Do you sit in meetings or read reports and wonder what on earth this shortcode is that everyone seems to use? Acronyms are rife within the world of special educational needs and/or disabilities, or should I say SEND?
Over the years, I have tried to keep a list of acronyms we’ve encountered. Last night I shared this list in a group and then someone shared it elsewhere and I was given a lot of additional acronyms to add to my already long list. I decided to share them here as that’s easier for me to update, so feel free to comment with any that we have missed out.
Thanks to the members of SEND Reform group and Educational Equality group who added suggestions.
A to z acronyms
A&E Accident and Emergency Department
ACP Advance Care Planning
ADD Attention Deficit Disorder
ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
AHC Annual Health Check
ALN Additional Learning Needs
ALP Additional Learning Provision
APD Auditory Processing Difficulties/Disorder
AR Annual Review
ASC/D Autism Spectrum Condition/Disorder
ATU Assessment and Treatment Unit
BSP Behaviour Support Plan
CA Children’s Act
CAFA Children And Families Act
CAMHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
CBF Challenging Behaviour Foundation
CBT Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
CCG Clinical Commissioning Group
CETR Care, Education and Treatment Review
CHC Continuing Health Care
CJS Criminal Justice System
CLDT Community Learning Disability Team
COP Code of Practice
CPO Court of Protection Order (ref finances)
CSDPA Chronic Sick Disabled Persons Act
CTR Care and Treatment Review
CYP Children and Young People
CYPS Children and Young People Services
DCO Designated Clinical Officer
DfE Department for Education
DLA Disability Living Allowance
DLD Developmental Language Disorder
DoLS Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
DP Direct Payments
DSCO Designated Social Care Officer
EA Education Act
EHCP Education Health and Care Plan
EHE Elective Home Education
EOTAS Education other than at school
EP Educational Psychologist
EqA Equality Act
ExF Executive Functions
FE Further Education
GDD Global Development Delay
GP General Practitioner
HAP Health Action Plan
HE Higher Education
HEDS Hypermobile Ehlers Danos Syndrome
Hft Learning Disability Charity
HI Hearing Impaired
IAPT Improving Access to Psychological Therapies
ICB Integrated Care Board (was Clinical Commissioning Group)
ICE In case of emergency
ICS Integrated Care System
ID Intellectual Disability
IEP Individual Education Plan (replaced in England by EHCP)
INA Individual Learning Assistant
IPSEA Independent Provider Special Education Advice Charity
IRO Independent Reviewing Officer
IYM In Year Meeting
LA Local Authority
LADO Local Area Designated Officer
LD Learning Disability
LDISS Learning Disability Intensive Support Service
LGO Local Government Ombudsman
LO Local Offer
LSA Learning Support Assistant
MAT Multi Academy Trust
MCA Mental Capacity Act
MDT Multi-Disciplinary Team
MHA Mental Health Act
MLD Moderate Learning Difficulties
MSI Multi-Sensory Impairment
NASEN National Association of Special Educational Needs
NDTi National Development Team for Inclusion
NEETS Not in Education, Employment or Training
NICE National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
OT Occupational therapy/ist
PA Personal Assistant
PALS Patient Advice and Liaison Service
PBS Positive Behaviour Support
PCP Person-centred planning
PDA Pathological Demand Avoidance
PEP Personal Education Plan
PfA Preparing for Adulthood
PIP Personal Independent Payment
POP Peer Outing Programme
PRU Pupil referral unit
PMLD Profound & Multiple Learning Disability
SALT Speech and Language Therapy/ist
SAT Special Advisory Teacher (LA based)
SCIE Social Care Institute for Excellence
SEMH Social Emotional and Mental Health
SEN Special Educational Needs
SENCO Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator
SEND Special Educational Needs and Disability
SENDCOP Send Code of Practice
SENDIASS Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service
SENO Special Educational Needs Officer (LA based)
SLCN Speech Language and Communication Needs
SLD Severe Learning Disability
SLT Senior Leadership Team
SM Selective Mutism
SPD Sensory Processing Difficulties/Disorder
SpLD Specific Learning Difficulty
SVI Severely Visually Impaired
SW Social Worker
TA Teaching Assistant
VI Visually Impaired
VPD Visual Processing/Perception Difficulties/Disorder
