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The glossary: every term, plainly
Every term on this page is explained the way you would explain it to a friend: two or three sentences, then a link to the page where the term actually matters. These ten entries come first because families meet them earliest and the official definitions confuse more than they help.
What is an IEP?
An IEP (Individualized Education Program) is the written, legally binding plan a public school must follow for a child who qualifies for special education. It lists the child’s goals, the services the school will provide, and the supports the child gets, and parents are full members of the team that writes it. It is reviewed at least once a year.
Where you will meet it: the first 90 days, months 2 and 3.
Legal home: IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
What is the Matrix of Services?
The Matrix of Services is a form your Florida school district completes that scores how much support your child needs in five areas. The total maps to a funding level, 251 through 255, and that level sets your child’s FES-UA scholarship amount. You can request one at any time, and the district has 30 days to complete it.
Where you will meet it: the Matrix Playbook.
Legal home: Florida DOE Matrix of Services Handbook; FES-UA Family Handbook.
What is EPSDT?
EPSDT (Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment) is the child health benefit built into Medicaid. In plain words: if your child is under 21 and on Medicaid, the state must cover care a provider shows is medically necessary, even care it does not cover for adults. It is the reason Medicaid covers ABA for children.
Where you will meet it: the federal page and the denial kit.
Under EPSDT, states must cover any additional Section 1905(a) service found medically necessary to correct or ameliorate a child’s condition, regardless of whether the service is covered in the state’s Medicaid plan, for every enrolled child under 21.
VerifiedSource: Medicaid.gov, Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment · How we verify
What is prior authorization?
Prior authorization (prior auth) is the pre-approval most health plans require before they will pay for a service like ABA. The plan reviews the diagnosis and treatment plan and decides whether the care is medically necessary before it starts. Approvals are time-limited, commonly six months, and then the process repeats.
Where you will meet it: the insurance page and the first 90 days.
What is OHI (Other Health Impairment)?
OHI is one of the disability categories a school can use to qualify a child for special education under IDEA. It covers conditions like ADHD that limit strength, energy, or alertness in a way that affects learning. Autism is its own separate IDEA category, and a child’s services come from the IEP, not from which category label was used.
Where you will meet it: eligibility conversations at school, especially for children with ADHD.
Autism and Other Health Impairment are separate disability categories under the IDEA regulations, and eligibility under either entitles a child to the same IEP process. The category label does not change the services a child’s IEP can contain.
VerifiedSource: IDEA regulations (34 CFR 300.8), via the Parent Center Hub · How we verify
What does AuDHD mean?community language
AuDHD is the community’s shorthand for being both autistic and ADHD. It is not a medical diagnosis or a legal term; it is how people describe the combined experience, which is common. Schools and insurers will still use the two diagnoses separately.
Where you will meet it: parent groups and social media, long before any official paperwork.
What is a transition IEP?
A transition IEP is the version of the IEP that starts planning for life after high school: work, further education, and independent living. Federal law requires transition planning to be in the IEP that is in effect when the student turns 16, and the student is invited to those meetings. Starting earlier is allowed and usually smart.
Where you will meet it: the turning-18 checklist, in the years before the birthday.
Under the IDEA regulations, the IEP in effect when the child turns 16 must include measurable postsecondary goals and the transition services needed to reach them.
VerifiedSource: IDEA regulations (34 CFR 300.320(b)) · How we verify
Florida sets its own, earlier trigger age for transition planning in state rules. We have not yet verified Florida’s exact age from the primary source, so ask your district when transition planning begins for your child.
Not yet verified as of . Treat this as unconfirmed. What this meansSource: Florida Department of Education, Exceptional Student Education · How we verify
What is guardianship?
Guardianship is a court process that removes some or all of an adult’s legal rights and gives them to a guardian, usually a parent. In Florida it runs through the courts under chapter 744, Florida Statutes. It is the most restrictive option on the decision-support menu, which is why courts and advocates push families to consider the alternatives first.
Where you will meet it: the turning-18 checklist, decision-support section.
Legal home: chapter 744, Florida Statutes. Our full Florida comparison is under attorney review.
What is supported decision-making?
Supported decision-making means the adult keeps their legal rights and makes their own decisions with help from trusted people they choose. It can be informal or written into an agreement, and it often pairs with tools like powers of attorney. It is the least restrictive alternative to guardianship, not a lesser version of it.
Where you will meet it: the turning-18 checklist, decision-support section.
Guardianship removes rights through a court process under chapter 744, Florida Statutes, while less restrictive alternatives, including supported decision-making arrangements and powers of attorney, leave the adult’s rights in place. Our plain-language Florida comparison is still under attorney review, so confirm the current Florida rules with an attorney before acting.
Not yet verified as of . Treat this as unconfirmed. What this meansSource: Chapter 744, Florida Statutes · How we verify
What is VR (Vocational Rehabilitation)?
Vocational Rehabilitation is the state-run program that helps people with disabilities prepare for, find, and keep jobs. Every state has a VR agency, services can start while a student is still in high school, and job coaching and training are typical supports. It becomes central in the transition years.
Where you will meet it: the turning-18 checklist. A full VR guide is on the playbooks roadmap.
Suggest a term
Met a term that stopped you cold and could not find it here? Tell us at the corrections page and we will add it, plainly, with a source.