Special Education Acronyms

Key Special Education Acronyms + Meaning

Key =

  • Special Education Services and Related Services (blue)
  • Special Education 13 school eligibilities (green)
  • Special Education Laws (red)
  • School Placement (magenta)

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Click the letter to see acronyms that start with it.

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • AB
    Assembly Bill
  • ABA
    Applied Behavioral Analysis
  • ABC
    Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence
  • ACC
    Alternative Augmentative Communication
  • ADA
    Americans with Disabilities Act
  • ADD/ADHD
    Attention Deficit/Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • ADR
    Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • APE
    Adaptive Physical Education
  • APEIS
    Assistant Principal, Elementary Instructional Specialist
  • ASD
    Autism Spectrum Disorders
  • ASL
    American Sign Language
  • AT
    Assistive Technology
  • AUT
    Autism

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • BCaBA
    Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst
  • BCBA
    Board Certified Behavior Analyst
  • BCBA-D
    Board Certified Behavior Analyst – Doctoral
  • BD
    Behavior Disorder
  • BIC
    Behavior Intervention Consultation
  • BID
    Behavior Intervention Development
  • BII
    Behavior Intervention Implementation
  • BIP
    Behavioral Intervention Plan
  • BSP
    Behavior Support Plan
  • BTP
    Behavioral Treatment Plan

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • CAPD
    Central Auditory Processing Disorder
  • CAPTA
    Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
  • CBI
    Community Based Instructions
  • CAHSEE
    California High School Exit Exam
  • CDC
    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • CDE
    California Department of Education
  • CEC
    California Education Code
  • CEC
    Council for Exceptional Children
  • CF
    Cystic Fibrosis
  • CFR
    Code of Federal Regulations
  • CHIP
    Children’s Health Insurance Program
  • CIFMS
    Continuous Improvement and Focused Monitoring System
  • CMH
    County Mental Health
  • COP
    Community of Practice
  • CP
    Cerebral Palsy
  • CPIR
    Center for Parent Information and Resources (that’s us!)
  • CPRC
    Community Parent Resource Center
  • CPS
    Child Protective Services
  • CSB
    California School for the Blind
  • CSHCN
    Children with Special Health Care Needs
  • CSPD
    Comprehensive System of Personnel Development
  • CST
    Child Study Team
  • CST
    California Standards Test
  • CUM
    Cumulative File

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • DB
    Deaf-Blind
  • DCFS
    Department of Children and Family Services – Los Angeles County
  • DD
    Developmentally Delayed
  • DD Act
    Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act
  • DIBELS
    Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy
  • DHH
    Deaf and Hard of Hearing
  • DHS
    The Department of Health Services
  • DIS
    Designated Instruction and Services
  • DMH
    Department of Mental Health
  • DoDDS
    Department of Defense Dependent Schools
  • DOE
    The Department of Education of the State of California
  • DS
    Down Syndrome
  • DSM – 5
    Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association, 5th Edition
  • DSS
    The Department of Social Services
  • DTT
    Discrete Trial Training

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • ECE
    Early Childhood Education
  • ECSE
    Early Childhood Special Education
  • ED
    Emotional Disturbance
  • EDGAR
    Education Department General Administrative Regulations
  • EHA or EAHCA
    The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (now IDEA), or Public Law 94-142
  • EHDI
    Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program
  • EI
    Early Intervention
  • EIS
    Early Intervening Services
  • ELL
    English Language Learner
  • EMH
    Educable Mentally Handicapped **
  • EMR
    Educable Mentally Retarded **
  • EPSDT
    Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment
  • ERIC
    Education Resources Information Center
  • ERICS
    Counseling and Educationally Related Intensive Counseling Services
  • ESD
    Extended School Day
  • ESEA
    Elementary and Secondary Education Act (now called ESSA)
  • ESL
    English as a Second Language
  • ESSA
    Every Student Succeeds Act
  • ESY
    Extended School Year

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • FAA
    Functional Analysis Assessment
  • FAPE
    Free Appropriate Public Education
  • FAS
    Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
  • FBA
    Functional Behavioral Assessment
  • FC
    Facilitated Communication
  • FCT
    Functional Communication Training
  • FEOG
    Full Educational Opportunity Goal
  • FERPA
    Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
  • FOIA
    Freedom of Information Act

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • GARS – 3
    Gilliam Autism Rating Scale, 3rd Edition
  • GATE
    Gifted and Talented Education
  • GE
    General Education
  • GPRA
    Government Performance and Results Act

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • HI
    Hearing Impaired
  • HIPAA
    Health Insurance Portability + Accountability Act
  • HO
    Hearing Officer
  • HoH
    Hard of Hearing
  • HOUSSE
    High Objective Uniform State Standards of Evaluation
  • HQT
    Highly Qualified Teacher [Editor’s Note, January 2016: The definitions and requirements associated with the term “highly qualified teachers” has been deleted from both general and special education legislation as of December 2015. You may still hear this term, but it will soon be a relic left over from past legislation.]

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • IA
    Instructional Assistant
  • IAES
    Interim Alternative Educational Setting
  • ID
    Intellectual Disabilities (formerly Mental Retardation)
  • IDEA
    Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
  • IEE
    Individualized Educational Evaluation
  • IEP
    Individualized Education Program
  • IES
    Institute of Education Sciences
  • IFSP
    Individualized Family Service Plan
  • IHE
    Institution of Higher Education
  • IPP/ISP
    Individual Program Plan / Individual Support Plan
  • IT
    Itinerant Teacher
  • ITCA
    Infants and Toddlers Coordinators Association
  • ITP
    Individualized Transition Plan

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • LD
    Learning Disability
  • LEA
    Local Education Agency (school district)
  • LEP
    Limited English Proficiency (formerly ESL)
  • LRE
    Least Restrictive Environment

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • MD
    Muscular Dystrophy
  • MD
    Multiple Disabilities
  • MDR
    Manifestation Determination Review
  • MMR
    Mildly Mentally Retarded **
  • Mod MR
    Moderately Mentally Retarded **
  • MOU
    Memorandum of Understanding
  • MR
    Mental Retardation **
  • MS
    Multiple Sclerosis

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • NASDSE
    National Association of State Directors of Special Education
  • NCLB
    No Child Left Behind Act (Elementary and Secondary Education Act, reauthorized in 2015 as ESSA, Every Student Succeeds Act)
  • NIH
    National Institutes of Health
  • NIMAS
    National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard
  • NIMH
    National Institute of Mental Health
  • NPA
    Non Public Agency
  • NPS
    Non Public School
  • NPRM
    Notice of Proposed Rule Making

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • OCD
    Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  • OCR
    Office forCivil Rights
  • ODD
    Oppositional Defiant Disorder
  • OHI
    Other Health Impairment
  • OI
    Orthopedic Impairment
  • O & M
    Orientation and Mobility Services
  • OSEP
    Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education
  • OT
    Occupational Therapy

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • P & A
    Protection & Advocacy
  • PALS
    Peer-Assisted Learning System
  • PARCC
    Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers
  • PASS
    Plan for Achieving Self-Support
  • PBS
    Positive Behavioral Supports
  • PCA
    Personal Care Attendant
  • PD
    Physical Disability
  • PDD
    Pervasive Developmental Disorder
  • PE
    Physical Education
  • PECS
    Picture Exchange Communication System
  • PEI
    Spanish acronym for the Individualized Education Program (Plan Educativo Individualizado)
  • Perkins Act
    Carl Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act
  • PII
    Personally Identifiable Information
  • PKIT
    PreKinder Itinerant Teacher
  • PL
    Public Law
  • PLOP or PLP
    Present Level of of Performance
  • PP
    Paraprofessional
  • PRT
    Pivotal Response Training
  • PS
    Preschool
  • PT
    Physical Therapy
  • PTAC
    Parent Technical Assistance Center
  • PTI
    Parent Training and Information Center

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • RBT
    Registered Behavioral Technician
  • RDA
    Results-Driven Accountability
  • RFP
    Request for Proposals
  • RS
    Related Services
  • RSP
    Resource Specialist Program
  • RSY
    Regular School Year
  • RT
    Recreation Therapy
  • RTI
    Response to Intervention
  • RTTT
    Race to the Top Fund

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • §
    This symbol means “Section” as in “§ 300.7 Child with a disability” in the IDEA regulations
  • SAI
    Specialized Academic Instruction
  • SAS
    Supplementary Aids and Services
  • SB
    Spina Bifida
  • SB
    A Senate Bill of the California Legislature
  • SCHIP
    State Children’s Health Insurance Program
  • SDC
    Special Day Class
  • SEA
    State Education Agency
  • SEAC
    Special Education Advisory Committee
  • Section 504
    504 of the Rehabilitation Act
  • SELPA
    Special Education Local Plan Area
  • SI
    Sensory Integration
  • SIB
    Self-Injurious Behavior
  • SIG
    State Improvement Grant
  • SIMR
    State-Identified Measurable Results for Children with Disabilities
  • SIP
    State Implementation Plan
  • SLD
    Specific Learning Disability
  • SLI
    Speech or Language Impairment
  • SLP
    Speech and Language Pathologist
  • SPED
    Special Education
  • SPOA
    Specific Power of Attorney
  • SPP
    State Performance Plan
  • SSDI
    Social Security Disability Income
  • SSI
    Supplemental Security Income
  • SSIP
    State Systemic Improvement Plan
  • SST
    Student Study Team

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • TA & D
    Technical Assistance and Dissemination Network funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
  • TANF
    Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
  • TBI
    Traumatic Brain Injury
  • TBS
    Therapeutic Behavior Services
  • TDD
    Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf
  • TMH
    Trainable Mentally Handicapped **
  • TMR
    Trainable Mentally Retarded **
  • TS
    Tourette Syndrome
  • T-TA
    Training and Technical Assistance
  • TTY
    Teletypewriter (phone system for the deaf)
  • TWWIIA
    Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • VI
    Visual Impairment
  • Voc Ed
    Vocational Education
  • VR
    Vocational Rehabilitation

  • Acronym
    Meaning


  • WIC
    Women, Infants and Children (Special Supplemental Food Program)
  • WWC
    What Works Clearinghouse