Special Education Terminology
Special Education
“Special education is instruction that is specially designed to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. This means education that is individually developed to address a specific child’s needs that result from his or her disability. Since each child is unique, it is difficult to give an overall example of special education. It is individualized for each child.” (Source: “Special Education.” Center for Parent Information & Resources. Updated March 2017. https://www.parentcenterhub.org/iep-specialeducation/#short.)
“Special education refers to a range of services that can be provided in different ways and in different settings. There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to special education… Special education focuses on helping kids with disabilities learn. But it doesn’t mean placing kids in a special classroom all day long. In fact, federal law says that kids who get special education services should learn in the same classrooms as other kids as much as possible. This is known as the least restrictive environment (or LRE).” (Source: Morin, Amanda. “What is special education?” Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/understanding-special-education.)
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children. For more information, see the U.S. Department of Education’s IDEA website.
13 Classifications of Disability
IDEA groups disabilities into 13 categories:
Autism
Deaf-blindess
Deafness
Emotional disturbance
Hearing impairment
Intellectual disability
Multiple disabilities
Orthopedic impairment
Other health impairment
Specific learning disability
Speech or language impairment
Traumatic brain injury
Visual impairment
For definitions, see:
IDEA Sec. 300.8 Child with a disability https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.8
“Categories of Disability Under IDEA.” National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY) / National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. March 2012. https://www.parentcenterhub.org/wp-content/uploads/repo_items/gr3.pdf.
Rawe, Julie. “The 13 disability categories under IDEA.” Understood. Updated March 12, 2026. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/conditions-covered-under-idea.
Evaluations
“An evaluation is an essential beginning step in the special education process for a child with a disability. Before a child can receive special education and related services for the first time, a full and individual initial evaluation of the child must be conducted to see if the child has a disability and is eligible for special education. Informed parent consent must be obtained before this evaluation may be conducted.” (Source: “Evaluating School-Aged Children for Disability.” Center for Parent Information & Resources. Updated April 2022. https://www.parentcenterhub.org/evaluation/.)
See also:
“What is an evaluation for special education?” Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/understanding-evaluations
Crabtree, Robert K., Esq. “What You Need to Know about Evaluations and Evaluators.” Wrightslaw. https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/tests.evals.crabtree.htm
“Requesting an Initial Evaluation for Special Education Services.” Center for Parent Information and Resources. Updated February 2022. https://www.parentcenterhub.org/evaluation-2/.
Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
“An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a document developed after a student who is found eligible for special education. It helps children with disabilities receive instruction and services that support their educational progress. The IEP is created through a team effort and is reviewed periodically. The IEP team must include a school district representative, a regular education teacher (if the child participates in regular education), a special education teacher, and a parent or guardian.” (Source: “What is an IEP, and how does it support my child?” PACER Center. https://www.pacer.org/guides/iep-504/iep-100/.)
See also:
“A Guide to the Individualized Education Program.” Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education. July 2000. https://www.ed.gov/sites/ed/files/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/iepguide.pdf.
“The Short-and-Sweet IEP Overview.” Center for Parent Information and Resources. Updated April 2022. https://www.parentcenterhub.org/iep-overview/.
Belsky, Gail. “What is an IEP?” Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-an-iep.
“Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).” Wrightslaw. https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.index.htm.
504 Plans
A 504 plan “is a plan for a school to provide services and supports for a student with a physical or mental impairment that limits one or more of their major life activities (like walking, reading, thinking, or communicating). The purpose of the plan is to eliminate barriers to their full participation in school.” (Source: “What is a 504 plan?” PACER Center. https://www.pacer.org/guides/iep-504/iep-200/.)
See also:
U.S. Department of Education Section 504 https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/individuals-disabilities/section-504
Vierstra, Gretchen, MA. “What is a 504 plan?” Understood. Updated March 12, 2026. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-a-504-plan.
“Section 504 and ADA: Protecting Children with Disabilities from Discrimination.” Wrightslaw. https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/sec504.index.htm.
Differences Between IEPs and 504s
Rawe, Julie. “The difference between IEPs and 504 plans.” Understood. Updated March 12, 2026. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-difference-between-ieps-and-504-plans.
“IEPs vs 504 Plans.” National Center for Learning Disabilities. January 6, 2024. https://ncld.org/ieps-vs-504-plans/.
Procedural Safeguards
Procedural safeguards “protect the rights of children with disabilities, and their parents. These safeguards include, but are not limited to, the right to:
Participate in all meetings
Examine all educational records
Obtain an independent educational evaluation (IEE) of the child
Receive a Prior Written Notice (PWN) when the school proposes to change, or refuses to change, the child’s identification, evaluation, or placement.
(Source: “Procedural Safeguards in IDEA Protect the Rights of Children with Disabilities and Their Parents.” Wrightslaw. https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/safgd.index.htm.)
See also:
Lee, Andrew M. I. “10 key procedural safeguards in IDEA.” Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/10-key-procedural-safeguards-in-idea
“Parent’s Notice of Procedural Safeguards” (in English and 19 other languages). Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). https://www.doe.mass.edu/specialeducation/families/prb/default.html.
For additional terms, see this comprehensive glossary, created and shared by Reading SEPAC.
