Psych 304: Chapter 1 Vocabulary

exceptional children

Children whose performance deviates from the norm, either below or above, to the extent that special education is needed.

impairment

Refers to the loss or reduced function of a particular body part or organ (e.g., a missing limb)

disability

A condition characterized by functional limitations that impede typical development as the result of a physical or sensory impairment or difficulty in learning or social adjustment. (exists when an impairment limits a person’s ability to perform certain tasks)

handicap

Refers to the problems a person with a disability or impairment encounters in interacting with the environment. A disability may pose a handicap in one environment but not in another.

at risk

A term used to refer to a child who is not currently identified with a disability but is considered to have a greater than usual chance of developing a disability.

free appropriate public education (FAPE)

As guaranteed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, schools must provide each qualifying child with disabilities a program of education and related services individually designed to meet that child’s unique needs and from which the child receives educational benefit, including being prepared for further education, employment, and independent living.

least restrictive environment (LRE)

The educational setting that most closely resembles a regular school program and also meets the child’s special educational needs. For many students with disabilities, the regular classroom is the LRE; however, the LRE is a relative concept and must be determined for each individual student with disabilities.

due process

A set of legal steps and proceedings carried out according to established rules and principles; designed to protect an individual’s constitutional and legal rights.

individualized education program (IEP)

The written document required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for every child with a disability; includes statements of present performance, annual goals, short-term instructional objectives, specific educational services needed, extent of participation in the general education program, evaluation procedures, and relevant dates; must be signed by parents as well as educational personnel.

individualized family service plan (IFSP)

A requirement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for the coordination of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities from birth to age 3 years.

assistive technology

“Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of children with disabilities”

fluency

The combination of accuracy and speed that characterizes highly skilled performance; often measured by the number of responses per minute.

functional curriculum

Knowledge and skills that some students with disabilities must learn to achieve as much success and independence as they can in school, home, community, and employment settings. Examples include dressing, toileting, making a purchase, and preparing a snack.

incidence

The percentage of people who, at some time in their lives, will be identified as having a specific condition. Often reported as the number of cases of a given condition per 1,000 births or people of a given age.

manifestation determination

A review of the relationship between a student’s misconduct and his disability conducted by the individualized education program team and other qualified personnel. Required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act amendments of 1997 when school officials seek to discipline a student with disabilities in a manner that would result in a change of placement, suspension, or expulsion in excess of 10 days.

primary prevention

Interventions designed to eliminate or counteract risk factors so that a disability is never acquired; aimed at all children.

repeated reading

A technique for increasing reading fluency in which a student orally reads the same passage, usually three to five times, during each session. With each successive reading and following systematic error correction from the teacher, the student tries to increase the number of words read correctly per minute. When the student achieves a predetermined fluency criterion on a given passage, a new passage is introduced. The difficulty level of successive passages gradually increases over time.

SAFMEDS (Say All Fast a Minute Each Day Shuffled)

A deck of cards with a question, vocabulary term, or problem printed on one side of each card and the answer on the other side. A student answers as many items in the deck as she can during 1-minute practice trials by looking at the question or problem, stating an answer, flipping the card over to reveal the correct answer, and putting each card on a “correct” or “incorrect” pile.

secondary prevention

Interventions directed at reducing or eliminating the effects of existing risk factors; aimed at children exposed to or displaying specific risk factors.

tertiary prevention

Interventions designed to minimize the impact of a specific condition or disability; aimed at children with disabilities.

time delay

A technique for transferring stimulus control from a teacher-provided prompt (e.g., teacher saying the word printed on a card) to a target stimulus (e.g., printed word). The teacher presents the prompt and target stimulus concurrently, and after the student has responded correctly to several trials, the teacher (a) presents the target stimulus alone and waits 3 or 4 seconds before providing the prompt (constant time delay) or (b) presents the target stimulus alone and waits for a gradually increasing amount of time (e.g., 1 second, 2 seconds) before providing the prompt (progressive time delay). Time delay is successful when the student begins responding to the target stimulus before the prompt.

universal design for learning (UDL)

An approach to developing curriculum materials and lessons that incorporates concepts from architecture and product design to make access and interaction with the materials accessible, motivating, and engaging for all learners.

Person First

Put the person before the disability/label