A-Z of useful terms

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

ADD - Attention deficit disorder results in difficulties with concentration or attention
ADHD - Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder results in difficulties with concentration or attention and children often have challenging behaviour
Advice - Written reports from parents, teachers and other professionals on a pupil’s special educational needs
Advisory Support Teacher (AST) - A specialist teacher who advises teachers and parents on a child’s special educational needs and support, especially for hearing and visual impairment
Annual Review - The review of a statement must take place once a year. It involves a meeting, generally at your child’s school. You, as parents, and your child’s teachers and sometimes other professionals will be asked for views about your child’s progress and these will be discussed at the meeting along with any recommendations such as a change to the statement. The head teacher will then write a report to the local authority which decides whether to make any changes and/or whether the statement is still needed. You will get a copy of the report. If the statement is changed or the local authority decides to end it (cease to maintain) you can appeal if you do not agree
APD - Auditory processing disorder is a hearing disorder resulting from problems with processing of sounds by the brain, rather than the ear
Asperger's Syndrome - This is a condition that falls within the autistic spectrum and includes difficulties with social interaction and communication and a lack of flexibility of thinking or imagination. There may also be sensory, motor and organisational difficulties. Those with Asperger's Syndrome are usually of average or above average intelligence
Autistic Spectrum (ASD) - The autistic spectrum is an umbrella term that includes autism, Asperger’s syndrome, autistic disorder, classic autism or Kanner’s autism. Related conditions include pervasive developmental disorder and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS (also known as atypical autism) and semantic pragmatic disorder

BESD - Behavioral, emotional and social difficulties is the blanket term for behaviour difficulties which include a wide range of disorders and syndromes, including ADD/ADHD. Other disorders now being diagnosed more frequently include:
- Conduct disorder - a pattern of repetitive behaviour including over-aggressive behaviour, bullying, physical aggression, destructive behaviour, lying, truancy, and stealing
- Oppositional Defiance Disorder is described as a mental illness characterised by an ongoing pattern of disobedient, hostile, and defiant behaviour toward authority figures that goes beyond the bounds of normal childhood behaviour

CAF - Common Assessment Framework: this is a structured assessment for professionals to identify children’s needs and get them access to a range of services. The CAF can be used by any of the services – social services, health or education. It does not replace specialist assessments such as a child in need assessment or a statutory assessment of special educational needs
Cease to maintain - This is the legal term to describe a decision by the local authority to end a statement. Parents can appeal against this decision in which case the help in the statement must continue at least until the Tribunal decides the appeal

DfE - Department for Education was formed on 12 May 2010 and is responsible for education and children's services.
DDA - Disability Discrimination Act 1995. This was amended in 2001 by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act which extended disability discrimination law to education
Differentiation - This is when a teacher uses teaching methods that suit the child and teaches at a level right for the child
Disability Discrimination - This is where disabled people are treated less well because of their disability or they are put at a great disadvantage because of a failure to make reasonable changes to the way things are done. Schools and local authorities must generally not discriminate by law against someone with a disability
Disagreement resolution service - A service to help sort out disagreement between parents and local authorities. Taking part does not prevent a parent appealing to the Tribunal. Parents have no automatic right to this service but can ask the local authority to provide mediation

Early Years Action / Early Years Action Plus - Support for under-fives equivalent to School Action and School Action Plus
EBD - Emotional and behaviour difficulties
EP - Educational psychologist – a professional who can assess a child’s educational needs

F - sorry, there are no terms available for this letter.

Generalising Learning - This is where skills learnt in one place, such as the classroom, are practised elsewhere – in the playground or the community for example

H - sorry, there are no terms available for this letter

IEP - Individual education plan – a working document which records the help for any child with SEN, including those with statements, and which should be reviewed at least twice a year (three times for under-fives). Unlike a statement, an IEP is not a legal requirement although the government’s SEN Code of Practice recommends them
Independent Schools - Schools which are privately run by an individual proprietor or a company are not subject to much of the legislation applying to state maintained schools. They are subject to disability discrimination legislation, however. Local authorities sometimes use independent schools for pupils with statements of special educational needs. If they name an independent school in a statement they must normally pay the fees for the education provided. If parents choose to place a child in an independent school at their own expense, the local authority must be satisfied that the school can make the special educational provision that meets the child’s needs
IPS - An independent parental supporter – a volunteer whom parents should be able to access through their local authority or Parent Partnership Service although many services are unable to provide such a person

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LEA / LA / CSA / Children's Trusts - As local authorities (LAs) move over to becoming children’s services authorities (CSAs) or children’s trusts (incorporating health as well as education and social care) the terms in common use are changing. As a result local education authorities (LEAs) are becoming part of bigger departments and many people now use the term “local authority” to avoid confusion
Learning difficulties - The law says that a child has a learning difficulty if he finds it harder learning than most children of his age or has a disability which makes it difficult for him to make use of local schools. Learning difficulties can include social, emotional and behaviour difficulties as well as problems with academic work such as reading, writing and maths
LSA - Learning support assistant: someone who helps the teacher in the classroom and may work solely with an individual child with learning difficulties

Mainstream school - An ordinary school which can meet the needs of most children
Maintained school - A school funded by the local authority. This includes special and mainstream schools. Maintained schools can be community schools, voluntary aided schools (generally church schools), voluntary controlled schools (generally founded as church schools and which may or may not be denominational), or foundation schools (former grant maintained schools). Academies are not maintained schools although they are largely state funded and generally operate under similar rules to maintained schools under separate funding agreements with central government
Moderate learning difficulties (MLD) - Pupils with moderate learning difficulties will achieve well below average levels in all or most areas of the curriculum, despite extra help
Multi-disciplinary team - Professionals from different backgrounds – health, education or care etc – working together to support families and children

Non-maintained special school - Non-maintained special schools, which are largely run by disability charities, offer specialised schooling for children who are visually or hearing impaired or are autistic, for example. Many non-maintained special schools have a long record of taking statemented children and, along with independent schools, currently educate around 12,000 pupils with special educational needs on behalf of local authorities in England
Note in lieu - A document produced by a local authority following a statutory assessment in place of a statement; it has no legal force

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) - This is a condition in which people experience upsetting repetitive thoughts and behaviours
Ofsted - Office for Standards in Education, the body that inspects schools and children’s services in local authorities
OT - Occupational therapist who helps children deal with every day tasks and can assess needs for equipment and therapy services

Peripatetic specialist teacher - A teacher with knowledge of particular disabilities or special educational needs, who travels from school to school
PMLD or profound and multiple learning difficulties - Pupils with PMLD have severe and complex learning needs, in addition they have other significant difficulties, such as physical disabilities or a sensory impairment
Portage - Home-based educational support for pre-school children with SEN usually made available via your local authority
PPO / PPS - Parent partnership officer who operates within a parent partnership service; every local authority must have one but they range from large services sometimes run by voluntary organisations to services run by a single part-timer. Visit the Parent Partnership Service website to find out more.
PRU - Pupil referral units are for children who need to be educated out of school, often because they have been excluded; hospital schools are also PRUs. They have the same legal status as schools in some respects but currently do not have to teach the national curriculum

Q - sorry, there are no terms available for this letter

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School Action / School Action Plus - Special educational help provided to children in mainstream schools without a statement
Semantic / pragmatic disorder - Children with this disorder have problems understanding the meaning of what other people say, and they do not understand how to use speech appropriately themselves: it is common among pupils with ASD
SEN - Special educational needs
SEN Code of Practice - Statutory guidance for state funded nurseries and schools and local authorities on giving educational help to children with special educational needs
SENCO - Special educational needs co-ordinator – the teacher with responsibility for co-ordinating special help for a child with SEN
SENDA - Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001
SLD or severe learning difficulties - Pupils with SLD have significant intellectual impairments. This has a major effect on their ability to learn and take part in school life without support. They may also have difficulties in mobility and co-ordination, communication and perception and the acquisition of self-help skills
SLT - Speech and language therapy
Special school - A school which takes pupils with special educational needs. Children in special schools will normally have a statement. See also non-maintained special school
SPLD or specific learning difficulties - Conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia or ADD/ADHD come into this category
Statement of special educational needs - A document which sets out a child’s needs, extra help and school place. The educational help on a statement must be provided by law
Statutory guidance - Government guidance can be statutory or just advice on good practice. Statutory guidance has more legal force. Public bodies such as schools and local authorities must follow statutory guidance unless they can show they are doing something just as good or better. The SEN Code and the Code of Practice for Schools on the Disability Discrimination Act 1995: Part 4 are examples of statutory guidance. Government guidance will usually say on the cover or in the first few pages whether it is statutory or not. Most guidance is available on line on government websites

TA - Teaching assistant: person who provides extra support in the classroom sometimes to an individual child with learning difficulties. Better qualified TAs can stand in for the teacher in particular circumstances

U- sorry, there are no terms available for this letter

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Z - sorry, there are no terms available for this letter