BLOG

10 Important Special Education Terminologies That You Should Know

9th February 2022

For a lot of people, special education can seem like a foreign language. There are many unfamiliar terms and acronyms. Knowing these important terms will help you to find it easier to protect your child’s or student’s rights. It is quite challenging enough for experts in the field to stay well-informed of the special education terminology.

A Sampling of the Major Acronyms Used in Special Education

Following are the important special education legal terminologies and acronyms ---
 

1. Individualized Education Program (IEP)
   
   The term denotes a written statement for each child with a special need that is established, studied, and reviewed in accordance with centralized law. It is a special education student’s learning guide and is created for kids between the ages of 3 and 22. The team is a group of individuals including - parent(s) of the child, one general education teacher, one special education teacher, representative of the Local Education Authority (LEA), someone who can understand valuation results and the associated instructional suggestions and the child, if appropriate.
    
2. IDEA: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
   
   It is the federal law that addresses most special needs issues. Original regulation was written in 1975 assuring students with special needs a free and proper public education and the right to be educated with their non-disabled peers.
    
3. Adaptive Technology
   
   Any kind of equipment that is precisely designed for those with special needs and would not be used for those without special needs, like wheelchairs, standers, large scale switches/mice, etc.
    
4. Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
   
   FBA is a procedure used for learners who have behavioral or emotional difficulties that are supposed to be intrusive with their educational development or the progress of other students. This leads to the progress of a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) plan to teach satisfactory alternative behavior.
    
5. Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE)
   
   It is an assessment of a child that is completed by a skilled examiner. According to IDEA, parents have the right to an IEE managed at public expenditure when a parent disagrees the results of the school’s assessment.
    
6. FAPE
   
   FAPE is also another most important term to know for your student. Children with special needs have the right to free and appropriate public education (FAPE). This safeguards that the child receives an education that is “suitable”.
    
7. LRE
   
   Least restrictive environment (LRE) denotes that students with special needs have to be educated in the same situation as students without special needs as much as possible. “Situation” refers to a general education schoolroom.
    
8. PLAAFP or PLOP
   
   PLOP (present level of performance) or PLP is for the present level of academic accomplishment and functional presentation. If your student or child has an IEP, PLOP serves as the preliminary point. It describes your child’s academic skills, like reading level and daily living aids.
    
9. 504 Plan
   
   The plan is developed to confirm that a child who has a special need identified under the Rehabilitation Act. Ensuring that the child is attending an elementary or secondary educational institution receives accommodations that will safeguard his/her academic success and access to the learning situation.
    
10. Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
    
    This plan targets one to three of a schoolchild’s unwelcome behaviors with involvements that are connected to the functions of the behaviour. Each involvement precisely discourses a quantifiable behavior. The plan can include preclusion strategies, which stop the behavior before it starts which accomplish the same function as the troublesome behavior without causing the interruption.

The Bottom Line

Special education is the education of kids who vary socially, mentally, or physically from the regular kids to such a level that they need modifications of normal school practices. With online special education courses for teachers program, you will be able to handle these children effectively. Other careers accessible to individuals with a special education degree embrace school psychologist, behavior analyst, and therapist. The degree is likely to have more job security as well.

Written By: Sonal Agrawal