Assessment and Special Education Terminology

Individualized education programs in public schools, free of charge to families for kids with delayed skills or other disabilities might be eligible for special services.

An assessment by two or more of the following certified personnel: School Psychologist, Learning Disabilities Teacher-Consultant, and Social Worker that work to help determine the need for an IEP.

It is a non bias assessment to place a child into special education. The parent must give consent for testing.

Since there is no biological way of confirming a diagnosis of ASD at this point in time, diagnosis should be based on the observation of the behavioral features using the DSM-IV-TR framework. A diagnosis should include information about the child's developmental and medical history, current activities, and behaviors, and is often done by an inter- or multi-disciplinary team of professionals from several different specialties. Often, this will include at least one physician, such as a neurologist, psychiatrist, or developmental pediatrician; a psychologist specializing in child development; a speech-language pathologist; an occupational and/or physical therapist; a social worker; and special educator.

ADOS is the instrument considered to be the current gold standard for diagnosing ASD and, along with information from parents, should be incorporated into a child's evaluation. Although a diagnosis of ASD is not necessary to get intervention, in some states the differences in the services provided to children with and without a diagnosis of ASD can be huge.

DSM-IV-TR, is a handbook used widely by medical professionals in diagnosing and categorizing mental and developmental disorders. It is published by the American Psychiatric Association and lists the criteria, or characteristics, of many disorders. The Fourth edition of the DSM was published in 1994 with text revisions that were completed in 2000.

Functional play is when a child uses objects for their appropriate or usual purpose, like rolling a toy car or ball, stirring with a spoon, or brushing a doll's hair with a brush.

Echolalia or "movie talk" is the repetition of words, phrases, intonation, or sounds of the speech of others. Children with ASD often display echolalia in the process of learning to talk.

Nonfunctional routines are specified, sequential, and apparently purposeless repeated actions or behaviors that a child engages in, such as always lining up toys in a certain order each time instead of playing with them.

Is a quick and simple way to monitor a child's typical development. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends routine developmental screening and surveillance of all children from birth through school age to identify those at risk for atypical development. A screening is not a diagnosis but indicates a child's need for further assessment and follow-up.

Is pretending to act out the actions of daily routines (e.g., stirring food or brushing hair) or the actions of others (e.g., a parent talking on the telephone) in the context of play. In typical development by about 18 - 24 months a child should be engaging in simple pretend play, like feeding a doll, or putting it to bed. This forms the foundation for make believe play.

Children with ASD are over reactive to ordinary sensory input and may exhibit sensory defensiveness, a strong negative response to a sensation that would not ordinarily be upsetting, such as touching something sticky or gooey or the feeling of soft foods in the mouth. Tactile defensiveness is specific to being touched or touching something or someone.

Refer to a pattern of preoccupation with a narrow range of interests and activities.

Is a standardized, semi-structured clinical review for caregivers of children and adults. The interview contains 93 items and focuses on behaviors in three content areas or domains: quality of social interaction; communication and language; and repetitive, restricted and stereotyped interests and behavior. The measure also includes other items relevant for treatment planning, such as self-injury and over-activity. Responses are scored by the clinician based on the caregiver's description of the child's behavior.

Developmental milestones are markers or guideposts that enable parents and professionals to monitor a baby's learning, behavior, and development. Developmental milestones consist of skills or behaviors that most children can do by a certain age. While each child develops differently, some differences may indicate a slight delay and others may be a red flag or warning sign for greater concern.