Category: A

A test required for acceptance and admission to a particular school. An acceptable score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, for example, is required of many college-bound students; a good score on the Gesell Preschool Test may be required for entrance into a selective kindergarten or preschool.  

A method used in administering and enforcing laws in many areas, especially regarding benefits, including Social Security and many child support agencies. Administrative agencies make orders directly, such as for child support, rather than working through the court system. If individuals protest an agency’s order, ruling, or decision, they can ask for an administrative hearing,…

Instruction that has been tailored to children’s individual needs but, more usually, instruction modified for children who are unlikely to be able to handle a regular school program, notably students with various handicaps.  

A type of learning style in which the child is participating fully, using various sensory modes, as in building a model or conducting an experiment, not just sitting and listening.  

The most common form of immunization, in which a vaccine is introduced into a person’s system, either by injection or by mouth, triggering the formation of anti¬ bodies and the development of immunity for a limited time or a lifetime, depending on the vaccine; in contrast to passive immunization.  

A benign brain tumor involving the auditory nerve, which transmits electrical signals from the ear to the brain; also called eighth nerve tumor, neurinoma, or Schwannoma. If detected early, the tumor can be removed without hearing damage; but if diagnosed late, acoustic neuromas (though not malignant) can be life-threatening, or surgical removal can at least…

Legal term for a man who has admitted or stipulated that he is the biological father of a child whose birth parents are unmarried.  

A prescription drug whose generic name is isotretinoin, a synthetic derivative of vitamin A used to treat severe types of cystic acne unresponsive to other medications. Known from the time of its approval to cause birth defects, Accutane continued to be used by many women who became pregnant. Often it was used in the first…

In education, programs proceeding at a faster-than-usual pace, generally meaning that a student covers course material more quickly than usual, perhaps two years’ work in one year, or that a student skips a year’s coursework altogether, to take more advanced courses. In decades past, skipping grades was common for gifted children, but faster-paced programs, often…