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Disclaimer:
The information on this website does not constitute legal advice. It is solely for
informational and educational purposes. It is not intended to be a legal
recommendation, nor should it substitute for obtaining legal counsel from your own
attorney. It may or may not represent the current law in your state or locality.
The information on this website does not constitute legal advice. It is solely for
informational and educational purposes. It is not intended to be a legal
recommendation, nor should it substitute for obtaining legal counsel from your own
attorney. It may or may not represent the current law in your state or locality.
| "Basic Training" Special Education Law Tutorial Program for Parents |
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* Student Manual
* Covers IDEA 2004,
IEPs, and Advocacy
Strategies
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Accommodation – methods of accomplishing tasks
differently from others due to a disability or impairment
Achievement test – a test that tracks a student’s level of
progress in academic subject matter (i.e. math, reading,
spelling)
Activity center – a non-residential day program where
adults with disabilities receive community skill and job
training
Adaptive behavior – the degree to which a person is able
to adapt to and apply skills in new environments with new
tasks, people and objects.
Adaptive physical education – a physical education
program that is modified to the specific needs of a student
with disabilities
Advocacy – acting on behalf of another person to create
change
Advocate – a person who acts on behalf of another
person to create change
Aged out (aging out) – term referring to disabled students
who have reached the maximum age limit stipulated in their
state to receive special education and related services
Amicus curiae – “friend of the court”; a person or
organization who is permitted to appear in court even
though he is not a party to the lawsuit
Annual goal – statement describing the projected growth
of a student’s skills written into the student’s annual IEP
Annual review – a yearly meeting held to review, discuss,
revise or develop a new
IEP
Appeal – a written request for a court to review or change
a hearing officer’s decision
Appropriate – regarding a free, “appropriate” public
education (FAPE) provided by IDEA, it refers to an IEP
that meets the individual and unique needs of a student with
disabilities
Aptitude test – a test that assesses a student’s potential in
a particular skill area (i.e. abstract thinking, spatial skills,
etc.)
Assessment – a method of collecting information about a
student’s learning needs, weaknesses, strengths, etc.
Assistive technology device- any item, piece of
equipment, or product system, whether acquired
commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is
used to increase, maintain, or improve functional
capabilities of a child with a disability (i.e. augmentative
communication boards, computer input devices, etc.)
Assistive technology service – any service that directly
assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition,
or use of an assistive technology device
At-risk – description of a child who is considered likely to
have challenges due to home life, medical difficulties at
birth, or other factors, and who may require early
intervention to prevent future challenges
Audiologist – a specialist who measures hearing levels and
hearing loss
Auditory discrimination – a child’s ability to identify and
distinguish among various speech sounds (i.e. the different
sound of the letter “o” in “hot” and “hope”)
Autism – a developmental disability affecting social
interaction and verbal/nonverbal communication; a
spectrum disorder
Behavior disorders – disorders distinguished by
disruptive behavior in home, school, and other
environments.
Behavioral intervention – a strategy employed to
influence a student’s actions
Behavioral observation – a methodical method of
observing, recording, and interpreting a student’s behavior
with the goal of obtaining a broad picture of the child’s
abilities and interests
Blindness – complete inability to see
Buckley Amendment – (a.k.a. Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act of 1974 [FERPA]) gives parents and
majority students (over 18) the right to see, revise, and
control access to school records
Career education – a series of activities intended to help
students attain the knowledge and skills to make work a
part of their life. The four phases are:
awareness/orientation, exploration, preparation, and job
placement/follow-up
Case law – law developed by courts
Child find – a state and local program required by IDEA
to identify children with disabilities between birth and
twenty-one and to guide them to appropriate early
intervention or educational programs
Child with a disability – a child with mental retardation,
hearing impairments (including deafness), speech or
language impairments, visual impairments (including
blindness), serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic
impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health
impairments, or specific learning disabilities, and who, by
reason thereof, needs special education and related services
Cognition – the process that people use to remembering,
reasoning, understanding and judgment
Communication disorder – any language and/or speech
impairment
Competitive employment – jobs that earn wages at the
going rate; either full-time or part-time
Complaint – the written action taken to notify a state
education agency that special education laws are not being
followed
Compliance file – school records containing all reports of
meetings, correspondence, and other parent-school
contacts
Confidential file – school records containing all materials
related to special education, and having restricted access
Confidentiality – term describing the limited access to a
child or family’s records to school personnel having direct
involvement with the child
Congenital – a condition present at birth
Consent – parental permission permitting school to act in a
way that affects a child’s education (parental consent is
required before evaluations are undertaken and services
are provided)
Contract services – special education services provided
to students by private service providers (hospitals, private
schools, therapists, institutions) when a particular school
system is unable to make available the needed services
Cumulative file – file containing report cards, teacher
reports, standardized achievement test scores, and other
student records
Deafness – a hearing impairment so significant that a child
cannot process sounds even with a hearing aid or other
auditory device
Deaf-blind – the blend of hearing and visual impairments
so significant that a student cannot be adequately serviced
in a program exclusively for deaf or blind children
Developmental – of or having to do with the stages in
growth between ages 0 and 18
Developmental delay – slower than typical development
of a child in one or multiple areas
Developmental disability – a mental and/or physical
disability which is present prior to the eighteenth birthday,
which significantly limits the child’s activities, is likely to
continue indefinitely, and needs life-long care, treatment, or
additional services (i.e. autism, cerebral palsy, Down
syndrome)
Disability – a condition that makes it difficult for a child to
learn or function like other students
Due process – a structure of procedures that guarantees a
student/parent will be notified of, and have the chance to
challenge, decisions made about the student
Due process hearing – a formal meeting conducted by an
impartial hearing officer to resolve special education
disputes between parents and schools
Early childhood – services and programs given to children
with disabilities aged 3 to 5
Early intervention - making available services and
programs to infants and toddlers (0-3) with disabilities to
minimize the affects of the disability as they mature
Educational diagnostician – a professional who is
qualified to conduct educational testing and to create
instructional programs for students
Eligibility – the determination that a child does or does
not qualify to receive early intervention or special education
services
Eligibility conference – a meeting held to determine,
review, terminate, or discuss changes in a student’s
eligibility for special education
Emotional disorders – disorders characterized by their
effect on a child’s emotional condition (i.e. depression, bi-
polar disorder, traumatic stress disorder)
Employability skills – personal traits and habits
necessary for successful employment (i.e. punctuality,
dependability)
Evaluation – the method of collecting data about a
student’s needs through tests, interviews and observations
with the student, the family and others
Expressive language – the ability to communicate
through gestures, augmentative communication, speech and
writing
Extended school year (ESY) – special education and
services provided during summer months to students
determined to need year-round services to receive an
appropriate education
Fine motor skills – small muscle body movement;
addressed by occupational therapy
Free appropriate public education (FAPE) – term used
in IDEA describing special education and related services
that
a.) have been provided at public expense, under
public supervision
and direction,
and without charge;
b.) meet the standards of the State educational agency;
c.) include an appropriate preschool, elementary, or
secondary
school education in the State involved; and
d.) are provided in conformity with the individualized
education
program required by IDEA.
General education diploma (GED) – process for
attaining a diploma for adults who did not complete high
school
Gross motor skills – large muscle body movement;
addressed by physical therapy
Guardian ad litem – a court-appointed guardian to
represent a minor
Habilitation – the process of assisting an individual to
develop certain skills and abilities to reach full potential in
independence and productivity
Hard-of-hearing – impaired hearing capable of correction
with a hearing aid
Hearing impaired – description of students who are deaf
and hard-of-hearing
Homebased services – early intervention services
provided in a child’s home
Homebound instruction – education instruction provided
in a student’s home when the student cannot attend school
for medical or other reasons
Impartial hearing officer – individual who presides over
a due process hearing; appointed by state, and not related
to either the student or school
Inclusion – providing necessary services and supports so
that children with disabilities can participate with their
nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate
Independent educational evaluation – an assessment of
a student performed by a professional not employed by the
school district
Independent living skills – basic life skills needed to
function independently (i.e. dressing, bathing, shopping,
using public transportation)
Individualized determination plan – a written plan for a
student who receives services, accommodations, and
modifications pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 (a.k.a. “504 Plan”)
Individualized education program (IEP) – a written
statement for each child with a disability that is developed,
reviewed, and revised in accordance with IDEA; includes
the student’s present levels of performance, annual goals,
short-term objectives, specific special education and
related services, date of start of services, duration of
services, and an evaluation and notification process
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) –
the paramount law governing the special education services
to be provided to children with disabilities
Individualized family service plan (IFSP) – a written
statement for each toddler (age 0-3) that is developed in
accordance with IDEA
Intelligence quotient (I.Q.) – a measurement of cognitive
ability comparing a student with other students of the same
age
Itinerant teacher – a teacher who provides services to
students in multiple locations
Job coach – a professional who “coaches” an individual
with disabilities at the job site, helping the employee
improve job skills and interpersonal relations
Learning disability – a disorder in one or more of the
functions of understanding or using spoken or written
language which results in problems with listening, thinking,
speaking, spelling, writing, or math
Learning style – the unique way through which a child
learns best (i.e. through repetition, imitation, listening, or
handling materials)
Least restrictive environment (LRE) – placement of a
disabled student in an environment that permits maximum
contact with nondisabled peers, yet still meets the student’s
unique special education needs
Legally blind – a student who, even with corrective
lenses, is 20/200 or less
Mainstreaming – the theory that disabled students should
be educated with nondisabled students to the maximum
extent possible
Major life activity – pursuits such as performing tasks,
seeing, talking, learning, working, walking, or caring for
one’s self
Manifestation determination – a question as to whether
a student’s misbehavior was caused by or related to his
disability; if there is a relationship, the student cannot be
expelled or suspended for over ten days; if there is no
relationship, the student may be disciplined in the same
manner as his nondisabled peers, including expulsion or
long-term suspension
Mediation – formal intervention between parent and
school to reach a compromise regarding the student’s
special education and related services
Mental retardation – term referring to delayed
intellectual development resulting in delays in physical
coordination, communication, academic learning,
communication, etc.
Minimum competency – demonstration that a student’s
academic skills reach a state-determined level of
achievement
Multidisciplinary evaluation – setting in which a group
of professionals (i.e. psychologists, teachers, social
workers, speech therapists, nurses, etc.) test a child
Multiple disabilities – a label invoked when a student
has a combination of impairments that causes educational
challenges so severe they cannot be accommodated in a
program for just one impairment (does not include deaf-
blind children)
Native language – the language normally used by the
individual, or in the case of a child, the language normally
used by the parents of the child
Nondiscriminatory evaluation – a test that is not racially
or culturally biased
Objective – a short-term advancement toward an annual
goal
Occupational therapy (OT) – strategies focusing on fine
motor skill (small muscles) and perceptual skills that help
improve physical, social, intellectual and psychological
development
Orthopedic impairment – a physical disability sufficiently
severe to affect a child’s educational impairment; can be
congenital or the result of disease or injury
OSEP – Office of Special Education Programs
OSERS – Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services
Other health impairment (OHI) – IDEA term describing
conditions that adversely affect a student’s educational
performance, but are not covered by other disability
definitions; often used for various medical conditions such
as epilepsy, cystic fibrosis, heart conditions, etc.
Parent – includes biological parents, adoptive parents,
legal guardians and surrogate parents
Physical therapy – activities focused on gross motor skills
(big muscles)
Placement – the setting/environment in which a disabled
child is educated; includes the school, the classroom,
services, and time spent with nondisabled peers
Positive intervention – a reinforcer given to children to
increase the frequency of the response (i.e. praise, tokens,
points)
Present levels of performance – provisions in an IEP
that specifically describe what a student can or cannot do
Psychiatrist – a medical doctor specializing in the
diagnosis and treatment of emotional, behavioral, and
mental disorders
Psychological evaluation – the part of a student’s
evaluation that tests his general aptitudes and abilities, hand-
eye coordination, thinking skills, social skills, and emotional
development
Psychologist – a professional, not a medical doctor, with
advanced specialization in the study of human behavior and
mental processes; school psychologists conduct evaluations
and behavior assessments
Reasonable accommodation – program modification or
change that enable disabled students to participate in
educational programs
Receptive language – the process of receiving and
understanding language (spoken, written, gestures)
Referral – formal notice to the early intervention entity or
school district that a child has learning difficulties that may
necessitate a full evaluation
Related services – this term means transportation, and
such developmental, corrective, and other supportive
services (including speech-language pathology and
audiology services, psychological services, physical and
occupational therapy, recreation, including therapeutic
recreation, social work services, counseling services,
including rehabilitation counseling, orientation and mobility
services, and medical services, except that such medical
services shall be for diagnostic and evaluation purposes
only) as may be required to assist a child with a disability to
benefit from special education, and includes the early
identification and assessment of disabling conditions in
children.
Residential services – placement of a student in an
environment that provides twenty-four hour care and on-
site education.
Resource room – a school setting in which a student
receives instruction for part of the school day from a
special education teacher
Screening – a brief observation of a child designed to
determined children that need a full-scale evaluation for
special educational services
Self-contained classroom – a school environment in
which disabled students receive their education with little or
no interaction with nondisabled peers
Service coordinator – a professional who coordinates a
child’s services; works as a partner to the family and other
service providers
Social worker – a professional who may counsel and
educate the family
Special education – specially designed instruction, at no
cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a
disability, including –
a.) instruction conducted in the classroom, in the
home, in
hospitals and institutions, and in other settings; and
b.) instruction in physical education
Special needs – description of a child who has disabilities,
a chronic illness, or who is at risk of developing such, and
who needs special educational services in order to advance
Specific learning disability – a disorder in one or more
of the basic psychological processes involved in
understanding or in using language, spoken or written,
which disorder may manifest itself in imperfect ability to
listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical
calculations
Speech impaired – a communication disorder consisting
of poor production of language sounds
Speech-language pathologist – a professional who
assesses students with speech or language problems, and
develops programs to help them advance
Speech therapy – strategies developed to increase or
improve communication skills
Supplemental aids and services – aids, services, and
other supports that are provided in regular education
classes or other education-related settings to enable
children with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled
children to the maximum extent appropriate in accordance
with IDEA
Transition services – a coordinated set of activities for a
student with a disability that –
a.) are designed within an outcome-oriented process,
which
promotes movement from school to post-school
activities, including post-secondary education, vocational
training, integrated employment (including supported
employment), continuing adult education, adult services,
independent living, or community participation;
b.) are based on the individual student’s needs, taking
into account
the student’s preferences and interests; and
c.) include instruction, related services, community
experiences, the
development of employment and other post-school adult
living
objectives, and, when appropriate, acquisition of daily living
skills and functional vocational evaluation
Traumatic brain injury – a brain injury caused by an
external physical force, causing an educational disability
Triennial review – every three years, a special education
student must receive a new evaluation/assessment to
review the student’s progress and to issue a new eligibility
determination for continued special education services
Visual-motor integration – the degree to which a student
can pair vision with body movement
Visually impaired – mild to severe vision impairment,
which negatively affects a student’s educational
performance
differently from others due to a disability or impairment
Achievement test – a test that tracks a student’s level of
progress in academic subject matter (i.e. math, reading,
spelling)
Activity center – a non-residential day program where
adults with disabilities receive community skill and job
training
Adaptive behavior – the degree to which a person is able
to adapt to and apply skills in new environments with new
tasks, people and objects.
Adaptive physical education – a physical education
program that is modified to the specific needs of a student
with disabilities
Advocacy – acting on behalf of another person to create
change
Advocate – a person who acts on behalf of another
person to create change
Aged out (aging out) – term referring to disabled students
who have reached the maximum age limit stipulated in their
state to receive special education and related services
Amicus curiae – “friend of the court”; a person or
organization who is permitted to appear in court even
though he is not a party to the lawsuit
Annual goal – statement describing the projected growth
of a student’s skills written into the student’s annual IEP
Annual review – a yearly meeting held to review, discuss,
revise or develop a new
IEP
Appeal – a written request for a court to review or change
a hearing officer’s decision
Appropriate – regarding a free, “appropriate” public
education (FAPE) provided by IDEA, it refers to an IEP
that meets the individual and unique needs of a student with
disabilities
Aptitude test – a test that assesses a student’s potential in
a particular skill area (i.e. abstract thinking, spatial skills,
etc.)
Assessment – a method of collecting information about a
student’s learning needs, weaknesses, strengths, etc.
Assistive technology device- any item, piece of
equipment, or product system, whether acquired
commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is
used to increase, maintain, or improve functional
capabilities of a child with a disability (i.e. augmentative
communication boards, computer input devices, etc.)
Assistive technology service – any service that directly
assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition,
or use of an assistive technology device
At-risk – description of a child who is considered likely to
have challenges due to home life, medical difficulties at
birth, or other factors, and who may require early
intervention to prevent future challenges
Audiologist – a specialist who measures hearing levels and
hearing loss
Auditory discrimination – a child’s ability to identify and
distinguish among various speech sounds (i.e. the different
sound of the letter “o” in “hot” and “hope”)
Autism – a developmental disability affecting social
interaction and verbal/nonverbal communication; a
spectrum disorder
Behavior disorders – disorders distinguished by
disruptive behavior in home, school, and other
environments.
Behavioral intervention – a strategy employed to
influence a student’s actions
Behavioral observation – a methodical method of
observing, recording, and interpreting a student’s behavior
with the goal of obtaining a broad picture of the child’s
abilities and interests
Blindness – complete inability to see
Buckley Amendment – (a.k.a. Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act of 1974 [FERPA]) gives parents and
majority students (over 18) the right to see, revise, and
control access to school records
Career education – a series of activities intended to help
students attain the knowledge and skills to make work a
part of their life. The four phases are:
awareness/orientation, exploration, preparation, and job
placement/follow-up
Case law – law developed by courts
Child find – a state and local program required by IDEA
to identify children with disabilities between birth and
twenty-one and to guide them to appropriate early
intervention or educational programs
Child with a disability – a child with mental retardation,
hearing impairments (including deafness), speech or
language impairments, visual impairments (including
blindness), serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic
impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health
impairments, or specific learning disabilities, and who, by
reason thereof, needs special education and related services
Cognition – the process that people use to remembering,
reasoning, understanding and judgment
Communication disorder – any language and/or speech
impairment
Competitive employment – jobs that earn wages at the
going rate; either full-time or part-time
Complaint – the written action taken to notify a state
education agency that special education laws are not being
followed
Compliance file – school records containing all reports of
meetings, correspondence, and other parent-school
contacts
Confidential file – school records containing all materials
related to special education, and having restricted access
Confidentiality – term describing the limited access to a
child or family’s records to school personnel having direct
involvement with the child
Congenital – a condition present at birth
Consent – parental permission permitting school to act in a
way that affects a child’s education (parental consent is
required before evaluations are undertaken and services
are provided)
Contract services – special education services provided
to students by private service providers (hospitals, private
schools, therapists, institutions) when a particular school
system is unable to make available the needed services
Cumulative file – file containing report cards, teacher
reports, standardized achievement test scores, and other
student records
Deafness – a hearing impairment so significant that a child
cannot process sounds even with a hearing aid or other
auditory device
Deaf-blind – the blend of hearing and visual impairments
so significant that a student cannot be adequately serviced
in a program exclusively for deaf or blind children
Developmental – of or having to do with the stages in
growth between ages 0 and 18
Developmental delay – slower than typical development
of a child in one or multiple areas
Developmental disability – a mental and/or physical
disability which is present prior to the eighteenth birthday,
which significantly limits the child’s activities, is likely to
continue indefinitely, and needs life-long care, treatment, or
additional services (i.e. autism, cerebral palsy, Down
syndrome)
Disability – a condition that makes it difficult for a child to
learn or function like other students
Due process – a structure of procedures that guarantees a
student/parent will be notified of, and have the chance to
challenge, decisions made about the student
Due process hearing – a formal meeting conducted by an
impartial hearing officer to resolve special education
disputes between parents and schools
Early childhood – services and programs given to children
with disabilities aged 3 to 5
Early intervention - making available services and
programs to infants and toddlers (0-3) with disabilities to
minimize the affects of the disability as they mature
Educational diagnostician – a professional who is
qualified to conduct educational testing and to create
instructional programs for students
Eligibility – the determination that a child does or does
not qualify to receive early intervention or special education
services
Eligibility conference – a meeting held to determine,
review, terminate, or discuss changes in a student’s
eligibility for special education
Emotional disorders – disorders characterized by their
effect on a child’s emotional condition (i.e. depression, bi-
polar disorder, traumatic stress disorder)
Employability skills – personal traits and habits
necessary for successful employment (i.e. punctuality,
dependability)
Evaluation – the method of collecting data about a
student’s needs through tests, interviews and observations
with the student, the family and others
Expressive language – the ability to communicate
through gestures, augmentative communication, speech and
writing
Extended school year (ESY) – special education and
services provided during summer months to students
determined to need year-round services to receive an
appropriate education
Fine motor skills – small muscle body movement;
addressed by occupational therapy
Free appropriate public education (FAPE) – term used
in IDEA describing special education and related services
that
a.) have been provided at public expense, under
public supervision
and direction,
and without charge;
b.) meet the standards of the State educational agency;
c.) include an appropriate preschool, elementary, or
secondary
school education in the State involved; and
d.) are provided in conformity with the individualized
education
program required by IDEA.
General education diploma (GED) – process for
attaining a diploma for adults who did not complete high
school
Gross motor skills – large muscle body movement;
addressed by physical therapy
Guardian ad litem – a court-appointed guardian to
represent a minor
Habilitation – the process of assisting an individual to
develop certain skills and abilities to reach full potential in
independence and productivity
Hard-of-hearing – impaired hearing capable of correction
with a hearing aid
Hearing impaired – description of students who are deaf
and hard-of-hearing
Homebased services – early intervention services
provided in a child’s home
Homebound instruction – education instruction provided
in a student’s home when the student cannot attend school
for medical or other reasons
Impartial hearing officer – individual who presides over
a due process hearing; appointed by state, and not related
to either the student or school
Inclusion – providing necessary services and supports so
that children with disabilities can participate with their
nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate
Independent educational evaluation – an assessment of
a student performed by a professional not employed by the
school district
Independent living skills – basic life skills needed to
function independently (i.e. dressing, bathing, shopping,
using public transportation)
Individualized determination plan – a written plan for a
student who receives services, accommodations, and
modifications pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 (a.k.a. “504 Plan”)
Individualized education program (IEP) – a written
statement for each child with a disability that is developed,
reviewed, and revised in accordance with IDEA; includes
the student’s present levels of performance, annual goals,
short-term objectives, specific special education and
related services, date of start of services, duration of
services, and an evaluation and notification process
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) –
the paramount law governing the special education services
to be provided to children with disabilities
Individualized family service plan (IFSP) – a written
statement for each toddler (age 0-3) that is developed in
accordance with IDEA
Intelligence quotient (I.Q.) – a measurement of cognitive
ability comparing a student with other students of the same
age
Itinerant teacher – a teacher who provides services to
students in multiple locations
Job coach – a professional who “coaches” an individual
with disabilities at the job site, helping the employee
improve job skills and interpersonal relations
Learning disability – a disorder in one or more of the
functions of understanding or using spoken or written
language which results in problems with listening, thinking,
speaking, spelling, writing, or math
Learning style – the unique way through which a child
learns best (i.e. through repetition, imitation, listening, or
handling materials)
Least restrictive environment (LRE) – placement of a
disabled student in an environment that permits maximum
contact with nondisabled peers, yet still meets the student’s
unique special education needs
Legally blind – a student who, even with corrective
lenses, is 20/200 or less
Mainstreaming – the theory that disabled students should
be educated with nondisabled students to the maximum
extent possible
Major life activity – pursuits such as performing tasks,
seeing, talking, learning, working, walking, or caring for
one’s self
Manifestation determination – a question as to whether
a student’s misbehavior was caused by or related to his
disability; if there is a relationship, the student cannot be
expelled or suspended for over ten days; if there is no
relationship, the student may be disciplined in the same
manner as his nondisabled peers, including expulsion or
long-term suspension
Mediation – formal intervention between parent and
school to reach a compromise regarding the student’s
special education and related services
Mental retardation – term referring to delayed
intellectual development resulting in delays in physical
coordination, communication, academic learning,
communication, etc.
Minimum competency – demonstration that a student’s
academic skills reach a state-determined level of
achievement
Multidisciplinary evaluation – setting in which a group
of professionals (i.e. psychologists, teachers, social
workers, speech therapists, nurses, etc.) test a child
Multiple disabilities – a label invoked when a student
has a combination of impairments that causes educational
challenges so severe they cannot be accommodated in a
program for just one impairment (does not include deaf-
blind children)
Native language – the language normally used by the
individual, or in the case of a child, the language normally
used by the parents of the child
Nondiscriminatory evaluation – a test that is not racially
or culturally biased
Objective – a short-term advancement toward an annual
goal
Occupational therapy (OT) – strategies focusing on fine
motor skill (small muscles) and perceptual skills that help
improve physical, social, intellectual and psychological
development
Orthopedic impairment – a physical disability sufficiently
severe to affect a child’s educational impairment; can be
congenital or the result of disease or injury
OSEP – Office of Special Education Programs
OSERS – Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services
Other health impairment (OHI) – IDEA term describing
conditions that adversely affect a student’s educational
performance, but are not covered by other disability
definitions; often used for various medical conditions such
as epilepsy, cystic fibrosis, heart conditions, etc.
Parent – includes biological parents, adoptive parents,
legal guardians and surrogate parents
Physical therapy – activities focused on gross motor skills
(big muscles)
Placement – the setting/environment in which a disabled
child is educated; includes the school, the classroom,
services, and time spent with nondisabled peers
Positive intervention – a reinforcer given to children to
increase the frequency of the response (i.e. praise, tokens,
points)
Present levels of performance – provisions in an IEP
that specifically describe what a student can or cannot do
Psychiatrist – a medical doctor specializing in the
diagnosis and treatment of emotional, behavioral, and
mental disorders
Psychological evaluation – the part of a student’s
evaluation that tests his general aptitudes and abilities, hand-
eye coordination, thinking skills, social skills, and emotional
development
Psychologist – a professional, not a medical doctor, with
advanced specialization in the study of human behavior and
mental processes; school psychologists conduct evaluations
and behavior assessments
Reasonable accommodation – program modification or
change that enable disabled students to participate in
educational programs
Receptive language – the process of receiving and
understanding language (spoken, written, gestures)
Referral – formal notice to the early intervention entity or
school district that a child has learning difficulties that may
necessitate a full evaluation
Related services – this term means transportation, and
such developmental, corrective, and other supportive
services (including speech-language pathology and
audiology services, psychological services, physical and
occupational therapy, recreation, including therapeutic
recreation, social work services, counseling services,
including rehabilitation counseling, orientation and mobility
services, and medical services, except that such medical
services shall be for diagnostic and evaluation purposes
only) as may be required to assist a child with a disability to
benefit from special education, and includes the early
identification and assessment of disabling conditions in
children.
Residential services – placement of a student in an
environment that provides twenty-four hour care and on-
site education.
Resource room – a school setting in which a student
receives instruction for part of the school day from a
special education teacher
Screening – a brief observation of a child designed to
determined children that need a full-scale evaluation for
special educational services
Self-contained classroom – a school environment in
which disabled students receive their education with little or
no interaction with nondisabled peers
Service coordinator – a professional who coordinates a
child’s services; works as a partner to the family and other
service providers
Social worker – a professional who may counsel and
educate the family
Special education – specially designed instruction, at no
cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a
disability, including –
a.) instruction conducted in the classroom, in the
home, in
hospitals and institutions, and in other settings; and
b.) instruction in physical education
Special needs – description of a child who has disabilities,
a chronic illness, or who is at risk of developing such, and
who needs special educational services in order to advance
Specific learning disability – a disorder in one or more
of the basic psychological processes involved in
understanding or in using language, spoken or written,
which disorder may manifest itself in imperfect ability to
listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical
calculations
Speech impaired – a communication disorder consisting
of poor production of language sounds
Speech-language pathologist – a professional who
assesses students with speech or language problems, and
develops programs to help them advance
Speech therapy – strategies developed to increase or
improve communication skills
Supplemental aids and services – aids, services, and
other supports that are provided in regular education
classes or other education-related settings to enable
children with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled
children to the maximum extent appropriate in accordance
with IDEA
Transition services – a coordinated set of activities for a
student with a disability that –
a.) are designed within an outcome-oriented process,
which
promotes movement from school to post-school
activities, including post-secondary education, vocational
training, integrated employment (including supported
employment), continuing adult education, adult services,
independent living, or community participation;
b.) are based on the individual student’s needs, taking
into account
the student’s preferences and interests; and
c.) include instruction, related services, community
experiences, the
development of employment and other post-school adult
living
objectives, and, when appropriate, acquisition of daily living
skills and functional vocational evaluation
Traumatic brain injury – a brain injury caused by an
external physical force, causing an educational disability
Triennial review – every three years, a special education
student must receive a new evaluation/assessment to
review the student’s progress and to issue a new eligibility
determination for continued special education services
Visual-motor integration – the degree to which a student
can pair vision with body movement
Visually impaired – mild to severe vision impairment,
which negatively affects a student’s educational
performance
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