The Vocabulary of Autism

By Wendy Ponte
Issue 134, January/February 2006

ABA applied behavioral analysis; see sidebar, "What Is Applied Behavioral Analysis?"

age out special-needs programs are usually categorized by age; a child ages out when he or she becomes too old to qualify for a particular program

contained class a class comprising only children with special needs

generalize the ability to internalize lessons learned in one area of life, then apply them to other areas; the ultimate goal of ABA

IEP individual education plan; a list of goals for the education of a particular child created by a special-education program; a child must have an IEP in order to qualify for state educational aid

integrated class a class comprising both typical children and children with developmental disorders and/or delays
reinforcer something that can be used to reward a child's progress in therapy sessions; in the early stages of therapy, a favorite food is often used

stim for stimulation. Autistic children tend to self-stimulate in various ways. A child can stim by staring at the movement of a ceiling fan, for example, or virtually any other object he or she has become obsessed with.

typical a child who does not suffer from autism or have special needs; a classroom or school or educational program geared toward such children