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Decoding Special Needs Acronyms

Parents of children with special needs already have enough acronyms, don't they? Terms like ADHD, NLD, ASD, LD, NVLD, PDD, ADD, and countless other abbreviations for various special needs can make one's mind swim. And these are just the acronyms encountered in the process of receiving a diagnosis such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Asperger's syndrome, or related special needs.

Once parents receive a diagnosis, many parents of children with federally recognized learning disabilities or other challenges have to learn another new set of terms: IDEA, ADA, FAPE, and countless other acronyms that stem from the maze of legal challenges facing parents of children with special needs in public schools.

Learning the Language

Like it or not, it's time to add a few more acronyms to the mix. If you haven't noticed, young people are speaking a different language these days: the language of texting, online chats, and the Internet. You've probably seen the news reports, so you know that you should be learning about your children's online lives.

Of course, this is easier said than done. Our children's online environment can be as unfamiliar as the idea of homework on a Friday night might be for some students with ADHD! (Or it may be as anxiety producing as a noisy cafeteria of new faces for some students with High Functioning Autism!)

But as we teach our students, just because a task is unfamiliar or a little scary, it doesn't mean it's not important. To make things easier for you, the parent, we have put together a little "online dictionary." It's just a start, but you've got to start somewhere!

121

One to one

411

The information

AAR

At any rate

A/S/L

Age/Sex/Location

BAK

Back at Keyboard

BF

Boyfriend, Best Friend (Other terms as well, some inappropriate)

BRB

Be Right Back

DKDC

Don't Know, Don't Care

DQMOT

Don't Quote Me On This

EMFBI

Excuse Me For Butting In

IHAIM

I Have Another Instant Message

JK

Just Kidding

JT

Just Teasing

LMIRL

Let's Meet In Real Life

NIFOC

Nude In Front Of Computer

NP

No Problem or Nosy Parents

NTK

Nice To Know

PA

Parent Alert

P911

Parent Alert

Coping with Changing Times

Wheww! That was exhausting! Unfortunately, that is just the tip of the iceberg. Online language and social rules are constantly evolving. For students with Asperger's syndrome, ADHD, or related social skills challenges, this can bring a host of potential challenges.

So what is the answer? As many parents of children with special needs know, several strategies are often needed to address a challenge such as this. One strategy can be to encourage your child to "unplug" for a while. Whether it's a short walk outside, or an experience at an experiential learning camp like Talisman, we believe any break from the internet can be healthy at times.

Another strategy is the overwhelming task of parent education. To support this, Talisman is offering live online webinars on issues like cyberbullying and social networking. Click here for more information.

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