It’s All Greek to Me

You may be new to this world of special needs, therapy, clinics, therapy providers, and school programming. It is overwhelming to learn all the new terms and acronyms that are now a part of your life. Here is a quick reference list for some terms you may be unfamiliar with.

Education Based Terms:
IEP- Individualized Educational Plan
IFSP- Individualized Family Service Plan
LEA- Local Education Agency- School District
504 (plan)- Ensures a child who has a disability and is attending school receives accommodations that ensure their academic success.
IDEA- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act- purpose is to provide Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to children with disabilities.
EI- Early Intervention/Interventionist

Testing Terms:
Standard Score- Value is given from a standardized test. Tells where a score falls in the normal distribution of scores.
Bell Curve- Curve that is used to help interpret test scores and performance.
Standard Deviation- Provides information about the dispersion of scores.
Age Equivalent- The age at which the test performance indicates the individual is performing at.
Percentile Rank- The percentage of scores in its distribution that are equal to or lower than the score presented.
Severity Rating- Within Normal Limits (WNL), Mild, Moderate, Severe.

Speech- Language Terms:
SLP- Speech-Language Pathologist
CCC- Certificate of Clinical Competence. Given by the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association.
CFY- Clinical Fellowship Year. This is a nine-month period (if someone is working full time)where someone with their CCC’s must supervise them before they can get their CCC’s.
SLP-A- Speech-Language Pathology- Assistant.
Articulation- The formation of clear and distinct sounds for speech.
Receptive Language- The language that a child understands.
Expressive Language- The language that a child uses.
Pragmatic Language- The social language skills we use in our interactions with others.
RTI- Response to Intervention
AAC- Augmentative and Alternative Communication
ASL- American Sign language
Phonemes- Speech Sounds

Occupational Therapy Terms:
OT- Occupational Therapy/ Therapist
COTA- Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant
SI (Therapy)- Sensory Integration- Aims to help kids with sensory processing issues by exposing them to sensory stimulation in a structured and repetitive way.
Sensory Diet- A group of activities that are scheduled into a child’s day to assist with arousal and adaptive responses.
Vestibular System- responsible for the sensation of any change in position, direction, or movement of the head.
Proprioception- The ability to sense the orientation of your body in your environment.

Physical Therapy Terms:
PT- Physical Therapy/Therapist
PTA- Physical Therapy Assistant
ROM- Range of Motion
Gait- Describes a person’s manner of walking
UE- Upper Extremities
LE- Lower Extremities
DME- Durable Medical Equipment

Behavior Therapy Terms:
ABA- Applied Behavior Analysis
BCBA- Board Certified Behavior Analyst
RBT- Registered Behavior Technician
Discrete Trials- Method of teaching in simplified and structured steps
FBA- Functional Behavior Assessment

Feeding Therapy Terms:
SOS- Sequential Oral Sensory Approach
Food Chaining- Approach of adding new foods based on foods a child currently eats.

Medical Terms:
Developmental Pediatrician – A pediatrician with advanced training in working with kids with developmental needs.
Habilitative vs. Rehabilitative – Habilitative therapy seeks to teach skills or functions that patients are incapable of developing on their own. Rehabilitative therapy seeks to help a patient regain skills that have been lost from an accident or injury.
POC- Plan of care