Guide to Special Education: Helpful Acronyms

In This Section



Notes from the Backpack Podcast

Join PTA For Your Child


Educators and others in the special education community will use an acronym to describe a service, disability or agency. Here is a list of commonly used acronyms:

    ADA         Americans with Disabilities Act
    ADD         Attention Deficit Disorder
    ADHD         Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder
    APE         Adaptive Physical Education
    AE         Age Equivalent
    AIS         Academic Intervention Services
    ASL         American Sign Language
    AT         Assistive Technology
    BIP         Behavior Intervention Plan
    BOCES         Board of Cooperative Educational Services
    BOE         Board of Education
    CPSE         Committee on Preschool Special Education
    CSE         Committee on Special Education
    DD         Developmental Disability
    ED         Emotionally Disabled
    ESEA         Elementary and Secondary Education Act
    ESY         Extended School Year Services
    FAPE         Free and Appropriate Public Education
    FBA         Functional Behavioral Assessment
    FERPA         Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
    IAES         Interim Alternative Educational Setting
    IDEA         Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
    IEP         Individualized Education Program
    IEE         Independent Educational Evaluation
    IHO         Impartial Hearing Officer
    IQ         Intelligence Quotient
    LD         Learning Disabled
    LRE         Least Restrictive Environment
    NCLB         No Child Left Behind
    OHI         Other Health Impaired
    OT         Occupational Therapy
    PDD         Pervasive Developmental Disorder
    PT         Physical Therapy
    RR         Resource Room
    RtI         Response to Intervention
    SAI         Specialized Academic Instruction
    SED         State Education Department
    SEIT         Special Education Itinerant Teacher Services
    SETRC     Special Education Training Resource Centers
    SGI Small Group Instruction
    SI Speech Impaired
    TBI Traumatic Brain Injury
    TDD Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf
    UDL Universal Design for Learning
    VESID Office of Vocational & Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities
    VI Visually Impaired
    VR Vocational Rehabilitation