Abbreviations And Glossary

ASD	Autism Spectrum Disorders. Encompasses the following five disorders: Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Rett’s Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not otherwise specified.
ASC	Autism Spectrum Condition
Asperger’s 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 weather, train schedules or car models.
AAC	Assistive and Augmentative Communications. Additional materials, supports, and equipment and electronic devices that help people communicate when their spoken language is not sufficient for their needs.
ADD	Attention Deficit Disorder. A condition referring to excessive difficulty in concentrating and focusing or extreme distractibility.
ADHD	Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The diagnostic term used to describe people who have excessive difficulty in concentrating and focusing, extreme distractibility or over activity, sometimes including disruptive behaviour or aggression.
ABA	Applied Behaviour Analysis. A method often used to treat children with autism spectrum disorders in which environmental stimuli are manipulated to produce a desired response. By breaking complex skills into small steps, children can systemically learn to respond and behave in socially appropriate ways.
ACE	Adverse Childhood Experience
Apgar	Apgar stands for Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity and Respiration relating to new-borns.
Alexithymia	Difficulties with feeling or describing emotions – this Greek term loosely translates to “no words for emotion.”
BPD	Borderline Personality Disorder
CARS	Childhood Autism Rating Scale. A test developed at TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication-handicapped Children) to diagnose autism. A child is rated in fifteen areas of ability.
CAT	Cognitive Analytic Therapy
EDA	Extreme Demand Avoidance
CBT	Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. A treatment approach combining cognitive theory and behavioural concepts, leading to behavioural changes through the understanding of how thoughts influence behaviours and learning how to change through patterns.
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder	A rare form of pervasive developmental disorder in which normally developing children suddenly lose language and social skills after age three.
CF/GF Diet	Casein free or Gluten Free diet (protein found in diary or gluten).
DIR/Floortime	Development, Individual Differences, Relationship-Based. 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 behaviours.
Dyspraxia	The brain’s inability to plan muscle movements and carry them out.
Dyslexia	A learning disorder that affects your ability to read, spell, write, and speak. Kids who have it are often smart and hardworking, but they have trouble connecting the letters they see to the sounds those letters make.
Dysgraphia	The inability to write coherently, as a symptom of a neurological condition or as an aspect of a learning disability.
DD	Developmental Disability A condition that prevents physical or cognitive development.
DLD	Delayed Language Disorder
DSM – 5	The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, is the 2013 update.
DCD	Development Coordination Disorder
EHE	Elective Home Education
EHCP	Education and Healthcare Plan
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.
Echolalia	The involuntary and usually meaningless repetition of phrases or words just heard.
EEG	Electroencephalogram 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.
EOTAS	Educations Other Than At School
ECD	Early Childhood Development
GNC	Gilberg Neuropsychiatry Centre
Hyposensitive	Under sensitive
Hypertonia	Increased tension or stiffness in the muscles.
Hypersensitive	Over sensitive. Excessive, often painful reaction to everyday auditory, visual, or tactile stimuli such as bright lights or loud noises.
HFA	High Functioning Autism (OUTDATED TERMINOLOGY) HFA refers to individuals with ASDs who have near-average to above-average cognitive abilities and can communicate through receptive and expressive language.
ICD-11	International Classification of Diseases 11^th Edition
IEE	Independent Education Evaluation Assessment of a child requested by a parent who believes that the school did not conduct a proper evaluation.
ID	Intellectual Disorder
IEP	Individualized Education Plan An educational plan that outlines special education and related services specifically designed to meet the educational needs of student with a disability.
NT	Neurotypical
ND	Neurodivergent
NDD	Neurodevelopmental Disorders
MD	Motor Delay
Monotropic/monotropism	A monotropic mind is one that focuses its attention on a small number of interests at any time, tending to miss things outside of this attention tunnel.
NVLD	Non-Verbal Learning Disability. 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.
ODD	Oppositional Defiance Disorder which is not part of the autism spectrum.
PHC	Public Health Care
PDD-NOS	Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified
PDA	Pathological Demand Avoidance. Part of the autism spectrum involving the avoidance of everyday demands and the use of social strategies as part of this avoidance.
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
PDD	Pervasive Developmental Disorder. The official classification for Autism Spectrum Disorders that is documented in the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Included in this group are Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, Rett’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD), and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NSS).
Proprioception	Body awareness system which integrates information about the position and movement of our bodies in space. People with autism may have hypo or hypersensitive proprioception which can lead to problems like standing too close to people, bumping into things, the need to lean on desks or wear hats to feel where their bodies are and difficulties with fine motor skills such as doing up buttons and using scissors.
Rett’s Disorder	Features reduced head growth and usually profound cognitive delays. It is an extremely rare genetic disorder that only affects girls.
RR	Risk Ratio
Savant	French word for savior – someone with exceptional ability.
SEN	Special Education Needs
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.
Stimming	Self-stimulatory behaviours. Also called stereotypy, and present in both autistic and neuro-typical 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.
SSA	Sub-Sahara Africa
Synaesthesia	A rare form of sensory perception; an autistic person experiences a sensation in on sensory system such as hearing but perceives that sensation in another such as sight. They might hear a sound or smell and aroma but see it as a colour.
Sensory Integration Therapy	A therapeutic approach that incorporates the use of sensory materials and physical input 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.
Tactile defensiveness	Extreme physical sensitivity to certain textures and sensations.
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 “state of mind” to others and react and respond to feelings.
Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (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
Unschooling	Not attending school and allowing time for healing, rebuilding trust, allowing grieving and a process of adjustment. Any learning is done alongside your child, and you act as the learning facilitator.
Vestibular system	situated in the inner ear and helps maintain balance and tells us how fast the body is moving. The need to rock, swing or spin may be a sign of hyposensitive vestibular system. Car sickness and difficulties with sporting activities that involve controlling body movements or stopping quickly may be linked with hypersensitive vestibular system.