“Classic Autism:” It is generally classified by impairment in social interactions
and communication and includes some restrictive or repetitive behaviors.
Rett Syndrome: An X-linked dominant neurological disorder that affects girls
only and is one of the most common causes of mental retardation in females.
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder: The childhood disintegrative disorder
(CDD), also known as Heller's syndrome and disintegrative psychosis, is a rare
condition characterized by late onset of developmental delays in language, social
function, and motor skills.
Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS):
the diagnosis applied to children or adults who are on the autism spectrum but do
not fully meet the criteria for another ASD such as autistic disorder (sometimes
called “classic” autism) or Asperger Syndrome.
Asperger Syndrome/”Autistic Savants”: a developmental disorder related to
autism and characterized by higher than average intellectual ability coupled with
impaired social skills and restrictive, repetitive patterns of interest and activities.
Fragile X syndrome: an inherited condition characterized by an X chromosome
that is abnormally susceptible to damage, especially by folic acid deficiency.
Affected individuals tend to be mentally handicapped.
Downs Syndrome: a congenital disorder arising from a chromosome defect,
causing intellectual impairment and physical abnormalities including short stature
and a broad facial profile. It arises from a defect involving chromosome 21,
usually an extra copy (trisomy-21).
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): The Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law enacted in 1990 and
reauthorized in 1997 and 2004. It is designed to protect the rights of students
with disabilities by ensuring that everyone receives a free appropriate public
education (FAPE), regardless of ability.
Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE): Free Appropriate Public
Education (FAPE) is an educational right of children with disabilities in the United
States that is guaranteed by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE): In the U.S. Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), least restrictive environment (LRE) means that a student
who has a disability should have the opportunity to be educated with nondisabled peers, to the greatest extent appropriate.