Professionals can sometimes use terms, phrases, and abbreviations that are difficult to understand. This page helps to explain language that is regularly used when talking about special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
If you have a specific term in mind, you can use the A to Z to skip to terms starting with that letter.
If there is a word, abbreviation or phrases that is not on this page that you would like added, email us at TheLocalOffer@hounslow.gov.uk .
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A / B / C / D / E / F / G / H / I / J / K / L / M / N / O / P / Q / R / S / T / U / V / W / X / Y / Z
A
- ACE
- Adverse childhood experience
- ADD
- Attention deficit disorder
- ADHD
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Advocate
- Someone who can talk on your behalf if you find it difficult to understand your care and support or find it hard to speak up.
- Annual review
- The review of an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), which a local authority (LA) must carry out every 12 months.
- Annual review report
- A written progress report completed by the school and any other professionals who have been supporting the child or young person in an annual review meeting.
- Annual review summary
- A written report completed by the school recording all information from the annual review meeting.
- Appeal
- When you tell a tribunal that you do not agree with the choices your local authority (LA) has made.
- Apprenticeship
- A scheme paid for by the government and the employer, where you learn while at work. You can earn a recognised qualification at the end of an apprenticeship.
- ASC
- Autism spectrum condition
- ASD
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Assessment summary
- Document created before a decision to issue an education, health and care plan (EHCP). If the assessment team decides not to issue an EHCP, it will be given as feedback.
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
- Describes different methods that can be used to help people with disabilities communicate with others. For example, using signing, speech synthesisers, symbols, objects of reference or a combination of these.
B
- BASE
- British Association for Supported Internship
- BSL
- British Sign Language
- BSP
- Behaviour support plan
C
- CAF
- Common assessment framework
- CAMHS
- Child and adolescent mental health service
- CP
- Child protection
- CQC
- Care Quality Commission
- Carer
- A family member or paid helper who regularly looks after a sick child, adult, elderly or disabled person.
- Children and Families Act 2014
- An Act of Parliament which became law in 2014. The Act aims to improve how services work together to give children and young people more control about what services they can access.
- Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs)
- Groups of professionals who work together to commission health services, ensuring there is sufficient capacity contracted to deliver the necessary services to people.
- Cognition and learning
- The mental process of knowing, including aspects such as awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment.
- Co-occurring conditions
- When autistic people have one or more medical or mental health conditions as well as their autism diagnosis.
- Co-production
- Means working together with the people who use services, their families and carers to make those services better.
- Co-production meetings
- The starting point for developing the draft EHCP, once an assessment summary has been created. The co-production meeting is co-ordinated by the EHC officer and the SENCO at the education setting the child or young person attends.
- Cognitive ability
- Thinking and reasoning abilities. A term often used by psychologists instead of intelligence.
- Commissioning
- The process that ensures the right people and services are in the right place at the right time for all children, young people and families. It is the process by which services are planned, investment decisions are made, delivery is ensured, and effectiveness is reviewed.
- Comprehension
- The understanding of spoken or written material or practical situations.
- Compulsory school age
- The age your child must be in full-time education, five to 16 years old.
D
- Designated clinical officer (DCO)
- A person employed by the West London NHS Trust who works across both Hounslow and Ealing local authorities for children and young people with SEND and their families.
- Differentiated curriculum
- When teachers consider planning their lessons, organising the classroom and choosing books and materials for the different rates children are progressing in their classroom. They can choose from the range of available approaches and resources to choose which best fits the learning styles of a particular child or group of children.
- Developmental delay
- A rate of development where a child learns more slowly than most children of the same age.
- DfE
- The Department for Education
- DoH
- The Department of Health
- Direct payments
- A payment made directly to a parent or young person to purchase specific services. Under the Children and Families Act 2014, a direct payment may be made as part of a personal budget so that the parent or young person can buy certain services that are specified in their EHCP. Direct payments can only be used for provision provided on the school or college premises if the school or college agree.
- Disabled
- Describes person who has a physical or mental impairment, which has substantial and long-term effect on their ability to carry out day-to-day activities. The definition also covers pupils with sensory or intellectual impairments, those with a learning disability, severe disfigurements or progressive conditions.
- Disabled Students Allowance
- Financial support for undergraduate or post-graduate students who have a disability or long-term health condition, mental condition or specific learning difficulty that affects their ability to study.
- Disagreement resolution
- When local authorities commission independent bodies to help parents and young people resolve disputes with local authorities, schools and other settings about SEND duties and provision.
- DLA
- Disability Living Allowance
- DS
- Down’s syndrome
- DSCO
- Designated social care officer (for SEND)
- Dyscalculia
- A learning difficulty that makes it hard to understand numbers, which can lead to difficulties with mathematics.
- Dysgraphia
- A condition that makes it difficult for a person to form letters in writing. People with dysgraphia may also use the wrong word for what they’re trying to communicate.
- Dyslexia
- A learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed.
- Dyspraxia
- A common developmental disorder affecting fine, gross or both motor coordination in children and adults. It may also affect speech.
E
- EAL
- English as an additional language
- Early years setting
- A pre-school education provision such as nursery classes and schools, day nurseries and play groups.
- EBD
- Emotional and behavioural difficulties
- EBSA
- Emotionally-based school avoidance
- Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA)
- A full investigation of a child or young person’s education, health and social care needs. It is also the first step to getting an EHCP.
- Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) case officer
- The person working in the SEN Team at who co-ordinates the creation and maintenance of EHCP.
- Educational psychologist
- Someone who helps in assessing a child’s special educational needs and disabilities and giving advice to schools.
- EHE
- Elective home education
- Eligibility
- When your needs meet your council's criteria for council-funded care and support.
- EOTAS
- Educated otherwise than at school
- EP
- Educational psychologist
- Epilepsy
- A common condition that affects the brain and causes frequent seizures. Seizures are bursts of electrical activity in the brain that temporarily affect how it works. They can cause a wide range of symptoms.
- EPS
- Educational psychology service
- Equality Act 2010
- The Equality Act became law in October 2010. It replaces previous legislation (such as the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995) and ensures consistency in what you need to do to make your workplace a fair environment and to comply with the law.
- Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)
- A non-departmental public body in Great Britain that was established by the Equality Act 2006 and came into being on 1 October 2007. It has responsibility for the promotion and enforcement of equality and non-discrimination laws in England, Scotland and Wales.
- Exclusion
- When a child is removed from school by the headteacher for either a fixed period (fixed term) or permanently.
- EYFS
- Early years foundation stage
F
- FE
- Further education
- FE college
- Further education college, offering continuing education to young people over compulsory school age of 16.
- Fine motor skills
- The ability to make movements using the small muscles in our hands and wrists.
- FIS
- Family Information Service
- Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)
- A condition caused by a pregnant woman consuming alcohol, resulting in abnormal brain development before birth.
- Fragile X syndrome
- The most common cause of inherited learning difficulties after down’s syndrome.
- FSM
- Free school meals
G
- GAF
- Graduated approach framework
- GDD
- Global developmental delay
- GLD
- Global learning delay
- GP
- General practitioner (doctor)
- Gross motor skills
- The ability to make movements using the large muscles in your arms and legs. For example, crawling, running and jumping.
H
- HAF
- Holiday activities and food programme
- HE
- Higher education
- HI
- Hearing impairment
- HLTA
- Higher learning teaching assistant
- Home care
- Care provided in your own home by paid care workers to help you with your daily life.
- HV
- Health visitor
I
- IASS
- Independent advice and support service
- ICS
- Integrated commissioning service
- IEP
- Individual education plan
- Inclusion
- Educating children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream schools wherever possible.
- Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA)
- A leading charity in England providing free independent legal advice and support to families of children and young people with SEND.
- Independent school
- A fee-paying school that is not state funded.
- Integrated care board (ICB)
- A statutory NHS organisation which is responsible for developing a plan for meeting the health needs of the population, managing the NHS budget and arranging for the provision of health services in a geographical area.
- IT / ICT
- Information Technology (IT) or Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
J
- Job coach
- A person who plans ways to help a young person fulfil tasks, which they believe will lead to work.
K
- Key stages
- The educational stages that schools split year groups into:
- Early years (up to the end of reception class – ages 3 to 5)
- Key stage 1 (Years 1 and 2 – ages 5 to 7)
- Key stage 2 (Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 – ages 7 to 11)
- Key stage 3 (Years 7, 8 and 9 – ages 11 to 14)
- Key stage 4 (Years 10 and 11 – ages 14 to 16)
- Key stage 5 (Years 12 and 13 – ages 16 to 18)
- KPI
- Key performance indicator
L
- LA
- Local authority (council)
- LAC
- Looked after child
- Learning difficulty
- When a person finds it much harder to learn than other people in their age range.
- Learning disability
- Affects the way a person learns new things throughout their life.
- Learning mentor
- Is an adult or older pupil who is linked with a child to provide support across several areas, such as learning or behaviour.
- Legislative
- Having powers to make law.
- LO
- Local Offer
- Looked after child (LAC)
- Is any child who is in care of the local authority, or who is provided with accommodation by the local authority social services department for more than 24 hours.
- LSA
- Learning support assistant
M
- Maintained school
- A state school funded by the local authority (LA).
- Mainstream school
- A school maintained by the local authority that is not a special school.
- Masking
- Masking or camouflaging is sometimes used by autistic people or people with ADHD to disguise or suppress specific autism traits or behaviours in social situations.
- Mediation
- A statutory service designed by local authorities to help parents, young people and local authorities resolve disputes over EHC needs assessments and plans.
- MDT
- Multi-disciplinary team
- MH&W
- Mental health and wellbeing
- Mental capacity assessment (MCA)
- An assessment carried out to see if someone is legally unable to make decisions for themselves. If they are unable to make decisions on their own, they should still be supported to have their say.
- Mild learning difficulties
- A student with mild learning difficulties is usually able to hold a conversation and communicate most of their needs and wishes.
- MLD
- Moderate learning difficulties
- Monitoring
- The ongoing assessment of work, progress, expenditure, or achievement.
- MS
- Multiple sclerosis
- Multi-agency team
- Professionals from different specialisms (health/education/ social care/voluntary organisations) working together in the best interest of a child or young person.
- Multi-agency meeting
- A key element of the process of successfully working with children and young people who have been identified as having unmet needs and require support from more than one agency/service to meet these needs. For example, housing.
- Multi-agency working
- Practitioners from different sectors and professions working together to provide joined-up support for children, young people and families.
- Multi-disciplinary
- The involvement of professionals from a range of disciplines (usually education, social care and health).
- Multi-sensory environment
- A place (usually a classroom or therapy room) where children or young people can learn and receive information using all their senses.
- Multi-sensory impairment (MSI)
- Describes how people have a combination of visual and hearing difficulties. They are sometimes referred to as deafblind but may have some residual sight and hearing.
N
- National curriculum
- A programme of what must be taught in all local authority-maintained schools.
- NEET
- Not in education, employment or training
- Neurodiversity
- Describes diversity or variation of cognitive functioning in people. Everyone has a unique brain and therefore different skills, abilities, and needs.
- Neurodiverse
- A word used to describe a neurodivergent person.
- Neurodivergence
- When cognitive functioning is not considered 'typical'. For example, autistic, dyslexic, and people with dyspraxia.
- Neurodivergent
- Describes people who have a neurodivergence.
- NHS
- National Health Service. The UK's state healthcare provider. NHS services are usually free at the point of contact.
- NHS continuing healthcare (CHC)
- A package of care that is arranged and funded solely by the NHS for people aged 18 and over who are not in hospital but have complex ongoing healthcare needs.
- Non-maintained special school
- Schools in England approved by the Secretary of State as special schools, which are not maintained by the state but charge fees on a nonprofit-making basis. Most non-maintained special schools are run by major charities or charitable trusts.
- NNPCF
- National Network of Parent Carer Forums
O
- OCD
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- ODD
- Oppositional demand disorder
- OFSTED
- Office for Standards in Education, child services and skills. A government department that inspects services providing education and skills for learners of all ages.
- Orthotic service
- Offers assessment, prescription and supply of devices to support the lower limbs regarding posture, standing and walking.
- OT
- Occupational therapy/Occupational therapist
- Outreach services
- Support services provided to schools or pupils by specialist professionals. For example, providing support for communication or behaviour difficulties.
P
- Paediatrician
- A doctor specialising in the needs of babies and children.
- Panel
- A group of various SEND professionals that convene to ensure appropriate decisions are made regarding individual children or young people’s SEND needs. This includes early years panel.
- PCHR
- Personal child health record
- PCP
- Person-cented planning
- PD
- Physical disability
- PDA
- Pathological demand avoidance
- Personal assistant (PA)
- Support staff who offer a range of individual support and care to disabled children and young people.
- Parent carer forum
- A representative local group of parents and carers of disabled children and young people who work with local authorities, education, health and other providers to make sure the services they plan and deliver meet the needs of disabled children, young people and families.
- PECS
- Picture exchange communication system
- Peer support
- When pupils provide emotional, social or practical help to each other. Pupils are usually trained to provide this support.
- Personal budget
- Money set aside for a young person or a parent by their local council. It can be used to buy some of the support a child or young person gets in their Education, Health and Care Plan. Sometimes a local council will keep this money and use it to buy some support that a young person or their family might need. Parents of children and young people with an EHCP can choose whether they wish to have a personal budget.
- Person-centred planning (PCP)
- Approaches to explore what is happening from the person and other people's perspectives. It reviews what's working and not working, what's important to the person now and in the future and agrees outcomes for change.
- Physiotherapist
- A specialist who works with people who have movement difficulties. They can advise on suitable exercises for their patient.
- PIP
- Personal independence payment
- PMLD
- Profound and multiple learning difficulties
- Portage
- Planned, home-based educational support for pre-school children with special education needs and disabilities.
- PP
- Pupil premium
- Preparing for adulthood (PfA)
- The transition of a young person leaving childhood and preparing to become an adult.
- PSP
- Pastoral support plan
- Psychiatrist
- A medical doctor who is trained to recognise the ways biological processes affect mental functioning. They can diagnose illness, manage treatment and provide a range of therapies for complex and serious mental illness.
- Psychologist
- A doctor who is trained on how thoughts, feelings, and social factors influence mental functioning. They use psychotherapy to help patients.
- Published admission number
- Refers to the number of pupils the school can admit to the relevant age group in any one year.
- Pupil referral unit
- Provides education for excluded pupils or others who may be out of school for a variety of reasons.
- Pupil premium
- Additional funding for schools to spend to raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. The pupil premium for each school is calculated according to the number of pupils eligible for free school meals.
Q
- Quality assurance framework (QAF)
- An audit system to evaluate how effectively multi-agency processes and procedures are being implemented to evidence compliance with primary legislation within EHCPs.
R
- RCCO
- Residential childcare officer
- Reablement
- A way of helping people remain independent by giving them the opportunity to relearn or regain some of the skills for daily living that may have been lost because of illness, accident or disability.
- Reasonable adjustments
- Changes schools and other settings are required to make, which could include changes to physical features. For example, creating a ramp so that students can enter a classroom or providing extra support and aids (such as specialist teachers or equipment).
- Respite care
- Involves short term or temporary care of sick or disabled people for a few hours, days or weeks, designed to provide relief to the regular caregiver.
- Resource base
- A classroom or area for enhanced support, based within a mainstream school, providing education for pupils with a range of complex needs.
- RM
- Residential manager
S
- Safeguarding
- The action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and young people to protect them from harm. It means protecting children and young people from abuse and maltreatment.
- SaLT
- Speech and language therapy
- SASO
- School attendance support officer
- SB
- Short Breaks
- SC
- Social care
- SCD
- Social communication difficulties
- SEAP
- Support, empower, advocate, promote. An independent health complaints advocacy service.
- Self-funding
- When you arrange and pay for your own care services and do not receive financial help from the council.
- Social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs
- A type of special educational need where a child communicates through behaviour in response to unmet social, emotional or mental health needs.
Children with SEMH needs often have difficulties in managing their emotions or their behaviour. They can show inappropriate responses to their emotions. They can feel scared, anxious and misunderstood. - SEN
- Special educational needs
- SENCO
- Special educational needs co-ordinator
- SEND
- Special educational needs and disabilities
- SEN support
- The system by which schools should assess the needs of children, and then provide appropriate support.
- SEND code of practice
- The statutory guidance that supports Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014. It tells local authorities, early years settings, schools, colleges, health and social care providers and others what they must and should do to identify, assess and provide for children and young people with SEN or disabilities.
- Sensory & physical SEN team (SENSS)
- A team of experienced qualified teaching and non-teaching staff who provide skilled support for children and young people who have hearing, vision and multi needs sensory impairment including deaf/blind. Teaching staff offer a wide range of skills to teach and support children, young people and families from the time of diagnosis in the critical early years and throughout school life.
- Short Breaks
- Service offering disabled children and young people the chance to spend time out with others socialising and doing fun activities, giving their families a break and providing them with the confidence their child or young person is well supported by a trained worker. They can include overnight respite, afterschool, holiday and Saturday clubs, involving a range of activities.
- SI
- Sensory impairment
- SLCN
- Speech, language and communication needs
- SLD
- Severe learning difficulties
- Special Education Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS)
- Statutory service offering free information, advice and support to parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs, and to the young people themselves if they are 16 years old and over.
- Special school
- A school which is specially organised to make special educational provision for pupils with SEND and EHCPs, whose needs cannot be met in a mainstream school.
- SPD
- Sensory processing disorder
- SpLD
- Specific learning difficulties
- Statutory
- Decided or controlled by law.
- Statutory assessment
- A detailed assessment of a child’s educational needs, which forms the EHC plan.
- Supported internships
- Structured study programmes based primarily with an employer. They enable young people aged 16-24 with a statement of SEN or an EHCP to achieve sustainable paid employment by equipping them with the skills they need for work, through learning in the workplace.
- SW
- Social worker
T
- TAC
- Team around the child
- Telecare
- Technology that enables you to remain independent and safe in your own home.
- TAF
- Team around the family
- ToR
- Terms of reference
- Tourette’s syndrome
- A condition that causes a person to make involuntary sounds and movements called tics.
- Transition plan
- Developed at the annual review meeting, this plan sets out the steps needed to move from one educational setting to another. This can be from a primary school to secondary school, a secondary school to a college or sixth form and finally into adult life.
- TR
- Transition review
V
- VI
- Visual impairment
W
- WeX
- Work experience
Y
- Young person
- According to GOV.UK, a person over the age of 14 and under the age of 18.
- YSP
- Youth support service
- YVHSC
- Your Voice in Health and Social Care. An independent organisation that gives people a voice to improve and shape services and help them get the best out of health and social care provision.
