sped = special ed

[Mark Mandel]

"SPED" (pronounced as one syllable) for "Special Ed(ucation)", including
"SPED parents", was everyday for us in at least the early nineties, maybe by
the late eighties, in Framingham, Massachusetts. Bcc-ing to my wife, who may
remember more detail or chronology.

m a m

On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 10:06 AM, Amy West <medievalist at w-sts.com> wrote:

> This is a colloquial shortening and blending that I've heard used by
> other parents, but now just spotted in the local paper:
>
> "Look how much we've done for this kid. He's a great kid. We want the
> best for him. No matter what we do it's like BAM! BAM! Obstacle,
> obstacle, obstacle. So I jump over that one, jump over that one, jump
> over that one. It's like that for any sped parent." -- Dorothy Odgren
> quoted re: her son John Odgren, in "'It seemed there was nothing we
> could do,'" Lee Hammel, _Sunday Telegram (Worcester, MA)_, 27 June 2010.
>
> What's interesting is its application to someone indirectly involved
> with special education services -- the student and service providers are
> directly involved, one receiving and one giving. "Sped parent" is
> standing for "parent of a special education student."
>
> --
> ---Amy West
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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