Related Services

The following information provides a brief overview of what "related services" are and who is typically involved in the delivery of that service.  Also provided is information regarding assistive technology services available in Leon County.

Related services are special kinds of help that your child may need in order to benefit from his or her special education program.  The determination of services needed by your child are established and/or reviewed at the initial or annual Individual Education Plan (IEP) meeting.   Given the range and severity of disabilities, your child may or may not need any or all of these services.  Each related service required by your child will be listed on the IEP.

The provision of related services for students with disabilities is intended to facilitate participation in educational programs. The related services identified by the Individual Educational Plan (IEP) team should be those services that are needed by the student for access to the educational program (i.e., to master IEP goals). 

IDEA 2004 defines related services as “transportation and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services (including speech-language pathology and audiology services, interpreting services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, including therapeutic recreation, social work services, school nurse services designed to enable a child with a disability to receive a free appropriate public education as described in the IEP of the child, counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling, orientation and mobility services, and medical services, except that such medical services shall be for diagnostic and evaluation purposes only) as may be required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education, and includes the early identification and assessment of disabling conditions in children.  Related services are included in the transition services needed for the coordination of activities for students to promote movement from school to post-school activities. For example, a student may need transportation to and from the workplace for supported employment.  

The related services areas specifically identified and defined in IDEA of 2004 include:

Audiology services: “(i) identification of children with hearing loss; (ii) determination of the range, nature, and degree of hearing loss, including referral for medical or other professional attention for the habilitation of hearing; (iii) provision of habilitative activities, such as language habilitation, auditory training, speech reading (lip reading), hearing evaluation, and speech conservation; (iv) creation and administration of programs for prevention of hearing loss; (v) counseling and guidance of pupils, parents, and teachers regarding hearing loss; and (vi) determination of the child's need for group and individual amplification, selecting and fitting an appropriate aid, and evaluating the effectiveness of amplification." (34 CFR 300.24 (a)(1)).       

Counseling services: “services provided by qualified social workers, psychologists, guidance counselors, or qualified personnel" (34 CFR 300.24 (a)(2)).         

Early identification and assessment of disabilities in children: "the implementation of a formal plan for identifying a disability as early as possible in a child's life." (34 CER 300.24 (a)(3))

Medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes: "services provided by a licensed physician to determine a child's medically related disability that results in the child’s need for special education and related services." (34 CER 300.24 (a)(4)). "services provided by a licensed physician to determine a child's medically related disability that results in the child’s need for special education and related services" (34 CER 300.24 (a)(4)).        

Occupational therapy: "(i) improving, developing or restoring functions impaired or lost through illness, injury, or deprivation; (ii) improving ability to perform tasks for independent functioning if functions are impaired or lost; and (iii) preventing, through early intervention, initial or further impairment or loss of function." (34 CER 300.24 (a)(5))

Orientation and mobility services: "services provided to blind or visually impaired students by qualified personnel to enable those students to attain systematic orientation to and safe movement within their environments in school, home, and community... " (34 CFR 300.24 (a)(6)). Note that orientation and mobility instructors should be certified teachers of the visually impaired with specialization in orientation and mobility.         

Parent counseling and training: "assisting parents in understanding the special needs of their child and providing parents with information about child development" (34 CER 300.24 Ca)(7)) .   

Physical therapy: "services provided by a qualified physical therapist." (34 CER 300.24 (a)(8)).

Psychological Services: "(i) administering psychological and educational tests, and other assessment procedures; (ii) interpreting assessment results; (iii) obtaining, integrating, and interpreting information about child behavior and conditions relating to learning; (iv) consulting with other staff members in planning school programs to meet the special needs of children as indicated by psychological tests, interviews, and behavioral evaluations; (v) planning and managing a program of psychological services, including psychological counseling for children and parents; and (vi) assisting in developing positive behavioral intervention strategies." (34 CFR 300.24 (a)(9)).

Recreation services: “(i) assessment of leisure function; (ii) therapeutic recreation services; (iii) recreation programs in schools and community agencies; and (iv) leisure education." (34 CFR 300.24 (a)(10))     

Rehabilitation counseling: "services provided by qualified personnel in individual or group sessions that focus specifically on career development, employment preparation, achieving independence, and integration in the workplace and community of a student with a disability. The term also includes vocational rehabilitation services provided to a student with disabilities by vocational rehabilitation programs funded under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended."  (34 CFR 300.24 (a)(11))

School health services: "services provided by a qualified school nurse or other qualified person." (34 CFR 300.24 (a) (12)). These services are generally described in the local school health services plan.  

Social work services in schools: "(i) preparing a social or developmental history on a child with a disability; (ii) group and individual counseling with the child and family; (iii) working with those problems in a child's living situation (home, school, and community) that affect the child's adjustment in school; (iv) mobilizing school and community resources to enable the child to learn as effectively as possible in his or her educational program; and (v) assisting in developing positive behavioral intervention strategies." (34 CFR 300.24 (a)(13)). These services might also include participating as problem-solving team members and providing summation and results of social work a report.

Speech-language pathology: "(i) identification of children with speech or language impairments; (ii) diagnosis and appraisal of specific speech or language impairments; (iii) referral for medical or other professional attention necessary for the habilitation of speech or language impairments; (iv) provision of speech and language services for the habilitation or prevention of communicative impairments; and (v) counseling and guidance of parents, children, and teachers regarding speech and language impairments." (34 CFR 300.24(a)(14)). Note that speech and language is identified both as a program area and as a related service for certain ESE students in Florida.

Transportation: "(i) travel to and from school and between schools; (ii) travel in and around school buildings; and (iii) specialized equipment (such as special or adapted busses. lifts. and ramps). If required to provide special transportation for a child with a disability." (34 CFR 300.24 (a)(15)).      

Assistive technology service: While not defined in the related services section of IDEA 2004, the law defines assistive technology as "any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device."  These services include evaluation, purchasing, leasing, selecting, designing, adapting, repairing of devices; coordinating with other therapies or interventions; training or assistance for a child, the family, or professionals related to an assistive technology device.

Assistive technology device: "any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of children with disabilities." 

Note that IDEA specifically indicates that all possible related services may not be required for each individual child and that the list is not exhaustive and may include other developmental, corrective, or supportive services.   Often these services are incorporated in the curriculum for students with disabilities and would not then be listed as related services on the IEP. The IEP team must carefully consider those related services that are needed for the child to benefit from special education services; therefore, participants in the IEP process should be aware of the range of related services that could be provided. This listing is not intended as a "shopping list" of services that might be useful, but rather as a list of services that might be necessary to carry out the intent of the IEP.

The IEP team should consider the need for related services in all of the settings in which education is provided to the student ages 3 through 21. The priority educational needs and annual goals/transition goals will guide the team in making decisions about the needed related services. Related services are only required if they are needed to assist the child with a disability in benefiting from special education in order for the child to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE). The IEP team determines which related services should be provided, and that decision is based on the components of the IEP including present level of educational performance, annual goals and short term objectives or benchmarks, and special education services needed to meet the goals and objectives (or benchmarks).