Words and terms - a whole new world

The early intervention and special education world is filled with its own language – words and terms that are probably unknown to you. In a prior post, I gave you a list of acronyms to begin learning some of the abbreviations for certain terms. In this post, I am pointing you to a wonderful resource on NICHCY’s website that will help make sense of all these terms. It will help you to understand IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), which is the law that applies to the world of early intervention and special education. For those of you who feel you are drowning in a sea of unfamiliar words, here is your lifeline.
Early intervention terms

First up are the key terms and phrases common in Part C of IDEA. This is the part of the law that applies specifically to babies and toddlers up to age 3. Go to NICHCY’s page on Early intervention Key Words and scroll down the page for easy-to-read definitions and examples of each of the following terms. (The terms in bold will take you to my prior blog posts for additional reading.)

· Consent

· Developmental delay

· Early intervention services

· Health services

· Infant or toddler with a disability

· Multidisciplinary

· Native language

· Natural environments

· Prior written notice

· Service coordination services

Special education terms

Likewise, for parents of children ages 3 – 21, NICHCY offers great explanations of many terms that you will hear and need to know that are in Part B of IDEA. (This is the part of the law that applies specifically to school aged children.) NICHCY’s Key Terms to Know in Special Education provides easy-to-understand explanations on the following topics (some of which I have already written about in a prior blog post, but NICHCY’s info is too good not to mention again, here).