The ABCs of Government, Special Education, and Advocacy

The following is a list of acronyms:

ACLD     Association for Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities (former name of LDA)
ADA      Americans with Disabilities Act
ADD      Attention Deficit Disorder
ADD-RT   Attention Deficit Disorder - Residual Type, ADD that lasts into childhood
ADD/WO   Attention Deficit without Hyperactivity or "Undifferentiated ADD"
ADHD     Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder, a subtype of ADD
AHEAD    Association on Handicapped Student Programs in Postsecondary Education
APA      American Psychiatric Association
ASHA     American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
AT       Assistive Technology
ATD      Assistive Technology Device
ATS      Assistive Technology Service
BD       Behavior Disordered (also referred to as EH or ED in some states)
CAP      Continuum of Alternative Placements
CASE     Council of Administrators of Special Education Inc.
CBM      Curriculum-Based Measurements
CEC      Council for Exceptional Children
CFR      Code of Federal Regulations
CLD      Council for Learning Disabilities
CNS      Central Nervous System
CSPD     Comprehensive system of personnel development
DCCD/CEC Division for Children with Communication Disorders/Council for Exceptional Children
DD       Development Disabilities or "Developmental Delay"
DE       U.S. Department of Education
DLD/CEC  Division for Learning Disabilities/Council for Exceptional Children
DSM      "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" from the American 
         Psychiatric Assocation (APA)
ED       Emotionally Disturbed (also referred to as BD or EH in some states)
EDGAR    Education Department General Administrative Regulations
EEOC     Economic and Educational Opportunities Committee: Equal Employment Opportunity 
         Commission
EH       Emotionally Handicapped (also referred to as BD or ED in some states)
EHA      Education of the Handicapped Act of 1975, P.L. 94-142
FAPE     Free appropriate public education
FERPA    Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
FR       Federal Register
HMO      Health Management Organization
IDEA     Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (formerly the Education
         for the Handicapped Act)
IDELR    Individuals With Disabilities Education Law Report
IEE      Independent educational evaluation
IEP      Individualized education program
IEPT     Individualized education program team
IEU      Intermediate educational unit
IFSP     Individualized family service plan
IRA      International Reading Association   
LD       Learning Disability
LDA      Learning Disability Association of America, Inc. (formerly ACLD, Inc.)
LEA      Local education agency (school district)
LEP      Limited English Proficient
LRA      Least Restrictive Alternative
LRE      Least restrictive (educational) environment
MBD      Minimal Brain Dysfunction
MCO      Managed Care Organizations
MOE      Maintenance of Effort
MR       Mental Retardation
NAPAS    National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems (P&A Organizations)
NASDSE   National Association of State Directors of Special Education
NASP     National Association of School Psychologists
NCLD     National Center for Learning Disabilities
NICHD    National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
NIH      National Institutes of Health
NJCLD    National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities, currently composed of 
         representatives from AHEAD, ASHA, CLD, DCCD/CEC, DLD/CDC, IRA, LDA, NASP, 
         NCLD,and ODS.
NPRM     Notice of proposed rulemaking
OCR      Office of Civil Rights (of U.S. Department of Education)
ODS      Orton Dyslexia Society
OMB      Office of Management and Budget
OSEP     Office of Special Education Programs (of U.S. Department of 
         Education)
OSERS    Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (of U.S.
         Department of Education
OT       Occupational Therapy
P&A      Federally funded agencies who offer "Protection and Advocacy" for individuals
         with disabilities.
PDD      Pervasive Developmental Disorder
PT       Physical Therapy
SEA      State Education Agency
SECTION 504 - Refers to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
SED      Severely Emotionally Disturbed
SERTS    Special Education Resource Teachers
SLD      Specific Learning Disability, used interchangeably with LD
SIT      Sensory Integration Therapy
TBI      Traumatic Brain Injury
USC      United States Code
VR       Vocational Rehabilitation
§        Section