The Alphabet Soup of Autism
It has happened to all of us. We enter into a new field and we start to hear terms and acronyms that we don’t understand and that we may even be afraid to ask what they mean for fear of being judged for what we don’t know. It can be a new job or a new hobby but for sure this is true in the world of autism. It is like learning a whole new glossary of terms or maybe more like a whole encyclopedia (for those who remember what that is). However, after a while it becomes part of normal conversation for many of us and we can forget that those around us may not know what we are talking about sometimes. So, I wanted to share some of the terminology and acronyms that seem to come up most often for me. Please feel free to reach out to me and let me know what I am missing. I think it may be useful to have a glossary of terms somewhere on my site that people can use for reference.
In my experience, there are two different types of alphabet soup. There are the jumbles of letters/terms that are used when we are talking about what kind of diagnosis someone has and then there are the jumbles of letters/terms that come when you are talking about the variety of therapies, tools and strategies that we might consider or use to help someone with a diagnosis.
So, let’s start to demystify some of the terms you may hear!!
AS - Asperger’s Syndrome
ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorder
PDD-NOS - Pervasive Development Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified
HFA - High Functioning Autism
ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder
ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
ODD - Oppositional Defiant Disorder
GAD - Generalized Anxiety Disorder
SI - Sensory Integration
SPD - Sensory Processing Disorder
SCD - Social Communication Disorder
GI - Gastro-Intestinal
GERD - Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder
ARFID - Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
Whew - that is a long list and it is not even an exhaustive list. Also, not all people will have or use all of these terms. However, many people diagnosed with autism can have co-occuring diagnoses that are reflected in that list. I have done full workshops just talking about these co-occuring diagnoses. Any one of the above can be the subject of a full day class if not longer. But I wanted to give you a taste of what is out there as far as a diagnosis is concerned.
As we move into the educational and therapy realm, we now have a whole other set of terms to content with. Here we go……..
OT - Occupational Therapy (or therapist)
PT - Physical Therapy (or therapist)
SPL - Speech Language Pathologist (Speech Therapist)
IA - Instructional Assistant
Para - short for Paraprofessional
TA - Teaching (or teacher) Assistant
IEP - Individualized Education Plan
CST - Child Study Team
BCBA - Board Certified Behavior Analyst
ABA - Applied Behavior Analysis
CAC - Certified Autism Consultant
And there are so many more! These terms can even change depending on the district you are in and the programming that might be used in a given school. I have worked with over 600 educators and each time I run a workshop I hear new terms that I need to ask about. Don’t be afraid to ask!! Most people are happy to explain what they are referring to. They just forget that it is common for them but maybe not for those around them. It is important to be clear on what you are hearing so you can better serve your child or student.
Another important note is to remember not to get caught up in the alphabet soup so much that it gets in the way of remembering that you are working with a child. While it may be important to know what the diagnosis is, it does not define the child's total person. There will also be many students that don’t come with a diagnosis but will need some of the same supports as the child that does have one. A diagnosis and an IEP do not replace really getting to know the needs of the child you have right in front of you.
