IEP glossary
Every special education term, in plain language
IEP meetings are full of acronyms — FAPE, LRE, PLAAFP — that nobody stops to explain. Here is every term defined in plain words, so you walk into the next meeting knowing exactly what is being said.
A
- ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis)ABA is a therapy that teaches skills and shapes behavior through structured practice and reinforcement, often used with autistic children.
- AccommodationsAccommodations change how a student learns or shows what they know — like extra time or audio books — without changing the material.
- ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)The ADA is a broad federal civil-rights law banning disability discrimination in schools, workplaces, and public life.
- Annual GoalsAnnual goals are the specific, measurable targets an IEP sets for what your child will achieve over the coming year.
- Assistive Technology (AT)Assistive technology is any tool or device — from a pencil grip to a speech app — that helps a child with a disability learn and communicate.
- Autism (IDEA eligibility category)Autism, as an IDEA category, is the eligibility basis a school uses when a child's autism affects communication, learning, or social skills.
B
- Benchmarks / Short-Term ObjectivesBenchmarks are the smaller steps between where a child starts and an annual goal, marking progress along the way through the year.
- BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan)A BIP is a written plan that teaches better skills and changes what triggers a behavior, instead of just reacting to it.
C
D
- Deaf-BlindnessDeaf-blindness is an IDEA category for a child with both hearing and vision loss, whose combination needs specialized support.
- Developmental DelayDevelopmental delay is a category some states use for young children who lag in key areas, without needing a more specific label yet.
- Due Process HearingA due process hearing is a formal legal step, like a mini-trial, to resolve a serious dispute with the school about your child's education.
E
- Early Intervention (IDEA Part C)Services for babies and toddlers under 3 with delays or disabilities — therapy and family support delivered before school age, often at home.
- EligibilityEligibility is the determination that a child has a qualifying disability and needs special education, which opens the door to an IEP.
- Emotional Disturbance (ED)Emotional disturbance is an IDEA category for children whose long-standing emotional or behavioral condition affects their learning.
- ESY (Extended School Year)ESY is special education provided beyond the normal school year, such as summer, for students who would otherwise lose key skills.
F
- FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education)FAPE is your child's right, under federal law, to special education and services at no cost that are designed to meet their needs.
- FBA (Functional Behavioral Assessment)An FBA studies why a behavior happens — its triggers and purpose — so the team can build a plan that actually helps.
- FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)FERPA is the federal law giving you the right to see, and to control the sharing of, your child's education records.
I
- IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)IDEA is the federal law that guarantees eligible children with disabilities a free, appropriate public education and an IEP.
- IEE (Independent Educational Evaluation)An IEE is an evaluation by a qualified expert outside the school, which you can request at public expense if you disagree with the school's.
- IEP (Individualized Education Program)An IEP is a written plan under federal law that spells out the special education and services your child gets at public school.
- IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan)The written plan for early intervention — like an IEP for children under 3, but centered on the whole family, not just the child.
- InclusionInclusion is teaching students with disabilities in the general classroom alongside their peers, with the supports they need to succeed.
- Intellectual Disability (ID)Intellectual disability is an IDEA category involving significant limits in reasoning and everyday adaptive skills that affect learning.
M
- MainstreamingMainstreaming places a student with disabilities in general classes for part of the day, often where they can keep up with support.
- Manifestation DeterminationA manifestation determination is a meeting to decide whether a child's misbehavior was caused by their disability before serious discipline.
- MediationMediation is a free, voluntary meeting with a neutral, trained mediator who helps you and the school reach an agreement.
- ModificationsModifications change what a student is expected to learn — such as fewer or simpler problems — not just how they access it.
- MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports)A school-wide framework of layered help — extra support that grows with a child's needs, from the regular classroom up to intensive intervention.
- Multiple DisabilitiesMultiple disabilities is an IDEA category for a child with two or more coexisting disabilities that together need combined support.
O
- Occupational Therapy (OT)School occupational therapy helps a child build the fine-motor, sensory, and self-care skills they need to take part in the school day.
- Orthopedic ImpairmentOrthopedic impairment is an IDEA category for a physical disability affecting movement or body function that impacts a child's education.
- Other Health Impairment (OHI)Other health impairment covers conditions like ADHD, epilepsy, or diabetes that limit a child's strength, energy, or attention at school.
P
- Paraprofessional (Aide)A paraprofessional is a trained classroom aide who supports students with disabilities under a teacher's direction.
- Parental ConsentYour written permission, required before evaluation and before services begin — informed, voluntary, and revocable at any time.
- Physical Therapy (PT)School physical therapy helps a child move, balance, and get around the building safely so they can access their education.
- PLAAFP (Present Levels of Performance)The PLAAFP is the section of the IEP that describes, in concrete terms, what your child can do right now — the base for the whole plan.
- Prior Written Notice (PWN)Prior written notice is the school's duty to explain in writing, before it acts, any proposal or refusal to change your child's plan.
- Procedural SafeguardsProcedural safeguards are the written summary of your legal rights in the special education process, which the school must give you.
- Progress MonitoringProgress monitoring is the regular tracking of whether a child is meeting their IEP goals, reported to parents throughout the year.
R
- ReevaluationA reevaluation is a fresh look at your child's needs and eligibility, done at least every three years or sooner if warranted.
- Related ServicesRelated services are the supports — like speech, OT, PT, or counseling — a child needs to benefit from special education.
- Resolution SessionA resolution session is a required meeting after you file for due process, giving both sides a last chance to settle before a hearing.
- Resource RoomA resource room is a small setting where a student leaves the general class for part of the day to get targeted help from a specialist.
- RTI (Response to Intervention)A step-by-step method where schools try extra help and track how a child responds — useful data that must never delay an evaluation you request.
S
- Section 504Section 504 is a federal civil-rights law that bars disability discrimination in schools and is the basis for 504 plans.
- Self-Contained ClassroomA self-contained classroom is a smaller, separate special education class where students spend most or all of the day with a specialized teacher.
- Specific Learning Disability (SLD)A specific learning disability affects how a child processes information in areas like reading, writing, or math — including dyslexia.
- Speech or Language ImpairmentA speech or language impairment is an IDEA category for communication disorders that affect a child's ability to learn at school.
- Speech-Language TherapySpeech-language therapy helps a child with speaking, understanding, or communicating so language barriers don't hold back their learning.
- State ComplaintA state complaint is a written request asking your state education agency to investigate a school's violation of special education law.
- Stay-PutStay-put keeps your child in their current program during a formal dispute, so the school cannot change placement while it is contested.
- Surrogate ParentA person appointed to make special education decisions for a child when no parent or guardian is available — so every child has a voice at the table.
T
- Transition PlanA transition plan is the part of an older student's IEP that maps goals for life after high school — work, college, and independence.
- Transition ServicesTransition services are the concrete activities and supports that prepare an older student for work, further learning, and adult life.
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)TBI is an IDEA category for a child whose learning is affected by an acquired brain injury from an external physical force.
General information and document preparation — not legal advice.