Parent Guide
Ontario Special Education and Therapy Terms for Parents
A parent's guide to the language around your child's care
School meetings, assessment reports, and funding letters often come with unfamiliar terms, usually at moments when you already have a lot on your mind. This guide gently explains the language parents hear from schools, clinicians, and the Ontario Autism Program in plain English: what a term means, why it comes up, what you might ask next, and what it doesn't mean. Keep it nearby as a calm reference after a hard conversation. It is a resource to help you feel more informed and steady, not a diagnosis.
Words from your child's school
Terms you may hear in IEP meetings, IPRCs, and conversations with teachers and school staff.
IEP
A written plan describing the supports and goals your child needs at school in Ontario.
Words from your child's schoolIPRC
A school board committee that decides if a student is exceptional and what placement fits their needs.
Words from your child's schoolAccommodations vs modifications
Accommodations change how your child learns; modifications change what they are expected to learn.
Words from your child's schoolEducational Assistant
A school staff member who supports students with learning, safety, and daily classroom routines.
Words from your child's school
Words in an assessment report
Plain-language explanations of phrases that often appear in psychoeducational and related reports.
Psychoeducational assessment
A comprehensive evaluation of learning, thinking skills, and academic performance by a psychologist.
Words in an assessment reportExecutive functioning
The thinking skills that help with planning, organization, focus, and flexible problem-solving.
Words in an assessment reportPercentile rank
A score that shows how your child's result compares with a large group of peers the same age.
Words in an assessment report
Words from the Ontario Autism Program
Language used in AccessOAP letters, care coordination, and funding conversations.
Core clinical services
A group of autism supports discussed in Ontario Autism Program planning for eligible children and youth.
Words from the Ontario Autism ProgramDetermination of needs
An OAP process that helps identify your child's support needs for autism program planning.
Words from the Ontario Autism ProgramAccessOAP care coordinator
The AccessOAP contact who helps your family navigate Ontario Autism Program steps and questions.
Words from the Ontario Autism Program
Words your therapist uses
Everyday therapy vocabulary you might hear in sessions or clinical notes, explained calmly.
Co-regulation
When a calm, trusted adult helps a child return to a steadier emotional and physical state.
Words your therapist usesInteroception
The sense that helps your child notice internal body signals like hunger, fullness, or needing the washroom.
Words your therapist usesGestalt language
A way some children learn language in chunks or scripts before breaking them into single words.
Words your therapist uses
Letters after a clinician's name
What common credentials mean, who holds them, and how that relates to the care you are seeking.
Psychologist vs psychotherapist vs psychiatrist
Three different regulated roles in mental health, with different training, scopes, and typical services.
Letters after a clinician's nameRP / RP (Qualifying)
Regulated psychotherapy titles in Ontario. RP means full registration; RP (Qualifying) means supervised practice.
Letters after a clinician's nameBCBA
A certification for practitioners trained in applied behaviour analysis, often seen in autism support settings.
Letters after a clinician's name
Browse A–Z
Secondary alphabetical list of every published term in this guide.
AccessOAP care coordinator
The AccessOAP contact who helps your family navigate Ontario Autism Program steps and questions.
Words from the Ontario Autism ProgramAccommodations vs modifications
Accommodations change how your child learns; modifications change what they are expected to learn.
Words from your child's schoolBCBA
A certification for practitioners trained in applied behaviour analysis, often seen in autism support settings.
Letters after a clinician's nameCo-regulation
When a calm, trusted adult helps a child return to a steadier emotional and physical state.
Words your therapist usesCore clinical services
A group of autism supports discussed in Ontario Autism Program planning for eligible children and youth.
Words from the Ontario Autism ProgramDetermination of needs
An OAP process that helps identify your child's support needs for autism program planning.
Words from the Ontario Autism ProgramEducational Assistant
A school staff member who supports students with learning, safety, and daily classroom routines.
Words from your child's schoolExecutive functioning
The thinking skills that help with planning, organization, focus, and flexible problem-solving.
Words in an assessment reportGestalt language
A way some children learn language in chunks or scripts before breaking them into single words.
Words your therapist usesIPRC
A school board committee that decides if a student is exceptional and what placement fits their needs.
Words from your child's schoolIEP
A written plan describing the supports and goals your child needs at school in Ontario.
Words from your child's schoolInteroception
The sense that helps your child notice internal body signals like hunger, fullness, or needing the washroom.
Words your therapist usesPercentile rank
A score that shows how your child's result compares with a large group of peers the same age.
Words in an assessment reportPsychoeducational assessment
A comprehensive evaluation of learning, thinking skills, and academic performance by a psychologist.
Words in an assessment reportPsychologist vs psychotherapist vs psychiatrist
Three different regulated roles in mental health, with different training, scopes, and typical services.
Letters after a clinician's nameRP / RP (Qualifying)
Regulated psychotherapy titles in Ontario. RP means full registration; RP (Qualifying) means supervised practice.
Letters after a clinician's name