Below is a glossary of commonly used terms by SEN professionals and educators who seem to speak and assume you know.
Glossary
Autistic Meltdown
Autistic meltdown: when an autistic person is struggling to process too much information at one time leading to feelings of high anxiety and stress. Often linked to times where they have had to mask or been flooded with sensory input. They will lose complete control of their behaviour and it is often mistaken for a tantrum. Can be expressed verbally or physically.
Blue Badge
A parking permit that allows access to disabled and priory bays in most car parks and also reduces parking restrictions
Carers Allowance
a benefit you are entitled to if your fae receives the mid/highest levels of DLA (see below) and you meet specific criteria with regards to earnings and care. you will need to apply for it
DLA
Disability Living Allowance. A benefit that your fae is/may be entitled too. You can apply to central government for it once you have a formal diagnosis. The form is over 20 pages long and is generally considered to be agony to fill in. You will need supporting statements from professionals. I am writing a separate blog on this. Watch this space.
Echolalia: continuous nonsensical repetition of sound or a word. Sometimes referring to as audible stimming.
EHCP: Education Health Care Plan. A vital (and legally binding) document that states what provision needs to be in place for your child. It is vital, if you are considering a special school placement, that your child has an EHCP, and you can self refer to your LA to have assessment done to see if your fae meets the criteria to have one. You will need evidence. Keep every document you have stating the needs of your child.
LA: Local authority, the council for the area that you live that is responsible for providing education and health services to your family.
MAAT: Multi-agency assessment team. When undergoing diagnosis you will find that a lot of people have input into your fae’s final diagnosis., they range from health visitors and GP’s to speech therapists and nursery workers. When they get all these people together to talk it’s call a MAAT meeting.
Masking: The trait of neurodivergent to hide or suppress behaviours when around neurotypical groups due to wanting to fit it. It can be exhausting and lead to autistic meltdown as soon as the person is removed from the situation they feel they needed to mask in.
PDA: Pathological Demand Avoidance, a subset of conditions linked to ASD which can lead to conflict.
PPD: Post partem depression, depression a significant number of mothers feel after giving birth, normally but not always linked to hormone changes
PORTAGE: is a support model for ASD children and their families, it can also be used to help LAs assess children and direct parents to the most appropriate educational pathway for their child.
SENDIASS: Special educational needs and disabilities information and support service. These people know everything there is to know about guiding you through MAAT meetings, DLAs, and challenging decisions. If you are struggling to get anywhere then google you local SENDIASS and they will be able to help you.
Sensory Seeking / sensory avoidant being either over or under stimulated by sensory input, AuDHD/ neurodivergence can make someone both sensory seeking and sensory avoidant. Fun isn’t it?
Stimming / Stim repetitive movement / noise making that provides sensory feedback to a sensory seeking child. The Dictionary defines it as as:
the repetitive performance of certain physical movements or vocalizations, as a form of behaviour by persons with autism or other neurodevelopmental conditions; self-stimulation. This behaviour is thought to serve a variety of functions, such as calming and expression of feelings.”stimming was part of her coping mechanism”
Raising the Modern Fae 