Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education Terms

NECTAC maintains an Acronym List of terms as a reference to the often confusing alphabet soup of agency, organization, and program names. Please send us any you think we should include. To find additional acronyms and abbreviations go to the Acronym Finder.

The following is a list of resources that contain definitions of early intervention and early childhood special education terms. A number of these are available online.

DEC Recommended Practices in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education. (2000). Sopris West.
This book is designed to provide guidance on effective practices that are related to better outcomes for young children with disabilities, their families, and the personnel who serve them. After an introductory chapter, chapters are provided that list recommended practices in the following areas: (1) assessment; (2) child-focused interventions; (3) family-based interventions; (4) interdisciplinary models; (5) technology applications; (6) polices, procedures, and systems change; and (7) personnel preparation. Definitions of terms that are specific to each strand are included. Chapters 9 and 10 discuss methods and activities used to produce the recommended practices and provide applications to illustrate ways the practices can be used in the field. Appendices include information on applicable federal laws, resources, position papers and a glossary of terms.

DEC Recommended Practices Program Assessment: Improving Practices for Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families. (2001). Sopris West.
This manual presents recommended practices of the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood (DEC) for evaluating early intervention and early childhood special education programs. The DEC recommended practices are intended to complement previously established guidelines for developmentally appropriate practices. This guide includes the following: lists of the DEC recommended practices by strand, a program assessment form for each strand, planning forms and a case study utilizing the planning forms. Also includes a glossary of terms used. Following an introductory chapter, individual chapters provide recommended practices in the following areas: (1) interdisciplinary models; (2) family-based practices; (3) assessment; (4) child-focused practices; (5) technology applications; (6) policies, procedures, and systems; and (7) personnel preparation.

Special Education Dictionary - Revised Edition. (2007). LRP Publications.
The Special Education Dictionary contains definitions of more than 1,400 terms used in the special education field. The 2007 Edition includes terms that are relevant to IDEA 2004 and the 2006 IDEA Part B regulations, such as resolution sessions, response to intervention (RTI), serious bodily injury. The dictionary also covers topics such as: the No Child Left Behind Act; childhood disabilities and diseases; general legal terms relevant to special education law; diagnostic instruments used in evaluations; and more.

The Early Intervention Dictionary: A Multidisciplinary Guide to Terminology. (2006). Woodbine House.
The Early Intervention Dictionary defines hundreds of medical, therapeutic, and educational terms commonly used in the early intervention field. This new edition reflects changes in the field: new research, educational approaches, and treatments, as well as new terminology. It is designed to help parents and the many different professionals in the early intervention field understand one another and successfully collaborate.

Available Online

Defining Child Abuse and Neglect. (2007). Child Welfare Information Gateway.
This page on the Child Welfare Information Gateway Web site provides definitions of child abuse and neglect from Federal and State laws, and resources that distinguish between discipline and abuse.

Dictionary of Developmental Disabilities Terminology - Second Edition . (2003). Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Now in its second edition, this fully searchable online dictionary provides clear, concise, and trustworthy definitions of thousands of disorders, assessment tools, theories, anatomical terms, medications, interventions, diagnoses, professional organizations, and more.

Finding Help for Young Children with Disabilities (Birth-5): Parent's Guide 2 (Updated March 2005). NICHCY.
This online parent guide contains definitions of terms commonly used early in intervention and early childhood special education. The definitions are not necessarily endorsed by the U.S. Dept. of Education.

Glossary of Assessment Terminology. (Retrieved October 2005). New Assessment: Early Childhood Resources.
The mission of the New Assessment: Early Childhood Resources Web site is to advance the field of early childhood and intervention in the area of assessment by promoting recommended practices including innovative assessment models, processes and resources that benefit young children and their families. This glossary provides definitions of assessment terminology used on the Web site.

Glossary of Child Welfare Terms (Updated 2008). Child Welfare Information Gateway.
This Glossary identifies commonly held definitions for terms that can be found on the Child Welfare Information Gateway website. It defines common acronyms and includes links to information on major Federal legislation and related child welfare terms.

Glossary of Policy & Advocacy Terms: A Guide to the ABCs and Acronyms of the Infant-Toddler Policy Process. (Revised May 2007). Zero To Three.
This online glossary from Zero to Three defines terms and acronyms commonly used in the public policy and advocacy arena, specifically for those in the infant-toddler field.

Glossary of Terms Related to English Language Learners (2005). Head Start Bulletin #78: English Language Learners.
This glossary contains terms related to the education of young linguistically and culturally diverse children. It comes from the AskNCELA glossary, published by the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition & Language Instruction Educational Programs.

MCH Thesaurus. (Retrieved October 2005). Maternal and Child Health Library.
The 3rd edition of the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Thesaurus provides the MCH professional community with a standard vocabulary that serves as a tool for indexing and retrieving materials in any MCH research center, library, or special collection. This edition consists of an introduction; alphabetical list of terms; a rotated list of terms; a set of subject categories; and a search function to search MCHLine® for specific terms.

Navajo Glossary of Early Childhood Special Education. (Retrieved October 2005). University of New Mexico, Center for Development and Disability.
This online glossary provides definitions of terms frequently used in early childhood special education. It includes the Navajo translations for each term, as well as audio access to spoken pronunciations.

Online Dictionary of Special Education Terms (2008). The IRIS Center.
This online dictionary from the IRIS Center contains terms related to the field of special education and includes a helpful cross-referencing feature.

Terminology in the Early Childhood Field (2003). Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting.
This resource discusses the need to adopt commonly accepted terms in the early care and education field. It is organized into the following 9 sections: (1) Overview of issues related to early childhood terminology; (2) Care vs. education?; (3) Professionalism in early childhood education; (4) Defining specific terms; (5) Conclusion; (6) References; (7) Web Resources; (8) Reference Book Resources; and (9) ERIC Resources.

Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors. (Retrieved October 2005). Education Resources Information Center (ERIC).
The Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors is the master list of more than 10,000 terms or subject headings used in indexing and searching the ERIC (Educational Resources and Information Center) Database.

The Words We Use: A Glossary of Terms for Early Childhood Education Standards and Assessment . (Retrieved October 2005). Council of Chief State School Officers.
As federal and state policies about standards and assessment for young children assume increased prominence, it is also increasingly important to create a common language about early learning standards and assessments--linked to the language used with respect to the education of older children and yet capturing relevant differences in how these terms are conceptualized and defined for young children's lives. This lexicon was developed as a tool to help stakeholders "begin on the same page" when discussing issues related to early childhood education standards and assessment, and conceived as an essential foundation when building a system for successful early learners.