Special Education Terms - Lake Washington School District

Special Education Terms and Definitions

Explanations of commonly used words and phrases in the special education program

Terms and Definitions
ADA	Americans with Disabilities Act Civil rights law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination.
DDD	Division of Developmental Disabilities Public agency that offers various services to qualified individuals with disabilities.
ESY	Extended School Year Services ESY is the special education and related services provided to students beyond the regular 180 day school year to maintain a student's learned skills/behavior, not the teaching of new skills/behaviors. The IEP team decides whether or not the student requires ESY services and the location of these services.
FAPE	Free Appropriate Public Education Legal requirement for school districts to provide free appropriate public education to qualified students with disabilities, regardless of disability.
IDEA	Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Federal law ensuring services to children with disabilities. Governs how states and public agencies provide education to youth with disabilities.
IEP	Individual Education Program Personalized education program for students with disabilities.
LRE	Least Restrictive Environment Requirement to educate special needs children with children who are not disabled, to the extent possible.
LWSD	Lake Washington School District
OSPI	Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction Oversees public education in Washington state.
OT	Occupational Therapy Focuses on daily living, fine motor skills and sensory integration.
PAC	Parent Advisory Committee Group of parents and district staff who work on special needs issues and projects.
PT	Physical Therapy Evaluation and treatment of physical disabilities to improve the use of bones, muscles, joints and nerves through exercise.
PTSA/PTA	Parent Teacher Student Association/Parent Teacher Association Advocacy organization that promotes the improvement of health, welfare and education of children.
Related Services	Related Services Specialized services provided by the district for qualified students, such as physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT).
SDI	Specially Designed Instruction Appropriate instructional adaptations that meet the needs of eligible students.
Section 504	Part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that protects qualified individuals from discrimination based on their disability. Allows for accommodations and/or modifications so that children with disabilities can participate in the general education classroom with access to general education curriculum.
SLP	Speech Language Pathology Therapy that focuses on improvement of communication problems.
WASL	Washington Assessment of Student Learning Standards-based test for public school students in Washington state.