by Leigh Goessl

Created on: May 24, 2009

If you have any kind of connection to a school's special education department, one of the first things you'll quickly discover is the need to understand the special education terminology. The jargon is full of not only new terms, but also a lot of acronyms.

Whether you're an administrator, teacher, service provider or parent, if you participate in the process of a child with special education needs, you'll have to get versed in the lingo.

Here are some of the most common terms and acronyms you'll likely come across:

*IEP

The term IEP is an acronym for Individualized Education Plan (or Program). What this term means is the educational plan has to be customized to meet a child's individual needs. This does not mean the needs of the teacher or the school, but solely focuses on the needs of the child.

The plan includes goals, services and any accommodations the child needs in order to have access to a rightful education in the least restrictive environment.

*Annual review

Every year a child with special education needs has a view done to reassess how the previous year's plan worked and whether or not it was successful.

As a child grows, needs change and the plan may need to be modified in order to best fit the current needs of the child. Sometimes services and/or modifications may be added or deleted depending if new issues arise or if goals have been met; other times the IEP may remain the same.

*FAPE

FAPE is an acronym that stands for Free Appropriate Public Education. This means just what it says, all children are entitled to a free appropriate public education.

*Related services

Related services are items located outside the traditional spectrum of education. These services support learning or include accommodations to ensure a child has access to their education.

Services may include (but not limited to):

>Physical, occupational, speech or cognitive therapy
>Transportation
>Counseling
>Parental training
>Health services
>Support for audiology or visual needs

*Inclusion

Inclusion is when a child with special education needs is mainstreamed into the traditional classroom. This means a child with a disability or special need requirement is included in the classroom with other students.

This term goes hand in hand with LRE (Least Restrictive Environment). Under the US Federal Law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), every student with special needs should be education to the most extent possible within the parameters

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