Disability Categories and EC Acronyms
Areas of Disability:
Autism Spectrum Disorder (AU) -means a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, which adversely affects a child's educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotypical movements, restricted interests, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences. Autism does not apply if a child’s educational performance is adversely affected primarily because the child has an emotional disability, as described in paragraph (b)(5) of this section. A child who manifests the characteristics of autism after age three could be identified as having autism if the criteria in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section are satisfied.
Deaf-Blindness (DB) - hearing and visual impairments that occur together, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs.
Developmental Delay (DD) - a child aged three through seven, whose development and/or behavior is delayed or atypical, as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures, in one or more of the following areas: physical development, cognitive development, communication development, social or emotional development, or adaptive development, and who, by reason of the delay, needs special education.
Deafness (DF) - a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification that adversely affects the child's educational performance.
Emotional Disability (ED) - a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance: (a) an inability to make educational progress that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors; (b) and inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers; (c) inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances; (d) a general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; (e) a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
Hearing Impairment (HI) - impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating that adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Intellectual Disability - Mild, Moderate, or Severe (ID) - significantly below average general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Multiple Disabilities (MU) - two or more disabilities occurring together, the combination of which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments.
Orthopedic Impairment (OI) - a severe physical impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Other Health Impairment (OHI) - having limited strength, vitality or alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment and adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Speech or Language Impairment (SI) - a communication disorder, such as an impairment in fluency, articulation, language, or voice/resonance that adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Specific Learning Disability (SLD) - a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the impaired ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) - an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force or by an internal occurrence resulting in total or partial functional disability and/or psychosocial impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Visual Impairment, including Blindness (VI) - an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Other Acronyms for EC Listed Alphabetically:
ADD Attention Deficit Disorder
ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
AIG Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted
APD Auditory Processing Disorder
AYP Adequate Yearly Progress
BA Behavioral Assessment
BASC Behavior Assessment System for Children
BIP Behavior Intervention Plan
CAPD Central Auditory Processing Disorder
CC Cross-categorical
CEC Council for Exceptional Children
DPI Department of Public Instruction
ELL English Language Learner
EOC/EOG End of Course/Grade
ESY Extended School Year
FAPE Free Appropriate Public Education
FBA Functional Behavior Assessment
HFAU High Functioning Autism
IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IEP Individual Education Program
IQ Intelligence Quotient
ITP Individualized Transition Plan
LEA Local Education Agency
LEP Limited English Proficiency
LRE Least Restrictive Environment
NCDPI North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
NCLB No Child Left Behind
OCR Office of Civil Rights
OCS Occupational Course of Study
OSEP Office of Special Education Programs
OT Occupational Therapy
PLP Present Levels of Educational Performance
RTI Response to Intervention
SCOS Standard Course of Study
SLP Speech Language Pathologist
Disability Categories
Definitions taken from the North Carolina policies governing services for children with disabilities
|
Autism Spectrum Disorder (AU) |
a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, which adversely affects a child's educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotypical movements, restricted interests, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences. Autism does not apply if a child’s educational performance is adversely affected primarily because the child has an emotional disability. |
| Deaf-Blindness (DB) | hearing and visual impairments that occur together, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness. |
| Deafness (DF) | a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification that adversely affects the child’s educational performance. |
| Developmental Delay (DD) | a child aged three through seven, whose development and/or behavior is delayed or atypical, as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures, in one or more of the following areas: physical development, cognitive development, communication development, social or emotional development, or adaptive development, and who, by reason of the delay, needs special education and related services. |
| Emotional Disability (ED) | a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance: an inability to make educational progress that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors; an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers; inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances; a general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; and/or a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems. Emotional disability includes schizophrenia. |
| Hearing Impairment (HI) | impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness in this section. The term “hard of hearing” may be used in this capacity. |
| Intellectual Disability - Mild, Moderate, or Severe (ID) | significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. |
| Multiple Disabilities (MU) | two or more disabilities occurring together (such as intellectual disability blindness, intellectual disability orthopedic impairment, etc.), the combination of which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments. Multiple disabilities does not include deaf blindness. |
| Orthopedic Impairment (OI) | a severe physical impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes impairments caused by a congenital anomaly, impairments caused by disease (e.g., poliomyelitis, bone tuberculosis, etc.), and impairments from other causes (e.g., cerebral palsy, amputations, and fractures or burns that cause contractures, etc.). |
| Other Health Impairment (OHI) | having limited strength, vitality or alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the Policies Governing Services for Children with Disabilities March 2021 7 educational environment, that-- Is due to chronic or acute health problems such as asthma, attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, a heart condition, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia, and Tourette’s Syndrome, etc.; and adversely affects a child's educational performance. |
| Speech or Language Impairment (SI) | a communication disorder, such as an impairment in fluency, articulation, language, or voice/resonance that adversely affects a child's educational performance. Language may include function of language (pragmatic), the content of language (semantic), and the form of language (phonologic, morphologic, and syntactic systems). |
| Specific Learning Disability (SLD) | a disorder in the processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the impaired ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations. |
| Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) | an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force or by an internal occurrence resulting in total or partial functional disability and/or psychosocial impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance. |
| Visual Impairment, including Blindness (VI) | an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness. |
Other EC Acronyms
| ADD | Attention Deficit Disorder |
| ADHD | Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder |
| AIG | Academically ad/or Intellectually Gifted |
| APE | Adapted Physical Education |
| AYP | Adequate Yearly Progress |
| BASC | Behavior Assessment System for Children |
| BIP | Behavior Intervention Plan |
| CEC | Council for Exceptional Children |
| ECAC | Exceptional Children's Assistance Center |
| ELL | English Language Learner |
| EOG/EOC | End of Course/End of Grade |
| ESY | Extended School Year |
| FAPE | Free Appropriate Public Education |
| FBA | Functional Behavior Assessment |
| IDEA | Individuals with Disabilities Education Act |
| ITP | Individualized Transition Plan |
| LEA | Local Education Agency |
| LEP | Limited English Proficiency |
| LRE | Least Restrictive Environment |
| NCDPI | North Carolina Department of Public Instruction |
| OCR | Office of Civil Rights |
| OCS | Occupational Course of Study |
| OSEP | Office of Special Education Programs |
| OT | Occupational Therapy |
| PT | Physical Therapy |
| SCOS | Standard Course of Study |
| SLP | Speech Language Pathologist |