Your child's speech is hard for classmates to understand. Or handwriting is slowing every assignment. Or the walk from the bus to the classroom leaves your child exhausted. You wonder whether the school should be providing therapy, and you are not sure how to ask.
The word for these supports in federal law is related services. This guide explains what the rule says, how the team decides, and how you can start the conversation. It is general information, not legal advice, and details differ by state.
What counts as a related service
Section 300.34 describes related services as transportation and the developmental, corrective, and other supportive services needed to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education. The list in the rule includes:
| Service | What the rule says it covers |
|---|---|
| Speech-language pathology | Identifying, diagnosing, and appraising speech or language impairments, referring for medical care when needed, providing services, and counseling parents, children, and teachers |
| Occupational therapy | Services by a qualified occupational therapist to improve or restore impaired functions and build skills for independent functioning |
| Physical therapy | Services by a qualified physical therapist |
| Counseling services | Services provided by qualified social workers, psychologists, guidance counselors, or other qualified personnel |
| Psychological services | Tests and other assessment procedures, interpreting results, and help developing positive behavioral intervention strategies |
| Transportation | Travel to and from school, between schools, and within school buildings, including specialized equipment such as adapted buses, lifts, and ramps when required |
| School health and school nurse services | Health services designed to enable a child to receive a free appropriate public education as described in the IEP |
| Parent counseling and training | Helping parents understand their child's special needs, giving child development information, and building skills to support the IEP |
| Orientation and mobility | Services for blind or visually impaired children to move safely at school, home, and in the community |
| Recreation | Assessing leisure function, therapeutic recreation, and related programs |
The list also names audiology, interpreting services, social work services in schools, early identification and assessment, and medical services for diagnosis or evaluation.
The test: benefit from special education
A related service is not a general entitlement to therapy. The rule ties it to whether the service is needed to help your child benefit from special education. In practice the team asks whether your child's difficulty in an area, such as speech, movement, or behavior, gets in the way of progress on IEP goals or participation in school.
That is why an outside diagnosis is information, not an automatic answer. And it is why your examples of how the difficulty shows up at school are valuable. See who is on the IEP team for who will weigh in.
One exception worth knowing
The rule says related services do not include a surgically implanted device, such as a cochlear implant, or its optimization, maintenance, or replacement. But the school must still provide related services the IEP team decides are necessary for a free appropriate public education for a child with such a device, and it must monitor and maintain devices needed for health and safety during school transportation and school hours.
How to ask
You do not have to wait for the team to raise it. Disability Rights Ohio's guide, which is specific to Ohio and was last updated in 2014, suggests contacting the school's special education coordinator to ask for help in deciding whether a service is needed, and, if there is no answer, making a written request for a determination and an IEP meeting. You can also ask the school to assess your child in the area of concern.
For tips on the letter itself, see what to include in an evaluation request.
What the IEP should say
If the team agrees, the IEP should be specific. Federal rules require it to state the projected start date, and the anticipated frequency, location, and duration of services. Disability Rights Ohio gives an example of the level of detail to look for: "60 minutes of individual speech therapy per week," with the type and amount of service and whether it is one-on-one, in a group, or consultation. If you see only "speech as needed," ask for the number.
| Vague | Specific |
|---|---|
| "Speech services" | "Individual speech-language therapy, 30 minutes, twice a week, in the therapy room" |
| "OT as needed" | "Occupational therapy, 30 minutes, once a week, in the classroom, plus 30 minutes a month of consultation with the teacher" |
| "Transportation provided" | "Special bus with a lift, door to door, both directions, each school day" |
If the school disagrees
If the school will not provide a service you asked for, it should tell you in writing, with its reasons. See what is prior written notice. If you disagree with a school evaluation, you can ask for an independent educational evaluation, described in independent educational evaluation: a parent's guide. And what to do if you disagree with the IEP lists the other routes.
A short checklist
- Write down specific examples of how the difficulty shows up at school.
- Send your request in writing, and keep a copy.
- Share any outside reports.
- Ask the team to explain how the service connects to your child's goals.
- Check that the IEP says the type, amount, frequency, location, and who provides it.
Related-service mix-ups
- Expecting a diagnosis to settle it. The team decides based on need at school.
- Accepting "as needed." It cannot be measured, so ask for numbers.
- Not asking who provides the service. Know whether it is a school employee or a contractor.
- Forgetting transportation. It is a related service too, and it must be in the IEP.
Terms are in the glossary.