Glossary of SEND Terms and Acronyms
The world of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities is full of jargon and acronyms!
In school we try to avoid using them as much as possible but here are some terms and acronyms you may encounter and what they mean:
ADD/ADHD- Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder
ARE- Age-related expectations
ASC- Autistic Spectrum Condition
Cognition- Thinking
DCD- Developmental coordination disorder
DLA- Disability Living Allowance
DLD- Developmental Language Disorder
Dysfluency- Dysfluency, also known as stammering or stuttering, refers to a difficulty in producing smooth, fluent speech.
EHCP- Education, Health and Care Plan
EP- Educational Psychologist
Expressive language- Expressive language refers to the way individuals use language to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and needs to others.
Graduated approach- The graduated approach is a cyclical process used to identify, assess, and support individuals with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
HV- Health Visitor
HVS- Hearing and Vision Specialist Service (formerly known as Sensory Support Service)
Individualised support- refers to the support that is provided for a small minority of pupils based on them having high levels of need
MASSH- Multi-Agency Safeguarding and Support Hub
Metacognition- Metacognition is essentially "thinking about thinking" or "learning about learning". It involves awareness, understanding, and control of one's cognitive processes. This includes planning, monitoring, and evaluating.
ND- Neurodiversity
OPP- One Page Profile- See the SEN Information Report for more information about what One Page Profiles look like at Great Moor Infant School
OT- Occupational Therapy
PCR- Person Centred Review also known as a SEN review- for more information see the SEN information report
PDA- Pathological Demand Avoidance
PfA- Preparation for Adulthood
Proprioception- Proprioception is the sense that tells your brain about your body's position and movement in space, relying on information from muscles and joints.
PSED- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Receptive language- Receptive language refers to the ability to understand spoken language.
SaLT- Speech and Language Therapy
Self-regulation- Self-regulation refers to the ability to manage one's emotions, thoughts, and behaviours to achieve long-term goals.
SEMH- Social, Emotional and Mental Health- one of the 4 areas of SEND
SEND- Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
SENDCo/SENCo- Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator-This is a specific role in schools- in our school the SENDCo is Miss Eve May
Sensory- refers to anything related to the bodily senses that allow us to perceive the world around us.
SN- School Nurse
Tactile processing- Tactile processing refers to how our body interprets and responds to sensory information received through touch.
Targeted support- refers to support that is available to some children based upon need for example small group interventions
Universal offer- refers to the high quality teaching that is available to all pupils
Vestibular system- The vestibular system is a sensory system that is responsible for providing the brain with information about motion, head position, and spatial orientation, which is crucial for maintaining balance and coordination.
Zones of Regulation- A social and emotional curriculum designed to teach children self-regulation and emotional control