Skip to content

A

AAC – Augmentative and Alternative Communication (means all of the ways that someone communicates besides talking.)
ABA – Applied Behaviour Analysis (a therapy based on the science of learning and behavior.)
AD/AS – Asperger’s Disorder/Syndrome (is a form of Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is a developmental disorder. Young people with Asperger’s Syndrome may have a hard time relating to others socially, repetitive behavior patterns, and a narrow range of interests.)
ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (a condition that affects people’s behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse.)
ADD – Attention Deficit Disorder (now under ADHD)
ADOS – Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (a tool used to help clinicians assess autism in children, young people and adults.)
AP – Alternative Provision (helps some children and young people who need extra help to stay in their mainstream school. Or it provides a specialist place for them to learn.)
ASC – Autistic Spectrum Condition (also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), affects more than 1 in 100 people. Some people with ASC prefer to be referred to as “autistic people.”)
ASD – Autistic Spectrum Disorder (see ASC)
AQA – Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (an independent education charity, providing high quality assessments that are fair, reliable, and support students in their educational journey.)
AuDHD – Autistic and with ADHD
 

B

BDA – British Dyslexia Association

C

CAB – Citizens Advice Bureau (national charity and network of local charities offer confidential advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free.)
CAF – Common Assessment Framework (a process used to identify children’s unmet needs and support them.)
CAMHS – Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS help children and young people up to 18 who are finding it hard to cope with everyday life because of difficult feelings, behaviour or relationships.)
CAT – Cognitive Ability Test (an assessment that is designed to help students and their teachers understand how they learn and what their academic potential might be)
CAT – Curriculum Attainment Target (the knowledge, skills, and attitudes gained by a student as a result of instruction)
CAS – Childhood Apraxia of Speech ( a rare speech disorder. Children with this disorder have trouble controlling their lips, jaws and tongues when speaking. In CAS , the brain has trouble planning for speech movement.)
CBT – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (a psychotherapy in which negative patterns of thought about the self and the world are challenged in order to alter unwanted behaviour patterns or treat mood disorders such as depression.)
CCN – Complex Communication Needs (difficulties and challenges with their daily interactions due to limited use and understanding of speech)
CD – Conduct Disorder (a range of antisocial types of behaviour displayed in childhood or adolescence.)
CEG – Careers Education Guidance (It supports them to acquire the self-development and career management skills they need to achieve positive employment destinations.)
CP – Child protection (measures and structures to prevent and respond to abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence affecting children)
CPA – Comprehensive Performance Assessment (a standard format to assess the mental health, substance use and functional needs of children. This assessment provides a summary of assessed needs that serve as the basis of goals and objectives on the Individualized Action Plan.)

D

DCD – Developmental
coordination disorder or Dyspraxia (a condition affecting physical co-ordination. It causes a child to perform less well than expected in daily activities for their age, and appear to move clumsily.)
DDA – Disability Discrimination Act (The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 was the first UK legislation protecting disabled people against various forms of discrimination.)
DfE – Department for Education
DRC – Disability Rights Commission (an independent body established to stop discrimination and promote equality of opportunity for disabled people.)
DS – Down Syndrome (a condition in which a baby is born with an extra chromosome number 21. The extra chromosome is associated with delays in the child’s mental and physical development, as well as an increased risk for health problems.)
DWP – Department of Work and Pensions
DYS – Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia (Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Dyscalculia, along with ADHD/ADD, are classed as specific learning differences (SpLDs). )
 

E

EAB – Examinations Appeals Board (this Board mainly deals with appeals regarding decisions of Examination Boards and examiners.)
EBD – Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (also known as BESD) are where young people/children find difficulty in successfully managing their behaviour)
Ed Psych (EP) – Educational Psychologist (specialists concerned with children’s learning and development. They use their specialist skills in psychological and educational assessment techniques to help those having difficulties in learning, behaviour or social adjustment.)
EH – Early Help (and Early Intervention – the process of identifying and intervening as soon as possible with families to help prevent issues from happening or escalating. This may be due to a specific need, incident(s) or vulnerability.)
EHCP – Education Health Care  (a legally binding document for children and young people aged 0 – 25 who need more support and whose special educational needs cannot be met through the school or setting’s core offer or SEN Support offer.)
EOTAS – Education Other Than at School (the education or special educational provision of children or young people outside of a formal educational setting.)
EPM – Education Plan Monitoring (track progress, measure impact, and ensure that resources are being used effectively.)
EPT – Educational Psychology Team
ESOL – English for Speakers of Other Languages
EWO – Educational Welfare Officer
EY – Early Years (The early years foundation stage (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development and care of your child from birth to 5 years old.)
EYCS – Early Years and Childcare Service (The Early Years Inclusion and Childcare Service provides support to families and children 0-5 years old on how to access high quality childcare and free entitlements, as well as information about different activities that you can enjoy with your child at home to support their learning.)
EYDP – Early Years Development Plan
EYFS – Early Years Foundation Stage
 

F

FC – Facilitated Communication (a scientific  technique to allow non-verbal people, such as those with autism, to communicate.)
FE– Further Education (education below degree level for people above school age.)
FS – Foundation Stage (The early years foundation stage (EYFS) sets standards for the learning, development and care of your child from birth to 5 years old
FSM – Free School Meals
 

G

GAD – Generalized Anxiety Disorder (a mental condition characterized by excessive or unrealistic anxiety about two or more aspects of life)
GCSE – General Certificate of Secondary Education
GLD – Good level of development (an Early Years judgement)
GNVQ – General National Vocational Qualification
 

H

HE – Higher Education education at universities or similar educational establishments especially to degree level.)
HFA – High-Functioning Autism (typically have normal to above-average intelligence and may excel in certain areas, such as academics or specific interests.)
 

I

IEP – Individual Education Plan (Individual education plans (IEPs) are used by many schools as a planning, teaching and reviewing tool for children and young people with special educational needs)
IRT – The Identification, Referral and Tracking of children and young people at risk
ISB – Individual Schools Budget (i.e. the delegated budget for each school)
 

J

Still trying to find one!
 

K

KS – Key Stage
KS1 – Key Stage 1 Years 1-2 (5 – 7 year olds)
KS2 – Key Stage 2 Years 3-6 (8 – 11 year olds)
KS3 – Key Stage 3 Years 7-9 (12-14 year olds)
KS4 – Key Stage 4 Years 10-11 (15 – 16 year olds)

L

LA – Local Authority
LD – Learning Disability (f someone has a learning disability, this may impact their ability to learn new skills, understand complex information and communicate. Autism is not a learning disability, but learning disabilities can co-occur at higher rates in autistic people compared to non-autistic people.)
LEA – Local Education Authority (responsible for ensuring that efficient and effective primary and secondary education services are available to meet the needs of children and young people, and support for the provision of efficient and effective youth services.)
LFA – Low-Functioning Autism (a degree of autism marked by difficulties with social communication and interaction, challenging behaviour, and differences in social or emotional reciprocity.)
LGB – Local Governing Body (a committee of a trust board with multiple academies that is established as such under the academytrust’s articles of association.)
LLDD – Learner with Learning Difficulties or Disabilities
LSA – Learning Support Assistant (usually work with students who have special needs, or don’t speak English to help them cope with the classroom environment. )
LSB – Local Schools Budget (i.e. the total budget available to be spent on schools)
LSW – Learning Support Workers (same as LSA)
 

M

MAT – Multi Academy Trust (an academy trust that operates more than one academy school. Academy schools are state-funded schools in England which are directly funded by the Department for Education and independent of local authority control. )
MFL – Modern Foreign Languages
MIND – National Association for Mental Health
MLD – Moderate Learning Difficulties (pupils with MLD have much greater difficulty than their peers in acquiring basic literacy and numeracy skills and in understanding concepts.)
 

N

NAS – National Autistic Society
NC – National Curriculum (a set of subjects and standards used by primary and secondary schoolsso children learn the same things.)
ND – Neurodivergent (differing in mental or neurological function from what is considered typical or normal (frequently used with reference to autistic spectrum disorders); not neurotypical.)
NLD – Nonverbal Learning Disability (a learning disorder in which kids have trouble with skills like understanding concepts, finding patterns, and organizing information. )
NT – Neurotypical (not displaying or characterized by autistic or other neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behaviour.)
NQT – Newly Qualified Teacher
NVQ – National Vocational Qualifications
 

O

OCD – Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (a personality disorder characterised by excessive orderliness, attention to details, and a need for control in relating to others.)
ODD – Oppositional Defiant Disorder (impulse-control, and conduct disorder, defined as “a pattern of angry/irritable mood, argumentative/defiant behaviouir, or vindictiveness)
OFSTED – Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills
OT – Occupational Therapy (the use of particular activities as an aid to recuperation from physical or mental illness.)
 

P

PDA – Pathological demand avoidance (a persistent and marked resistance to demands is a characteristic experienced by and observed in some autistic people.)
PDD-NOS – Pervasive development disorder, not otherwise specified (characterised by delays in the development of socialization and communication skills. Parents may notice associated behaviours as early as infancy.)
PT – Physical Therapy
PTA – Parent Teacher Association
PTSD – Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress occurring as a result of injury or severe psychological shock, typically involving disturbance of sleep and constant vivid recall of the experience, with dulled responses to others and to the outside world.)
 

Q

Still trying to find one!
 

R

Still trying to find one!
 

S

SAT – Single Academy Trust
SATs – Standard Assessment Tests (SATs are assessments that measure children’s educational achievement in years 2 and 6 and are administered by primary schools.)
SCD – Social Communication Disorder (a deficit in the use of language in social contexts, which can affect language expression and comprehension.)
SDP – School Development Plan (a strategic plan for improvement.)
SEAL – Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning (the process through which individuals learn and apply a set of social, emotional, and related skills, attitudes, behaviors, and values that help direct students.)
SEMH – Social, Emotional and Mental Health (Children and young people with SEMH have severe difficulties in managing their emotions and behaviour. They often show inappropriate responses and feelings to situations.)
SEN – Special Educational Needs
SEND – Special Educational Needs & Disabilities
SENDIAS – Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service.
SENCO – Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator
SI – Sensory Integration (often used when describing an OT)
SLD – Severe Learning Disorder (Someone who has a severe learning disability will: have little or no speech. find it very difficult to learn new skills. need support with daily activities such as dressing, washing, eating and keeping safe. have difficulties with social skills.)
SLI – Specific Language Impairment
SLT – Speech-Language Therapist
SLI – Specific Language
Impairment (a communication disorder that interferes with the development of language skills in children who have no hearing loss.)
SMD – Sensory Modulation Disorder (Be sensitive to touch, finding activities like nail cutting, messy play, or hair cutting uncomfortable. React strongly to loud or sudden sounds. Avoid playground equipment like swings and slides because they find them overwhelming.)
SPD – Sensory Processing Disorder (a condition where your brain has trouble processing certain sensory signals. Learn how to support autistic people with)
SR – Sex & Relationship Educationshio
 

T

Still trying to find one!
 

U

Still trying to find one!
 

V

VI – Visual Impairment
 

W

WBL – Work Based Learning
 

X-Z

Still trying to find one!s