SEND Terms and Abbreviations

Here is a guide to some of the abbreviations and terms commonly used by professionals, practitioners, teachers in schools and other settings, in relation to Special Educational Needs and disabilities.

ADD  

attention deficit disorder

ADHD  

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

ASD / ASC

Autistic Spectrum Disorder/Condition

AR

Annual Review (of EHCP)

ARO

Assessment and Review Officer who works for LA to support the process and writing and monitoring of an Education Health Care Plan

ARP

Additional Resource Provision

CAMHS

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

Care plan

A record of the health and/or social care services being provided to a child or young person

CCG

Clinical Commissioning Group. This is an NHS organisation which brings together local GPs and health professionals to take on commissioning responsibilities for local health services

CHC

Continuing Health Care

CIN

Child In Need

CP

Child Protection

C & I

Communication and Interaction

C & L

Cognition and Learning

Congenital

A disease or abnormality present from birth

CP

Clinical Psychologist

DCS

Disabled Children’s Services

CDC

Child Development Centre

DCD

Developmental Coordination Disorder / Dyspraxia

DCR

Disabled Children’s Register

DDA

Disability Discrimination Act.

DfE

Department for Education

Direct payments

A payment of personal budget given to a parent, young person or someone on their behalf so that they can arrange the support outlined in their EHC plan themselves. See also: Personal Budgets

DLA

Disability Living Allowance. This is a benefit that children under 16 years may be eligible for at different rates that helps with the extra costs that they face due to their disabilities.  

EBD

Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties

EHCP

Education, Health and Care Plan: assessment of the education, health and social care needs of a child or young person conducted by a local authority under the Children and Families Act 2014

EP

Educational Psychologist

EQA

The Equality Act 2010

EYFS

The Early Years Foundation Stage

GDD

Global developmental delay

Graduated Response

Educational settings are expected to follow a ‘graduated approach when providing SEND support. It involves four key phases: access, plan, do, review.

HI

Hearing Impairment

IEP

Individual Education Plan

Inclusion

Ensuring that all children (with or without disabilities or difficulties in learning) are, where possible, educated together in a mainstream school.

LA

A local authority in England

CLA

A child which is under the care of the local authority (Child Looked After)

LDS

Learning Disabilities Service

MASH

Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub

MLD

Moderate Learning Difficulties/Disabilities

MSI

Multi-sensory Impairment

OCD – obsessive compulsive disorder

ODD – Oppositional Defiance Disorder

Ofsted

Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. This is the body which inspects and regulates services which care for children and young people and those providing education and skills for learners of all ages. 

Ordinarily Available Provision

Ordinarily Available Provision refers to the support that all Wandsworth schools, early years and post 16 settings should be able to provide for children/young people, including those with SEND, from within their own resources.  This document is intended to support a school/setting to reflect and develop their inclusive practice to benefit all the children/young people in the school/setting including those with SEND

OT

Occupational Therapy, sometimes used to refer to the occupational therapist.

PA

Personal Assistant

PALS

Patient Advice and Liaison Service. Deals with complaints about hospital services/procedures

Personal budget

A Personal Budget allocates a sum of money to deliver support and services that meet education, health and care needs of children and young people with EHCPs. Eligible children/young people and their families receive an allocation of money through an assessment process. This is paid as a Direct Payment

PD

Physical Disability

PDA

Pathological Demand Avoidance

PfA

Preparing for Adulthood – young people transitioning from children to adult’s services

PIP

Personal Independence Payment – a benefit that people over 16 years may be eligible for that helps with the extra costs that disabled people face because of their disabilities.

PMLD

Profound and multiple learning disabilities. 

Portage

Portage Home-based educational support for pre-school children with SEN. Individual educational support services working with families with pre-school children with special educational needs, provided by the Local Authority

PRU

Pupil Referral Unit

Reasonable Adjustments

these are changes that schools/provisions should be expected to make to help support a child’s additional needs or disability.

SCLN

specific communication/language need

SEMH

Social, Emotional and Mental Health

SEN  

Special educational needs.

SEND Code of Practice

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.

SENCo

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator: the teacher with responsibility for co-ordinating special help for children with SEN at their school.

SEND

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

SEND Local Offer

The Local Offer is provision in the borough of services/support/activities available for children/young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and their families. (Statutory and voluntary services and organisations)

SENDIASS

Special Educational Needs and Disability Independent Advice and Support Service; every local authority must have one. They provide independent advice and support to parents about SEN. (called WIASS in Wandsworth)

SEN Support

this is a term that refers to the support for pupils needing provision who do not have Education Health and Care Plan

Short Breaks

Short Breaks Services are social or educational activities for children and young people with disabilities and additional needs who may not be able to access universal services. They give children and young people with a disability time away from the family to engage in an activity.

SLD

Severe Learning Difficulty/ Severe Learning Disability

SPLD

Specific Learning Difficulty

SLT or SALT

 Speech and Language Therapy

Tribunal

An independent body that determines appeals by parents/carers or young people regarding Local Authority decisions on Education Health Care Plans as well as claims regarding disability discrimination

VI

Visual Impairment

WAAS

Wandsworth Autism Advisory Service – support for families with a child with Autism and school support in Wandsworth

WIASS – Wandsworth’s Independent Advice Support Service (SENDISS)