Glossary of terms
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Advocacy
Getting support from another person to help you express your views and concerns, access information and services, and stand up for your rights. Someone who helps you in this way is called an Advocate.
Assessment
A process to work out what someone’s needs are.
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
A condition that affects people’s behaviour. People with ADD can seem restless, may act on impulse and have trouble concentrating.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
A condition that affects people’s behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may act on impulse and have trouble concentrating.
Audiologists
Support children with a hearing impediment.
Autism
Lifelong condition that affects how people perceive the world around them and how they interact and communicate with others.
B
Behaviour Support Service (BSS)
Local team who facilitate the development of positive relationships and partnerships working between schools, families and children, resulting in a consistent approach to behaviour at home and school.
British Sign Language (BSL)
The most common form of Sign Language. It is the preferred language among the Deaf community in the UK.
C
Carer
A person who provides unpaid support to a family member or friend who is ill, struggling or disabled.
Cerebral Palsy
A physical impairment that affects movement.
Changing Places Toilet
A fully accessible public toilet for people with disabilities.
Child and Young People’s Mental Health Service (CYPMHS)
Specialist mental health service for children and young people under 18 and their families.
It’s part of the NHS and provides services tailored to the needs of the children and young people such as mental health assessments and therapy.
Children Looked After (CLA)
Children Looked After by the Local Authority
Clusters
Clusters are what we call the model of locality working or working in the community with children and families in Leeds
D
Dieticians
Provide information and advice on diet and healthy eating.
Direct Payment (DP)
Payments made to individuals who have been assessed as needing services and who would like to arrange and pay for care and support services themselves.
Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
A tax free benefit that can help with the extra costs of looking after a child who is under 16 and has difficulties walking or needs much more looking after than a child of the same age who does not have a disability.
Disabled Students Allowance (DSA)
A grant to help with any extra study related costs you may have as a direct result of your disability.
E
Ear Nose Throat (ENT)
A doctor who looks at your ears, nose, throat, sinuses, larynx, and other related parts of your body.
Early years (EY) settings
Pre-school education provision such as play groups, day nurseries and nursery school.
Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC plan or EHCP)
Legal document for a child or young person up to the age of 25 with special educational needs and disabilities. It describes their educational, health and social care needs and the help they will get to meet them. It is intended to ensure that children and young people with an EHCP receive the support they need.
Educational Psychologists (EP)
The people who assess and support children and young people at school. They also support school staff and provide specialist advice.
F
Funding for Inclusion (FFI)
Funding for all schools and settings to support children and young people who require additional support for Special Educational Needs (SEN).
Family Information Service (FIS)
Provides free, information and advice on a variety of services for children and young people (from birth to 25 years old), parents and families.
Free School Meals (FSM)
Available to school-aged children from families who receive other qualifying benefits and who have been through the relevant registration process.
Educational Psychologists (EP)
The people who assess and support children and young people at school. They also support school staff and provide specialist advice.
G
Gross motor skills
Whole body actions like swimming or riding a bicycle.
H
Health Visitors
Support children from 0 to 5 years and their families. Providing antenatal and postnatal support, assessing growth and development needs, teaching parents about the nutritional needs of infants and young children, encouraging the development of healthy lifestyles, reducing risks, and safeguarding and protecting children.
Hearing impairment
A type of hearing loss.
Higher-level teaching assistants (HLTA)
Work in schools alongside teaching staff to support children.
Hyperactivity
Difficulty in concentrating or sitting still for any length of time.
I
Integrated Children’s Additional Needs Service (ICAN)
Service in Leeds that provides a single point of access to a range of community health services that support children with special education needs and disability (SEND) and their families.
L
Learning difficulty
A term that refers to the difficulty someone may have with learning and processing new information, such as difficulty with reading, spelling or maths.
Learning disability
Significant lifelong condition that affects development and leads to difficulty with everyday activities, for example household tasks, socialising or managing money.
Learning support assistant (LSA)
An assistant providing support in schools for pupils with special educational needs. An LSA works under the direction of a class teacher.
Leeds local offer (LLO)
Provides information for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their parents or carers. It shows families what they can expect from a range of local services including education, health and social care.
M
Makaton
A language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech to help people to communicate.
Multi-sensory impairment
Impairments of both sight and hearing.
N
Neurodisability Paediatricians
Doctors who specialise in the management of children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions and neurodisabilities.
Neurodiversity
Variations between individual people in the way their brains and minds work.
Neurotypical
A word to describe someone who has a brain that functions in a typical way.
NHS
National Health Service
Non-verbal skills
Skills that do not require spoken or written language and instead use other ways to communicate like gestures and facial expressions.
O
Occupational Therapists (OT)
Support people to perform daily tasks more easily by helping to make changes to home and school environments and providing advice on specialist equipment like wheelchairs, beds and car seats.
P
Pediatricians
Doctors who assess, diagnose and manage medical conditions affecting infants, children and adolescents.
Personal budget (PB)
A sum of money that may be available for children and young people who need extra help, above that available to most children and young people through universal and targeted services.
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
A regular benefit payment to help people aged 16 to 65 with some of the extra costs caused by long-term illness or disability. PIP has replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for adults.
Physical disability (PD)
A physical condition that affects a person’s mobility, stamina, physical capacity or dexterity.
Physiotherapists
Support children with their movement and mobility by using a variety of exercises, stretches, massage or other physical activities.
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
A form of alternative communication where a child is taught to communicate with an adult by giving them a card with a picture on it.
Portage
A home-visiting educational service for children 0 to 3 years old with additional needs and their families. Portage workers visit families at home to provide support and information on play-based activities to support their child’s learning and development.
Profound and multiple disabilities
A term that describes someone’s condition if they have severe disabilities and complex needs that mean they need a high level of care and support with most aspects of their daily life.
S
SENDIASS – Leeds Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Services
Leeds based service that offers information and support for parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities. Leeds SENDIASS is also responsible for Education, Health and Care (EHC) need assessments and plans.
Sensory impairment
A term to describe when one of your senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell) does not work properly.
Signposting
Directing people to information that they may find useful.
Special Education Needs (SEN)
Describes learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for children to learn than most children of the same age.
Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Describes learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for children to learn than most children of the same age.
Special educational needs and inclusion team (SENDIT)
A team of teachers and inclusion workers employed by Leeds City Council who work collaboratively with schools and early years settings to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator (SENCO)
Qualified teachers responsible for supporting the coordination of provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities in nurseries and schools.
Special Educational Needs Statutory Assessment and Provision (SENSAP)
Based at Leeds City Council, this team provides a number of services including creating, assessing and reviewing EHCPs, and monitoring and quality assuring the special educational provision within educational settings.
Speech and language therapists (SLT/SALT)
Professionals who assess and treat speech, language and communication problems. They also work with people suffering from eating and swallowing problems.
T
Teaching assistants (TA)
People who work in schools alongside teaching staff to support children.
Transition
A period of change such as starting primary school, leaving secondary education to go to college or changing from children’s to adult services.
V
Visual impairment
Any kind of sight loss.
