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I

ICD: The International Classification of Diseases; the manual used in place of the DSM in countries other than the U.S. for diagnosing medical disorders.

IDEA: See Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Identification: The determination that a child should be evaluated as a possible candidate for special education services.

Evaluation of child as a candidate for special education services.  Process requires proper screening and assessment to confirm whether child has an ASD or another disorder.

IEP: See Individualized Education Program.

IFSP: See Individualized Family Service Plan. 

Imaginative play: The ability to play with objects using imagination.  For example, toy cars, people, and houses can be a town in which an entire scenario is played out.

Imitation: The ability to observe the actions of others and to copy them in one's own actions.  See also modeling.

Immunization: The process of inducing protection against an infectious disease by administering a vaccine.

Impartial Due Process Hearing: Part of the procedures established to protect the rights of parents and their children with disabilities during disputes under IDEA.  These hearings occur before an impartial person to review the  identification, evaluation, placement, and services provided by the educational agency working on behalf of a child with disabilities.

Impetigo: A contagious, bacterial skin infection characterized by reddened skin that can blister and fill with pus.

Impulsivity: Behavior that is characterized by acting without thinking through the consequences of one's actions.

Inclusion: Placing children with disabilities in the same schools and classrooms with children who are developing typically. The environment includes the special supports and services necessary for educational success. 

Inclusive: A term used interchangeably with mainstreaming.  Refers to a child with a disability having access to the same classroom as if he or she were not disabled.

Independent Education Evaluation (IEE): Assessment of child requested by parent who believes that the school did not conduct a proper evaluation.  In some instances, this evaluation may be conducted at the school's expense.

Individual Education Plan (IEP): The written plan that specifies the special education and other services (such as occupational or speech therapy) the school has agreed to provide a child with disabilities who is eligible under IDEA; for children ages three to twenty-one. 

An official plan, written on a yearly basis, that is developed at a meeting with parents, teachers, therapists, and other experts involved in a disabled child's education.

Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP): Documents and guides the early intervention process for children with disabilities and their families, in accordance with Part C of the IDEA.  Through the IFSP process, families and service providers work together as a team to plan, implement, and evaluate services to meet the specific needs of the child and family.

The written plan that specifies the education and related services to be provided to children eligible for early intervention under IDEA and their families; for children birth to age three.

Individual Plan for Employment (IPE): the written plan that specifies the vocational training services that are necessary and will be made available in order for adults with disabilities to work productively.

Individual Transition Plan (ITP): A plan which facilitates the transfer of a student from one setting to another, such as to a classroom, school, or work environment.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): A federal law originally passed in 1975 and subsequently amended that requires states to provide a "free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment" to children with disabilities. This is the major special education law in the U.S. 

A United States congressional act that dictates all the rights children with disabilities have in order to receive full educational benefits from public schools.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act 2004 (IDEIA): The IDEA of 1997 has been reauthorized and is now known as the IDEIA 2004, effective July 1, 2005.  The goal of the IDEIA 2004 is to help children learn better by promoting accountability for results, enhancing parent involvement, using proven practices and materials, providing more flexibility, and reducing paperwork burdens for teachers, states, and local school districts.

Infantile Autism: See Autistic Disorder.

InLv: Independent living (support group); an abbreviation used to indicate a person with autism is functioning at a high enough level to live alone with minimal supervision, such as a social worker checking in daily.

Input: Information that a person receives through any of the senses (sight, hearing, touch, feeling, smell).

Insistence on Sameness: A tendency in many people with autism to become upset when familiar routines or environments are changed.

Instructional Objectives: A game plan for desired achievements in the child's development, based on current level of performance and a broader annual goal.