Glossary of Terms
Although not a complete list, but rather a quick reference, the following terms and brief definitions may be helpful as you navigate your way through the world of medical services, educational approaches and interventions. You can get additional information from your health care and educational professionals, and in books and journals and on the internet.
ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) – A method often used to teach children with autism spectrum disorders in which environmental stimuli are manipulated in order to produce a desired response. By breaking complex skills into small steps, children can systematically learn to respond and behave in socially appropriate ways.
Adaptive behavior – The ability to adjust to new experiences, interact with new people and participate in new activities and experiences.
Adaptive equipment – Furniture and other positioning supports that can be used to help a child maintain comfortable and appropriate posture and functioning when sitting, standing or moving.
Americans with Disabilities Act (
Anticonvulsant – Medication used to control seizures.
Articulation – The ability to produce speech sounds.
Assistive and Augmentative Communication (AAC) – Additional materials, supports and equipment and electronic devices that help people communicate when their spoken language is not sufficient for their needs.
Assistive Technology – Electronic as well as non-electronic materials, equipment and devices designed to help people with disabilities play, learn, communicate, move around and carry out activities of daily living at home, at school and in the community.
Asperger Syndrome – An autism spectrum disorder characterized by average to above-average cognitive function, deficits in communication and social language (pragmatics) and, sometimes, a limited range of interests or obsessive interest in a particular topic, such as the weather, train schedules or car models.
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) – A condition referring to excessive difficulty in concentrating and focusing or extreme distractibility.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – The diagnostic term used to describe people who have excessive difficult in concentrating and focusing, extreme distractibility or overactivity, sometimes including disruptive behaviors or aggression.
Auditory memory – The ability to receive information presented orally, and to interpret, store and retrieve it.
Auditory processing – How the brain recognizes and interprets sound.
Auditory Processing Disorder – The condition that occurs when something interferes with or adversely affects the recognition or interpretation of sounds, including speech and language.
Behavioral therapy – The systematic application of behavioral theory, including the use of conditioning and reinforcements, in the treatment of a disorder.
Cognition - The ability to perceive, think, reason and analyze.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - A treatment approach combining cognitive theory and behavioral concepts, leading to behavioral changes through the understanding of how thoughts influence behaviors and learning how to change thought patterns.
Congenital condition - A condition existing at birth.
Convulsion - The involuntary contraction and relaxation of muscles. A seizure may occur in the form of convulsions.
Cue - A physical or verbal/vocal gesture that prompts a person to speak, perform an activity or behave in a particular way.
Developmental delay - A slower rate of development in comparison to the majority of children of the same age.
Developmental disability - A condition that prevents physical or cognitive development.
Developmental milestone - The acquisition of a skill that is associated with a certain age, e.g. sitting up; saying first words.
DIR/Floortime - An intervention and treatment approach developed by Stanley Greenspan, M.D., and Serena Wieder, PhD, that addresses and enhances the social, emotional and intellectual capacities of individuals with ASDs, rather than focusing on isolated behaviors. DIR stands for Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-Based.
Discrete Trial Training (DTT) - A teaching method included in, but not synonymous with, behaviorally based interventions, such as ABA. Specific skills are taught through the repetition of the following steps: presentation of task, response and reinforcement, with prompts provided if and when needed. A pause follows each sequence, indicating the beginning and ending of each cycle.
Dyspraxia - The brain's inability to plan muscle movements and carry them out.
Ear tubes - Tiny tubes inserted in the eardrum that allow fluid to drain. Ear tubes are often recommended for babies and toddlers who get recurring ear infections.
Echolalia - The involuntary and usually meaningless repetition of phrases or words just heard.
Electroencephalogram (EEG) - The recording of electrical impulses in the brain that can be used to diagnose some neurological conditions, such as seizures.
Epilepsy (Seizure Disorder) - A condition characterized by sudden, involuntary, usually brief occurrences of altered consciousness, motor activity or both.
Executive function - The ability to plan, organize and follow through, as well as the ability to inhibit actions, delay responses, make appropriate choices and shift attention. Individuals with ASDs, learning disabilities and other neurological conditions often have deficits in executive function, which is important to the attainment of goals.
Expressive language - Any spoken language, vocalizations, gestures or other means by which a person is able to communicate.
Fine motor skills - The use of one's hands for manipulating objects and performing activities.
Functional Behavioral Assessment - A process based largely on observation in which problem behaviors are addressed and analyzed. Causes and functions of the behavior are identified. Then a behavior intervention plan (BIP) based on a specific, individual profile is developed and, ideally, implemented across settings in order to minimize or stop inappropriate behaviors.
Gross motor skills - The use of one's large muscles to move, such as walking, running, hopping and jumping.
Hypertonia - Increased tension or stiffness in the muscles.
Hypotonia - Decreased tension or floppiness in the muscles.
Incontinence - Lack of bladder or bowel control.
Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) - A federal law that established the rights of children with identified disabilities to get a free, appropriate public education in the least-restrictive environment.
Joint attention - Sharing one's experience of observation of an object or event by making eye contact with another person, following gaze, gesturing and pointing.
Motor planning - The ability to think through and physically carry out a task.
No Child Left Behind Act - Public law 107-110 signed in 2002, aimed at improving performance in public schools by increasing standards in accountability for teachers and administrators. Increased focus on reading is also a key.
Non-Verbal Learning Disability (NVLD) - A neurological condition characterized by strong verbal, memory and reading skills and weaker visual-spatial, motor and executive functioning as well as some challenges in social interactions.
Neuromotor - A process involving both the nervous system and muscles.
Oral motor - A process involving the nerves and muscles in and around the mouth.
PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified) - An autism spectrum disorder characterized by the presence of some, but not all of the defining symptoms of autism.
PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) - A means by which people use pictures to communicate their interests, needs and spontaneous thoughts, ask and answer questions and schedule activities.
Performance I.Q. - The score derived from various non-verbal tests, such as visual-spatial activities and object assembly.
Pivotal Response Training - Based on the principles of ABA, Pivotal Response Training focuses on motivation and responsivity as the most important features of intervention. It is more child-directed than traditional ABA/Discrete Trial Therapy and specifically targets social behaviors, such as turn-taking, making choices and play skills.
Public Law 94-142 - The Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, ratified again in 2004, providing a "free, appropriate public education" for all children with disabilities.
Receptive language - The ability to understand spoken language and interpret gestures, signs or pictures.
Regression - The loss of skills that have already been learned.
Respite care - Care provided by an individual or institution to a child with a disability so that the primary caretakers, usually the parents, can have a break. Sometimes respite care is funded by state agencies.
SCERTS Model - A comprehensive, multidisciplinary educational model developed by Barry Prizant, and Emily Rubin to address the needs of students with ASDs and related challenges. The acronym stands for Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, Transactional Support, which are the cornerstones of this approach.
Seizure - Involuntary movement or changes in consciousness brought about by bursts of electrical activity in the brain.
Self-help skills - Daily skills such as self-feeding, dressing, bathing and other tasks that are necessary to maintain health and well-being.
Self-stimulatory behaviors - Also called stereotypy, and present in both autistic and neurotypical individuals, these are repetitive body movements, such as flapping arms or rocking back and forth, or repetitive movements of objects, like spinning wheels or opening and closing doors.
Sensory Integration Therapy - A therapeutic approach that incorporates the use of sensory materials and physical input in order to help children increase focus, regulate moods and tolerate frustration and environmental change as well as reduce negative reactions to stimuli, such as noise, crowded spaces or textures of food or fabric.
Sensorimotor - Activities that involve learning through movement and the senses.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - An income-based federal program for individuals with disabilities.
Supported employment - Work done by people with cognitive, physical or emotional challenges involving an adapted environment or additional support staff.
Syndrome - A group of symptoms or traits that indicate a particular condition or disorder.
Tactile defensiveness - Extreme physical sensitivity to certain textures and sensations.
TEACCH Model - A program of services, rather than a teaching method, in which respect for individual differences, respect and inclusion of parents and various professionals and input from individuals with ASDs are considered in treatment and education. Developed at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, it stands for: Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication-handicapped CHildren, and takes a lifespan approach.
Theory of Mind - The cognitive ability to recognize that one's feelings, perceptions, beliefs and desires differ from those of others. Theory of Mind enables us to assign "states of mind" to others and react and respond to feelings.
Verbal I.Q. - The score resulting from various tests involving verbal tasks, such as understanding vocabulary, understanding written material and answering general knowledge questions.
Visual spatial skills - Skills that are nonlinear, sequential and are dependent upon processing shapes, colors and pictures, rather than language.