Special Education Glossary

An environment in which services to children with disabilities are provided: (1) to the maximum extent appropriate, with children who are not disabled and in which; (2) special classes or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

A community care facility licensed by the California Department of Social Services. This includes a group home, foster family agency and a community treatment facility.

A public board of education or other public authority legally constituted in California for either administrative control or direction of public elementary or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of California, or such combination of school districts or counties as are recognized in California as an administrative agency for its public elementary or secondary schools.

A severe disabling condition with an expected incidence rate of less than one percent of the total statewide enrollment.  The conditions include hearing impairments, vision impairments and severe orthopedic impairments, or any combination thereof.

Students with significant special needs also have the opportunity to take courses in a modified form, if recommended by the IEP team and with parent notification and consent.  A modification is an adjustment to an assignment or test that changes the standard or what the test or assignment is supposed to measure.

A private agency which conforms with the requirements of federal and state laws and regulations governing the education of pupils with disabilities and which ahs been certified by the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the purpose of contracting with public schools for the instruction of pupils with disabilities.  These services are provided only when no appropriate public education program is available.

A private, non-sectarian school which conforms with the requirements of federal and state laws and regulations governing the education of pupils with disabilities and which has been certified by the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the purpose of contracting with public schools for the instruction of pupils with disabilities.  These services are provided only when no appropriate public education program is available.

Pupils who have a severe orthopedic impairment, which adversely affects their educational performance.  Such orthopedic impairments include impairments caused by congenital anomaly, disease and impairments from other causes (polio, cerebral palsy).

Students with limited strength, vitality or alertness, due to chronic or acute health problems such as a heart condition, cancer, leukemia, chronic kidney disease, cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, epilepsy, diabetes and hematological disorders which adversely affects a pupil’s educational performance.

The study of speech sounds and the rules governing how they are combined to convey meaning.

A specialist who holds a valid special education credential, clinical services credential, health services credential, or a school psychologist authorization and has advanced training and related experience in the education of individuals with exceptional needs and a specialized in-depth knowledge in preschool disabilities, career vocational development, or one or more areas of major disabling conditions.

Includes the skills involved in understanding language.

A private, non-profit organization under contract with the California Department of Developmental Services.  There are 21 statewide Regional Centers that are responsible for the coordination and development of services to meet the needs of people with developmental disabilities.

Provides special education instruction in specific skill areas, materials and supplemental services to children with disabilities who are assigned to general education classroom teachers for the majority of the school day.

The aspect of language concerned with meaning or content.

Students requiring intensive instruction and training in programs serving students with disabilities such as autism, blindness, deafness, severe orthopedic impairments, serious emotional disturbance, severe mental retardation and those with multiple disabilities.

Designed to meet the needs of students who, because of the nature or severity of the disability, require a small group, self-contained instructional setting for the majority of the school day.

Specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parent, to meet the unique needs of individuals with exceptional needs, whose educational needs cannot be met with modification of the regular instruction program and related services that may be needed to assist these pupils to benefit from specially designed instruction.

In 1977, all school districts and county school offices were required to join to form geographical regions of sufficient size and scope to provide for all the special education service needs of children residing within the region boundaries.  Each SELPA develops a local plan describing how it provides special education services.

Pupils with a disorder in one more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an impaired ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or do mathematical calculations and have a severe discrepancy between intellectual ability and achievement in one or more academic areas.

Remediation provided by a Speech/Language Specialist to facilitate language development, both receptively and expressively or to correct faulty speech patterns, like stuttering or voice problems.

A communication disorder such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance.

A team of school site personnel and the parent who work together to generate possible solutions for students who are experiencing difficulties within the regular education setting.  It meets to consider a student’s strengths and needs and to design a team action plan for student success.

A group of related symptoms, which characterize a disease or disorder.

How words are put together in a sentence to convey meaning.

An educational process designed to help students move from one education program to another (e.g., school to employment and a quality adult life, early intervention program to pre-school).

An acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment or both, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.  The term applies to open or closed head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, such as cognition; language; memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual and motor abilities; psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech.  The term does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, or brain injuries induced by birth trauma.

Ability to detect differences in objects, forms, letters or words.

Organized educational programs which are directly related to the preparation of individuals for paid or unpaid employment.