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Useful information on common care terminology and diagnoses

It can be unnerving with the number of abbreviations and acronyms that appear when you are looking into symptoms. We aim to make this easier for you.

Therefore, we have put a list of terms together that you may see regularly across documents/templates and our website. We have also provided a brief introduction to the various diagnoses that frequently reoccur in childcare and social care settings.

List of acronyms commonly used at Children’s Coastal Care Consultancy

AS – Asperger Syndrome

Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger’s, is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and interests.

ASD – Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Scientists do not know yet exactly what causes these differences for most people with ASD. However, some people with ASD have a known difference, such as a genetic condition.

CAMHS – Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. CAMHS is the name for the NHS services that assess and treat young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.

Complex Trauma

Complex trauma describes both children’s exposure to multiple traumatic events—often of an invasive, interpersonal nature—and the wide-ranging, long-term effects of this exposure. These events are severe and pervasive, such as abuse or profound neglect.

CSE – Child Sexual Exploitation

Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a type of sexual abuse. When a child or young person is exploited, they’re given things, like gifts, drugs, money, status and affection, in exchange for performing sexual activities.

DCD – Developmental Co-ordination Disorder

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a lifelong condition that makes it hard to learn motor skills and coordination. It’s not a learning disorder, but it can impact learning. Children with DCD struggle with physical tasks and activities they need to do both in and out of school.

L – Designated Safeguarding Lead

The role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead was specified in the Children Act 2004 ensuring that there is a designated senior member of staff to take lead responsibility for child protection. They have responsibility at both a strategic level and on a day-to-day basis.

EHCP – Education, Health and Care Plan (replacing Statement of SEN)

An Education, Health & Care Plan is a legal document for children and young people with special educational needs and details their education, health and social requirements.

IEP – Individual Education Plan

This is a plan designed for children with SEN (Social, Emotional Mental Health) to help them reach their potential in education.

Independent Special School

Usually owned by an individual or limited company or group of companies but can be a charity. Approved by the Secretary of State to take children with Statements of SEN, majority of placements funded by Local Education Authorities. Wholly funded by pupil fees and can be run on a profit-making basis.

LEA – Local Education Authority

These are the local councils in England and Wales that are responsible for education in their jurisdiction.

LSCB – Local Safeguarding Children Board

This is a multi-agency body set up by each Local Authority and is there to co-ordinate what is done by everyone on the Board to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the area, and ensuring the effectiveness of what they do.

Maintained School

Schools that cater solely for special needs and are provided and funded by the Local Authority.

Non-Maintained Special School (also can be found as NMSS)

Approved as a special school under section 342 of the Education Act 1996. Non-profit making schools run by charitable trusts. NMSS schools are funded primarily through pupil fees charged to Local Authorities which place children there.

SEN – Special Educational Needs

This is a term that describes the needs of a child that has difficulties or a disability that makes learning hard for them than other children their age.

SENCo – Special Educational Needs Coordinator

A SENCo is a teacher that has overall responsibility for special educational needs in school and ensure that pupils with SEN have the necessary support to be able to learn at a similar pace to their peers.

SID – Sensory Integration Disorder (also known as Sensory Processing Disorder)

This is a condition where the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information that comes through the senses.

SPD – Semantic Pragmatic Disorder

Sensory Processing Disorder, or SPD, causes some children to find everyday stimuli excruciating. Scientists are finally shedding light on what causes the disorder and what can be done about it.

SpLD – Specific Learning Difficulties

This is an umbrella term used to cover a range of frequently co-occurring difficulties.

Triad of Impairment

A Triad of Impairment, is the defining characteristic of autism, as identified by Dr. Lorna Wing. This includes socialisation difficulties, communication difficulties and inflexibility of thought rigidity and thought process.

Waking Day Curriculum

This refers to that fact that a child may need to be educated across all ‘waking hours’ and that a residential placement is necessary.

Diagnoses that you may come across

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

This is a lifelong condition in which the brain works differently to others. It affects how a person makes sense of the world around them and communicates and interacts with others.

Tourette Syndrome

This is a neurological condition characterised by motor (movement) or vocal tics. There is, at present, no definitive cause for TS, although in many cases there is thought to be a familial link. TS generally starts in primary school but really becomes apparent between the ages of 10 and 14. The tics are involuntary and their severity will come and go.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

OCD is a fairly common, treatable, neuropsychiatric disorder involving excessive, intrusive and inappropriate obsessions (uninvited thoughts which occur over and over) and/or compulsions (repetitive, sometimes senseless actions which have to be performed physically or mentally). The person has no control over their obsessions and compulsions; these arrive without warning and without being initiated and will not disappear just because they do not wish to entertain them.

Attachment Disorder

This is a general term which describes disorders of mood, behaviour, and social interaction arising from a failure to form normal attachments to primary caregivers in early childhood.

It mainly results from early experiences of neglect, abuse or abrupt separation from caregivers between the ages of 6 months and about 3 years. Other factors might be frequent change, excessive numbers of caregivers, excessive response or severe lack of response to a child’s attempts to communicate.

Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity

This is a condition which affects the areas of the brain related to concentration, attention and impulses. There seems to be a genetic link and, in some cases, an environmental link. Compared with most children of the same age, sex and intelligence and with behaviours displayed in more than one setting, the child with ADHD has a range of ‘problem’ behaviours including: inattentiveness, impulsiveness, hyperactivity, poor learning skills, poor social and communication skills, and no awareness of danger.

Dyslexia

The word ‘dyslexia’ comes from the Greek, meaning ‘difficulty with words’. Dyslexia frequently co-occurs with related Specific Learning Difficulties. Dyslexia is a hidden disability thought to affect around 10% of the population, 4% severely. It causes problems with spelling, relating sounds to written symbols and writing things down.

Dyspraxia

Dyspraxia is a condition that affects mainly movement (gross and fine motor skills) but also any or all of the areas of age-appropriate developments such as language skills, social skills, sensory, emotional skills and perception.