Glossary of  Acronyms and Terms

 

(ADD) Attention Deficit Disorder: This term describes a lifelong developmental disability that can first be detected in infancy, early childhood or even in adolescence, and which affects a child's ability to concentrate and control impulses and behavior. A child who has ADD is not hyperactive, but will often experience a difficulty sustaining a functional level of attention in connection with the performance of normal life task or play activities, and may also experience difficulty in persisting with tasks to completion, or in sustaining concentrating for longer periods of time.

 

(ADHD) Attention Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder: This term describes a lifelong developmental disability that can first be detected in infancy, early childhood or even in adolescence, and which involves challenges with attention span, impulse control, and the intensity level of activities at school, home or at work. Typical behavior would include such things as distractibility; difficulty with following instructions or in waiting for turns within groups; a difficulty with staying on task with chores or play activities; a difficulty with sitting or playing quietly; inattention; restlessness; and engaging in physically harmful or dangerous activities, without a concern for the resulting consequences for self or others.

 

ELD (Expressive Language Disorder)  A communication disorder characterized by a measured level of expressive lanauge development substantially below the person's non-verbal intelligence and language comprehension, the deficit interfering substantially with scholastic, academic, or occupational achievement or social interaction and not being due solely to mental retardation, speech or sensory deficit, or environmental deprivation.

 

ESL  (English as a Second Language).  A special course in schools used to teach English to students whose first language is not English.   Students are now referred to as ELL (English Language Learners).  Some schools refer to it as ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). 

 

ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) A recurrent pattern of negativitistic, defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior toward authority figures that persists for at least six months. This disorder is characterized by frequent occurrence of at least four of the following behaviors: frequent loss of temper, tendency to argue with adults, refusal to obey adult rules or requests, deliberate behaviors to annoy others, spiteful and vindictive behavior, being touchy or easily annoyed by others, being angry and resentful, use of obscene language, and a tendency to blame others for mistakes or misbehaviors. Symptoms are less severe than those associated with Conduct Disorder but sometimes indicate the early stages of Conduct Disorder (CD) and may sometimes lead to the development of Anti-social Personality Disorder during adulthood.

 

PD (Panic Disorder)  Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder and is characterized by unexpected and repeated episodes of intense fear accompanied by physical symptoms that may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or abdominal distress.

 

PDD (Pervasive Development Disorders), also knows as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)  cause severe and pervasive impairment in thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. These disorders are usually first diagnosed in early childhood and range from a severe form, called autistic disorder, through pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), to a much milder form, Asperger syndrome.

 

EBD (Emotional and Behavioral Disorders)  Currently, students with such disorders are categorized as having an emotional disturbance, which is defined under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as follows:

 

"...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 learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.

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    •       (B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.

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    •       (C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.

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    •       (D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.

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    •       (E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems

 

 

CD (Conduct Disorder)  A behavioral condition involving a pattern of repetitive and persistent conduct that infringes on the basic rights of others or does not conform to established societal norms or rules that are appropriate for a child of that age. A child or teen with conduct disorder may display aggressive or even cruel behavior toward other people, which can include bullying or threatening others; initiating fights; using weapons that could cause serious harm and forcing others into undesired sexual contact or activities. Individuals affected with the disorder may also engage in non-aggressive behaviors that can include a loss or damage to property, deceitfulness, theft, lying, breaking promises and irresponsibility with debts and other legal obligations. Children and teens that are affected with this disorder have been found to persistently engage in serious violations of rules that lead to confrontations at home, at school and/or in the workplace. Conduct disorder has been known to lead to the development of other anti-social disorders during adulthood.

 

 

(RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder)  This term is used to describe a condition that generally appears in children before age five, and is thought to result from a lack of consistent care and nurturing in early years. The disorder is characterized by the inability of a child or infant to establish age- appropriate social contact and relationships with others. Symptoms of the disorder may include a failure to thrive, developmental delays, a refusal to make eye contact, feeding difficulties, hyper-sensitivity to sound and/or touch, failure to initiate or respond to social interactions with others, self-stimulation, indiscriminate sociability and a an unusually high susceptibility to infections.

 

FASD Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term describing the  range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects can include physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities with possible lifelong implications. The term FASD is not intended for use as a clinical diagnosis.

FASD includes conditions such as:  Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), Partial fetal alcohol syndrome (PFAS), Alcohol-related Neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND) , Alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD).  Formerly the term Fetal alcohol effects (FAE) was used but that is now obsolete terminology

 

CPS (Child Protective Services) The Child Protective Services Division investigates reports of abuse and neglect of children. It also provides services to children and families in their own homes, places children in foster care; Provides services to help youth in foster care make the transition to adulthood; and places children in adoptive homes.

 

OCD  (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) is an anxiety disorder and is characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Repetitive behaviors such as handwashing, counting, checking, or cleaning are often performed with the hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away. Performing these so-called "rituals," however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety.

 

IEP (Individualized Education Program)  When a child receives special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), he or she must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This is a written document listing, among other things, the special educational services that the child will receive. The IEP is developed by a team that includes the child's parents and school staff. The IEP is an extremely important document in the educational lives of students with disabilities receiving special education under IDEA.

 

PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a mental disorder that follows an occurrence of extreme psychological stress, such as that encountered in war or resulting from violence, childhood abuse, sexual abuse, or serious accident. The stressful event is usually followed by a period of emotional numbness and denial that can last for months or years. After that period, symptoms such as recurring nightmares, "flashbacks," short-term memory problems, insomnia, or heightened sensitivity to sudden noises may begin. In some cases outbursts of violent behavior have been observed. The usual treatment for PTSD is individual psychotherapy, including anxiety management, or group psychotherapy with others who have the disorder. Some anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs are being studied for their effectiveness.  

 

 

(sources:  Adoption.com Adoption Glossary,  Encyclopedia.com, National Institute of Mental Health, National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services)