Quick Reference Guide for Acronyms and Abbreviations
AAC = Alternative Augmentative Communication
ABA = Applied Behavioral Analysis
ADA = Americans with Disabilities Act
ADHD = Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (note: ADD is an outdated term)
ADLs = Activities of Daily Living
APE = Adaptive Physical Education
ASD = Autism Spectrum Disorders
ASL = American Sign Language
AT = Assistive Technology
AYP = Adequate Yearly Progress
BD = Behavioral Disorder
BIP = Behavioral Intervention Plan
BOE = Board of Education
CBM = Curriculum Based Measure
CD = Cognitive Delay
CF = Cystic Fibrosis
COTA = Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant
CP = Cerebral Palsy
CST = Child Study Team
DB = Deaf-Blind
DD = Developmental Delay
DOE = Department of Education
DoH = Department of Health
DPH = Due Process Hearing Officer
DS = Down Syndrome
DSM-5= Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association
ECE = Early Childhood Education
EBD = Emotional & Behavioral Disorder
EHDI = Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program
EI = Early Intervention
ESD = Extended School Day
ESEA = Elementary and Secondary Education Act
ESL = English as a Second Language
ESY = Extended School Year
FAPE = Free Appropriate Public Education
FAS = Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
FBA = Functional Behavioral Assessment
FERPA = Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
FM = Focused Monitoring
GE = General Education
GT = Gifted and Talented
HI = Hearing Impaired
IA = Instructional Assistant
ID = Intellectual Disabilities
IDEA = Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IEP= Individualized Education Program
IFSP= Individualized Family Service Plan
IQ = Intelligence Quotient
ITP = Individualized Transition Plan
LD = Learning Disability
LEA= Local Education Agency
LRE = Least Restrictive Environment
MD = Muscular Dystrophy
MD = Multiple Disabilities
NEA = National Education Association
OCD = Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
ODD = Oppositional Defiant Disorder
OHI = Other Health Impairment
OI = Orthopedic Impairment
O & M = Orientation and Mobility Services
OT = Occupational Therapy
PALS = Peer-Assisted Learning System
PARCC = Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers
Part B= Special Education School-Aged Children (age 3 up to 22 years)
Part C = Special Education – Birth through 2 Years Old
PBIS = Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports
PLOP = Present Level of Performance
PT = Physical Therapy
RDA = Results-Driven Accountability
RS = Related Services
RTI = Response to Intervention
SAS = Supplementary Aids and Services
SB = Spina Bifida
SE = Special Education
Section 504 = Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
SED = Serious Emotional Disturbance
SI = Sensory Integration
SLD = Specific Learning Disability
SLI = Speech/Language Impairment
SLP = Speech/Language Pathologist
SSDI = Social Security Disability Income
SSI = Supplemental Security Income
TBI = Traumatic Brain Injury
TDD = Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf
TS = Tourette Syndrome
USDOE= United States Department of Education (Also referred to as “ED”)
VI = Visual Impairment
Voc Ed = Vocational Education
VR = Vocational Rehabilitation
