


A diagnosed medical condition of damage to the brain, resulting from a traumatic or non-traumatic injury, occurring after birth. Traumatic brain injuries involve an external force, like a fall, hit or motor vehicle accident. Non-traumatic brain injuries could result from loss of oxygen, a brain lesion, toxins or illness like meningitis. Temporary or permanent cognitive, emotional, behavioural or physical impairments are symptoms of acquired brain injuries. Acquired brain injuries do not include degenerative conditions like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s Diseases or Multiple Sclerosis (MS), nor congenital conditions like Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).
A concussion is considered a mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) that is caused by an impact or jolt to the head which causes the brain to collide with the skull.


Any piece of equipment that is specifically designed for those with disabilities and would not be used for those without disabilities, like wheelchairs, standers, large scale switches/mice, etc.

An area of student need based on his/her demonstrated verbal, non-verbal or physical actions.

A diagnosed condition, related to the numerous neurological problems that can result when a child is exposed to alcohol before birth.


School board generated report card for the reporting of Alternative Program Learning Expectations, used for students who are only working on Alternative Programming goals. Some boards use the Provincial Report Card Addendum to report on Alternative Programming.

A diagnosed genetic condition that mainly affects the nervous system. Related characteristics include delayed development, intellectual deficits, severe communication problems and difficulty with movement and stability (ataxia). Symptoms are apparent by six to twelve months of age. Many with Angelman Syndrome also have seizures or epilepsy, and an abnormally small head (microcephaly).

An area of student need, based on his/her demonstrated behaviour.

A reasonable overall goal for each modified subject and/or alternative program, determined from the student’s current level of achievement, which the student can reasonably attain in the course of the year.
A strategy often used with ABA methods or behaviour modification to record and later analyze what occurred prior to the behaviour being targeted (antecedents), the actual behaviour and the outcome/reinforcer (consequence). Consequence in ABC tracking does not usually mean the discipline measure put into place following a behaviour, unless its function is the reinforcing element to the behaviour.


An area of student need, involving frequent worry and nervousness.

A systematic and individualized method of teaching based on principles of learning and behaviour, to reduce undesirable and increase adaptive behaviour. The ABA process begins defining the behaviour to be changed, which is then specifically tracked with antecedents and reinforcers of the behaviour. ABC tracking sheets are often utilized and analysis of the tracking helps to develop specific strategies to develop shape the desired outcome. ABA can be implemented in schools by teachers and school teams.

An area of student need, based on his/her speech pronunciation.

Assistive Technology (AT) is any piece of technology that helps a student with or without a disability to increase or maintain his/her level of functioning. These often include lap tops with specialized programs, like speech to text, text to speech, graphic organizers and word prediction software.

An area of student need of any deliberate student absence from school, often referred to as truancy and/or chronic absenteeism that is not due to legitimate illness.

A diagnosed condition that is life long. The characteristics of AD/HD include inattention, impulsivity and over-activity problems. The condition affects somewhere between five to eight percent of children still in school.

An area of student need, involving difficulty with maintaining concentration, especially on non-preferred activities, while ignoring distractions.

A diagnosed receptive language disorder, which makes it difficult to process sounds in speech.

Communication using pictures, symbols or voice output devices to augment or act as an alternative to a student’s current or previous communication.


