EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION TERMINOLOGY
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A
Abuse 
The action of a person hurting or not caring for another
person who generally is younger or weaker.
(one does abusing)
Academic Difficulty
When a child has difficulty keeping up with others in
an educational program.
(schooling/education, having difficulty)
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
A disease of the human immune system that is caused by
HIV infection. The infection is transmitted in blood and bodily secretion
and can become life threatening.
(infectious disease, preventing it, fights, on it, hampered)
Adaptive Behavior
Development of self-help skills such as sucking, feeding,
dressing, and toileting.
(just one, takes care of self; just, him/herself, care
of self, he/she learned)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Diagnosis used for children who are overly energetic or
hyper and have trouble staying focused on one thing.
(a child, in vain, sit still, usually, toward him/her,
spoken, but, somewhere, his/her thoughts, will be)
(full attention, not, able to do)
Advocating
To provide resource information, support services and/or
educational opportunities for children with special needs and their families
to assure that those needs are made known to professional care-givers,
service providers, and others as well as the general public.
(speaking out for oneself, when difficult, for him/her,
advocating)
Aggression
Initiating and acting with hostile behaviors. A behavior
aimed at causing either physical or psychological pain by biting, hitting,
and /or throwing objects.
(one's anger, one is)
American Sign Language
A sign language for the deaf in which communication is
conveyed by a system of articulated hand gestures and their placement
relative to the upper body.
(when one does jestering/motioning, story/information
about it)
Anxiety Disorder
A state of uneasiness.
(with self, anxiety disorder)
Apraxia
Difficulty producing deliberate, volitional movements, even
though there is no weakness, slowness, or incoordination resulting from
muscular impairment. The programming of the muscles by the brain is imprecise.
(one's mouth, difficulty, not, very well, speaking/talks)
Articulation
Movement of the lips, tongue, teeth, and palate into specific
patterns to produce speech sounds.
(language, not hard/difficult, consonant, and vowels,
sounds, with it one speaks, will be)
Assessment Tools
Formal and informal methods used by trained personnel
to measure a child's ability, growth and development (strengths and weaknesses).
This may involve discussions, observations, and testing. The family's
input and ideas are very important to anyone using assessment tools with
any young child.
(children, growing, just now, with them, developing, with
it, evaluation/assessment)
Assistive Devices
Any item, piece of equipment, or product system used to
increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of children
with special needs. These items may be acquired commercially, off the
shelf, modified, or customized.
(something, just, designed, body, helps/assists it, using
it)
Assistive Technology
Devices and materials used to assist or to help increase,
maintain, or improve the functional abilities of children with disabilities.
(something, body, assist it, how it is use)
At Risk for Delay (due to biological/medical factors)
The presence of early conditions which are known to produce
developmental delays in some children.
(his/her, on it, something the matter, because, in their
future, normal being, with it, toward them, at risk)
Attention Seeking
Children acting in ways to focus others on their behavior
or themselves. Seeking attention by acting out.
(about me, everyone is aware of, the one who wants attention)
(attention seeking, only, wanted)
Audiogram
Standard graph used to record hearing thresholds by frequency
and hearing level.
(one's hearing, for one, evaluation of it, paper, on it,
documented)
Audiological Evaluation
Procedures used by appropriate/qualified personnel to
determine the range, nature, and degree of hearing loss and/or communication
function of a child. The evaluation is used to design intervention/prevention
services for hearing loss.
(children, his/her hearing, examination)
Audiologist
One who holds a degree and/or certification in audiology,
and whose specific interest is in identification, measurement, and rehabilitation
of persons with hearing impairments.
(children, his/her hearing, one who does examination)
Audiology
Study of hearing and hearing disorders; it is concerned
with assessment of the nature and degree of hearing loss, and rehabilitation
of individuals with hearing impairments.
(ear, at that area/place/space/service, sutdy and working
with it)
Auditory (Hearing) Impairment
Damage of the hearing organs or sensors, which results
in temporary or permanent loss of hearing of a person.
