play with students who are not disabled, while meeting the student's unique learning needs and physical requirements.Letter of Dissent - A written formal objection to something written into the IEP; a letter of dissent is included in the child's permanent file.
Life Skills - The skills necessary for successful living. They fall into 6 main areas: self, family job, community, leisure, and spirituality. Life Skills coaches are mainly employed in settings where people struggling with dysfunctional behaviors can be found.
Ligament - Tough strips or bands inside the body that hold joints and bones together. Ligaments join bones with other bones, while tendons or cords join bones with muscles.
Limb - An arm or leg.
Local Education Agency (LEA) - The local public school corporation.
Locomotor - Gross motor skills such as walking, running, jumping, and moving about.
Long-Term Goal - Annual goal; an IEP goal or skill expected to be mastered within a 12 month period.
Mainstreaming - Integrating a child with disabilities into a general classroom or school activities for a portion of the school day, with supports if needed, to allow him or her to interact, to the greatest extent possible, with peers who are not disabled.
Manipulatives - Objects used or handled by children (e.g., pegs, puzzle pieces, blocks).
Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) - The number of words per sentence.
Measurable Goal/Objective - A statement of what a person will be able to do in terms that can be documented (e.g., John will be able to write the first ten spelling words correctly in 5 minutes).
Mediation - A procedure designed to bring parents and school together to resolve hearable issues; provided free of charge by the Department of Education, Special Education Division.Mediator - A person trained in the mediation process.
Meninges - The three membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis is an infection of the meninges.
Mental Age (MA) - Refers to the score a student receives on an intelligence test; it compares his score to those of other children of the same age, given the same test. It is a function of IQ and chronological age.
Mental Retardation - Intellectual functioning defined in statistical terms as at least two standard deviations below the mean.
Microcephaly - A small head, defined in statistical terms as more than two standard deviations below the average size.Modality - An avenue of acquiring sensation; visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic, olfactory, and gustatory are the most common sense modalities. These are the senses of seeing, hearing, touching, movement, smell and taste.
Modification - Changes or adaptations in curriculum, materials, and/or activities to accommodate the needs of a child with disabilities.Monitor - To oversee a child's program to ensure that progress is being made and to suggest adaptations or modifications as needed.
Mosaicism - The presence of two genetically distinct types of cells in one individual; for example, a child with Down Syndrome who has some cells containing 46 chromosomes and some cells containing 47 chromosomes.
Motor Skills - Refers to the use of large and small muscles.
Multicategorical - Refers to a classroom designed to accommodate children with various handicapping conditions.Multidisciplinary - Refers to a team of professionals qualified to assess various areas of development; each professional evaluates the student separately, and each writes separate results and recommendations.
Music Therapist - Music Therapists plan, organize and conduct learning experiences using music. Music therapists may work with developmental centers, public schools, recreation departments or child care facilities.
Mutation - A change in the genetic material that occurs by chance; it can be passed on to future generations.
Myoclonic - Repetitive contractions of muscles. This occurs in infantile spasms.
Neural tube - The precursor of the spinal column in the fetus.Neurological - Pertaining to the normal and abnormal functions of the nervous system.
Neurotransmitter - A chemical released at the synapse that permits transmission of an impulse from one nerve cell to another.
Nonaversive Behavior Management - Nonpunitive strategies used to promote, encourage, and maintain positive behavior (e.g., reinforcing positive behavior, or ignoring negative behavior and redirecting to an appropriate activity).
Noncategorical - See Multicategorical.
Nonlocomotor - Bending, stretching, twisting, etc.
Nonverbal - Lack of oral or verbal communication skills; inability to talk.
Norm - Average.
Norm-Referenced Test - A test which compares a learner's performance to the average performance.
Objectives (Short-Term) - The small sequential steps listed in the IEP that will help a child learn a particular skill or reach a goal.
Occupational Therapist - Occupational Therapists receive training in the function of the musculoskeletal system, particularly the use of the arms and hands. OTs assist in the evaluation of fine motor skills in children with disabilities. They may also provide therapy and assistance in areas such as activities of daily living (eating, dressing), upper body strength, and adapting the environment for persons with disabilities.Occupational Therapy - A therapy or treatment provided by an occupational therapist that helps an individual's developmental or physical skills that will aid in daily living; it focuses on the use of hands and fingers, on coordination of movement, on self-help skills, such as dressing and eating, and sensory and perceptual-motor integration; it also includes the design and adaptation of materials, equipment, and environment.
Office for Civil Rights (OCR) - Enforces Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Ophthalmologist - Physician specializing in diseases of the eye.
Optometrist - Optometrists examine eyes for vision problems, diseases and other abnormal conditions, and perform tests for eye coordination and other functions. They also provide prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses.Oral Motor - The use of the tongue and lips for eating and/or speech.
Orientation Therapist for the Blind - Orientation Therapists provide assistance to persons who are newly blind. This may include training in activities of daily living, independent travelling, and using the telephone.Orthopedic - Aids, procedures, or surgery to help correct a physical deformity or disability.
Orthotist/Prosthetist - Orthotists assist in the provision of casts, braces and artificial limbs to persons with some physical disabilities. They work closely with physical therapists and physicians.
Paraplegia - Paralysis of the legs and lower part of the body.
Paraprofessional - According to the law, a person who works under the direct supervision of a professional (e.g., teaching assistant); also includes persons who provide noneducational services for children with disabilities (e.g., school bus monitor, lunchroom aide, restroom assistant).
Parent Advisory Council (PAC) - A group of persons representing special education (often parents, teachers and administrators) who meet to discuss issues relating to special education and who make recommendations to the director of special education.Parent - Refers to biological parents and those acting in place of the biological parents (grandparents, step-parents, legal guardians, and educational surrogate parents); foster parents may be trained as educational surrogate parents.
Parent Rights - A document, prepared by the local special education department, that contains information about the law, parent rights, and procedural safeguards, etc.
Peer - Of the same age; a child's peers are classmates of the same age.
Peer Tutor - A student, without disabilities, who assists students with disabilities (as a friend, advocate, or in instruction); also called "peer buddy." Peer tutors may be included in the IEP as a related service.
Percentile - A score which compares one student's performance with others taking the same test; e.g., if a child scores in the 80th percentile, it means that 80 percent of all children taking that test scored below that level and 20 percent scored higher.
Perception - The mental ability to understand by using the senses (hearing, seeing, smelling, touching, tasting).
Perceptual-Motor - Any voluntary movement, such as eating, walking and grasping, that relies on sensory input (touch, taste, smell, etc.).Performance Test - A test which requires the learner to manipulate or handle objects instead of using paper and pencil.
Permanent File - Educational records maintained on each student in public school.
Perseveration - Unnecessary repetition of movement, and/or speech.
Personal Autonomy - The tings children can do independently for themselves (feeding, dressing, toileting, bathing, preparing meals, etc.); self-care.Personally Identifiable Information - Refers to information about a child and family found in school records, such as last name, address, social security number, student number, personal characteristics, etc.
Petit mal - Epileptic seizure in which there may be only a momentary dizziness or blackout or some automatic action of which the patient has no knowledge.
Petition for Review - A procedure followed when parent or school disagrees with the decision of a hearing officer at a due process hearing.
Physical Education - Includes special physical education, adapted physical education, movement education, and motor development; also, the development of motor skills in aquatics, dance, sports, etc.
Physical Therapist - Physical Therapists receive training in the structure and function of joints and muscles. PTs assist in the evaluation of gross motor skills in children with disabilities. They may also provide therapy and assistance in areas such as walking or ambulation using assistive equipment, positioning, and adapting the environment for persons with disabilities.Physical Therapy (PT) - A therapy or treatment provided by a physical (under doctor's orders) that includes the use of massage, exercise, etc., to help the person improve the use of bones, muscles, joints, and nerves.
Placement - The program and/or therapy that is selected for a student with disabilities.
Placenta - The organ of nutritional interchange between the mother and the embryo; it has both maternal and embryonic portions. It is disc-shaped and about 7 inches in diameter. The umbilical cord attaches in the center of the placenta. The placenta is also called the afterbirth.
Placenta previa - Condition in which the placenta is implanted in the lower segment of the uterus extending over the cervical opening. This often leads to bleeding during labor.Plasticity - The ability of an organ or part of an organ to take over the function of another damaged organ.
Policy - Rules and regulations; the rules that an institution follows in providing services.
Positioning - Helping a person's body stay in healthy or helpful positions through special seating, padding, supports, or in other ways. Specific techniques for aligning the parts of the body to promote improved functions for gross and fine motor activities.
Postnatal - After birth.
Pre-Case Conference - An informal meeting with school personnel held after a student has been referred for an evaluation.
Pre-eclampsia - The combination of high blood pressure, protein in the urine, and edema that may occur in the third trimester of pregnancy, especially in teenagers and women over 35.Pre-Service - Training provided for professionals and paraprofessionals before the scohol year begins.
Prenatal - Occurring or existing before birth.
Prescription - Written authorization by a child's doctor for certain therapy treatment, such as physical therapy and voice therapy.
Present Levels - The things a student is doing at the present time; what a student can do now; also called present level of educational performance/functioning.
Private Therapy/Therapist - Any professional (therapist, tutor, psychologist, etc.) not connected with the public school system or with a public agency.
Procedural Safeguards - Recourse for parents who are in disagreement with decisions made at the local level (e.g., mediation, due process hearing, complaints, etc.).
Procedure - Some kind medical, surgical, or technical action. For example, casting, strapping, and surgery are 3 procedures for correcting a club foot.
Prognosis - A prediction or judgment concerning the course, duration, termination, and recovery from a pathological condition.Progressive - A progressive illness or disability is one that steadily gets worse and worse. For example, muscular dystrophy.
Pronation - Turning of the forearem so that the palm is down.Prone - Lying face down.
Prosthesis - The replacement of an absent part of the body by an artificial one.
Psycho-Social - The psychological (mental and emotional) development of a person in relation to his social environment (those around him).Psychological Evaluation - Covers a range of tests used for studying people and how they behave; may be intelligence tests, personality tests, or other tests.
Psychologist - A specialist in the field of psychology, usually having a Master's degree or Ph.D. in psychology.
Psychomotor - Pertaining to the motor effects of psychological processes. Psychomotor tests are of motor skills which depend upon sensory or perceptual motor coordination.
Public Agency - An agency, office, or organization that is supported by public funds and serves the community at large.Public Health Educator - A public Health Educator plans, organizes, and directs health education programs to meet with group and community needs. May be a good resource for information, materials and consultation.
Pulmonary - Pertaining to the lungs.
Quadriplegia - Paralysis of all four limbs.
Qualified Mental Retardation Professional (QMRP) - Those with professional experience in mental reatardation, such as educators, physical therapists, and physiologists.
Re-evaluation - Testing or evaluating a child again.
Readiness Test - A test that determines whether a child is "ready" or prepared academically for certain school tasks.
Receptive Language - The ability to attach meanings to words, based on experience.Reconvene - To meet again; to ask for another case conference.
Recourse - A next step; another plan or procedure to follow.
Recreation Therapist - A Recreation Therapist plans, organizes and directs medically approved recreation programs for persons in hospitals, institutions and community-based programs.
Referral - The procedure for asking that a child be tested to determine if special services are needed; a referral for evaluation.
Reflux - A backward flow, such as the flow of food from the stomach back into the esophagus.
Rehabilitation - The training procedures designed to give disabled persons the skills necessary for more normal social, vocational, and educational activities.
Related Services - Transportation and developmental, corrective, and other support services that a child with disabilities requires in order to benefit from public school education; examples of related services include audiology, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, counseling services, interpreters for the hearing impaired, medical services for diagnostic and evaluation purposes, and assistive technology.
Release Time - Time scheduled and documented in the IEP for a student to be out of school, such as for private therapy sessions.
Remedial - Training in a specific field, such as reading or mathematics, designed to remedy weak skills.
Respiratory Therapist - A Respiratory Therapist may assist in the care of children with chronic lung disease or cystic fibrosis or other conditions involving the function of the lungs.Rooting - A reflex in newborns that makes them turn their heads toward the breast or bottle to feed.
Scoliosis - Curvature of the spine.
Screening - An abbreviated or brief evaluation of a child to determine if a full or complete evaluation is necessary.
Self-care - The capacity to take care of personal needs; drinking from a cup, getting dressed, making choices, becoming independent; self-help.
Self-contained - A special education classroom; children spend all of their school day in this classroom.
Self-esteem - How persons feel about themselves (either positively or negatively).
Self-help skills - Behaviors of persons which enable them to care for themselves in the areas of feeding, dressing, bathing, and toileting.
Sensory - Pertaining to reception of stimuli through the senses of smell, sight, hearing, touch, and taste.
Sensory Integration - The neurological principle that sensory input (taste, touch, smell, etc.) is organized in a meaningful way by the brain. An occupational therapist may be of assistance in identifying sensory integration deficits and providing interventions.Sepsis - Bacterial infections spread throughout the bloodstream; also called blood poisoning.
Services/Service Delivery - The therapies, instruction, and/or treatment provided for a child with disabilities.
Severely and Profoundly Mentally Retarded Persons (SPMR) - Individuals whose general intellectual functioning and social adaptation are minimal. IQ range: below 30.
Sheltered Workshop - A production facility designed for workers with disabilities who have minimal vocational skills and which provides close supervision by specially trained personnel.Short-Term Objectives - See Objectives (Short-Term).
Shunt - A surgical passage between two blood vessels, two spaces, or two organs. An example is the ventriculo-peritoneal shunt used to drain cerebrospinal fluid in hydrocephalus.Social-Emotional - Growth in self-concept and social skills; from smiling when familiar faces come near to expressing feelings; self-esteem.
Social History - A child's recorded interactions with and responses to other people (e.g., family, relatives, caregivers, physicians, etc.).
Social Skills - How a child responds and interacts with others.
Spasticity - Excessive tension of the muscles and heightened resistance to flexion or extension characterized by hypertonicity, hyperactive deep reflexes and exaggerated contraction with stretching.
Special Education - Specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability.
Special Needs - A term used to describe a child who has a disability or is "at risk" for developing a disability, and who requires special services or treatment in order to progress.
Speech and Language Impaired - Communication disorders of impaired language, voice fluency or articulation to such a degree that academic achievement is affected and the condition is significantly handicapping to the affected person.
Speech/Language Pathologist (SLP) - Speech Language Pathologists or Speech Therapists provide evaluation and therapy in all areas of language and communication.
Speech/Language Therapy - A planned program to improve and correct speech and/or language or communication problems; communication therapy.Standardized Test - A test given to a group of students under uniform conditions (the same instructions, time limits, etc.).
State Education Agency (SEA) - The Indiana Department of Education.Status Quo - Remaining in the same placement; not changing.
Strabismus - Squint; deviation of the eye inward or outward due to eye muscle weakness.
Supination - Turning of forearm so that palm is up.
Supine - Lying on one's back.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Federal funds paid monthly to families who qualify financially and have a child documented to have developmental disabilities.
Supports - Whatever is required to assist a child in special education; supports may include assistive technology, adapted curriculum, full-time or part-time paraprofessional, personal aide.
Syndrome - A combination of physical traits or malformations that are inherited together and carry a similar prognosis.
Tactile - Pertaining to sense of touch.
Teaching Assistant - A person working under the supervision of a certified teacher; a member of the educational team.
Teratogen - An agent that causes malformations in a developing embryo.
Test Protocol - Written instructions on how a test must be administered and graded.
Time on Task - The amount of time a child will stay engaged in an activity.Timelines - A specified period of time; a time frame.
Tone/muscle tone - The amount of tension in a muscle. Can be normal, hypertonic (increased tone) or hypotonic (decreased tone).Tonic-clonic - Spasmodic alternation of muscle contraction and relaxation; characteristic of grand mal seizures.
Trainable Mentally Handicapped (TMH) - Usually refers to a school population of children who are moderately mentally retarded.
Trainable Mentally Retarded Person (TMR) - Individual whose general intellectual functioning and social adaptation are moderately limited. IQ range: 30-54.Transfer - Moving from (or to) a wheelchair to a bed, chair, cot, car seat, toilet, or floor.
Transition - Changing from one environment to another (e.g., changing schools); also moving from one activity to another within the classroom.
Trunk - The body, not including the head, neck, arms, and legs.
Violation - Contrary to or against the law.
Visual - Pertaining to the sense of sight.
Visual-Motor - Ability to coordinate the eyes with the movement of the hands and the process of thinking.
Visual Perception - Ability to discern likeness and differences in colors, shapes, objects, words (visual discrimination).
Visual Impairment (VI) - A vision deficit which requires assistance, adaptations, or modifications.Voice Disorder - Any deviation of pitch, intensity, quality or other basic verbal attributes which interferes with communication, is inappropriate to the age or sex of the speaker, or draws adverse attention to the speaker. May be organic or functional in nature.
Voice Therapy - Therapy by a speech/language pathologist to modify any aspect of the voice which interferes with communication, is inappropriate to the age or sex of the speaker or which draws adverse attention to the speaker.
Weight-bearing - Supporting the weight of the body on a particular joint or limb. For example, weight-bearing on the knee is possible if the strength of the thigh muxcle is good, but not if it is poor.
WIC - Women, Infants and Children, a federally-funded nutrition program; monitors health status and provides coupons to purchase nutritionally healthful foods.
X-linked recessive trait - A trait transmitted by a gene located on the x chromosome; also called sex-linked. It is passed from mother to son.