A student’s IEP may be missing important support even when it already includes familiar services such as speech, occupational, or physical therapy.
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Six Related Services Schools Often Overlook - And Why They Matter
A student’s IEP may be missing important support even when it already includes familiar services such as speech, occupational, or physical therapy. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, schools must consider any related service a student needs to benefit from special education. Less familiar options can address barriers involving health, behavior, transportation, family support, independence, and participation.
It can be discouraging to watch your child struggle without knowing what the IEP is missing. At Swanson Law, PLLC, we help families in Katy, Cypress, Sugar Land, Richmond, and Houston review their child’s evaluations, progress, and IEP services to determine whether the ARD committee should consider additional support.
1. School Social Work Services Address Outside Barriers
School social work may be appropriate when circumstances involving a student’s home, family, school, or community interfere with learning. Services can include preparing a social or developmental history, counseling, connecting families with community resources, and addressing problems that affect school performance.
A school social worker may also help with attendance, peer relationships, behavior, or emotional regulation. If those concerns affect your child’s education, the ARD committee should consider whether an evaluation or social work services are needed rather than relying solely on classroom accommodations.
2. Parent Counseling and Training Supports the IEP
Parent counseling and training helps families understand a child’s needs, learn about child development, and acquire skills that support IEP implementation. It is not a judgment on the parent’s ability. It is a recognized related service intended to strengthen the connection between the student’s educational program and the support provided outside school.
This service may help when a student uses a communication system, follows a behavior plan, practices functional routines, or needs consistent strategies across settings. Parents already learning special education terminology and coordinating outside care may benefit from practical guidance tied directly to the IEP.
3. Psychological Services Continue Beyond Eligibility Testing
Psychological services may include administering and interpreting assessments, gathering information about a student’s behavior and learning, consulting with educators, and helping develop educational or behavioral strategies.
Schools commonly use psychological evaluations when determining eligibility, but a student’s need for support may continue afterward. Further assessment, counseling, consultation, or help developing positive behavioral interventions may be appropriate when academic, behavioral, or emotional difficulties persist.
Through our special education and related services work, we help families examine whether the available evaluations adequately explain the student’s needs and whether the IEP responds to them.
4. School Health Services Make Education Accessible
School health and nursing services may be required when a disability or medical condition affects a student’s ability to attend school, remain in class, or participate safely. School nurse services must be provided by a qualified nurse, while certain health services may be delivered by another qualified person.
Depending on the student, the IEP may need to address medication, monitoring, a healthcare protocol, or assistance during the school day. Families balancing medical care with educational planning should not have to rely on informal arrangements. When a health service is necessary for the student to receive an appropriate education, the IEP should identify what will be provided and by whom.
5. Transportation Can Require Individualized Support
Transportation may include travel to and from school, travel between schools, movement in and around school buildings, and specialized equipment such as adapted buses, lifts, or ramps.
A student may need transportation support because of mobility, sensory, behavioral, medical, or supervision needs. The issue is not merely whether a bus is available, but whether the student can use the transportation safely and consistently.
If an inaccessible vehicle, inadequate supervision, or difficulty moving between locations interferes with attendance or participation, the ARD committee should consider whether transportation must be included as a related service.
6. Therapeutic Recreation Builds Participation Skills
Recreation, including therapeutic recreation, is also recognized as a related service. It may involve evaluating a student’s recreational abilities and interests, teaching leisure skills, or helping the student participate in school and community activities.
This service may be relevant when a disability affects social interaction, independence, friendships, or participation in group activities. Academic progress does not always reveal these functional needs.
Therapeutic recreation is not automatically required because it could be beneficial. The question is whether the service is necessary for the student to access or benefit from the special education program.
How Can You Raise Related Services at an ARD Meeting?
You may request an ARD meeting when concerns arise; you do not have to wait for the annual review. Before the meeting, examine your child’s present levels, goals, evaluations, progress reports, and existing services. Identify where your child is struggling and how that difficulty affects access, participation, or progress.
Rather than requesting a service by name alone, explain the unmet need and ask what evaluation or support could address it. If a related service is required, the IEP should describe the service and its frequency, duration, and location.
The decision must be individualized. It should reflect your child’s documented needs rather than a standard menu of services or what most students receive.
Special Education Law Attorney in Katy, Texas
When an IEP appears complete, but your child continues to struggle, it may be difficult to determine whether an evaluation or related service is missing. Our attorney, Jennifer Lynn Swanson, draws on nearly a decade of experience teaching special education in Texas public schools to help families examine those concerns.
Jennifer taught students across a range of disabilities and received training in dyslexia instruction before earning her law degree. Her understanding of special education, the ARD/IEP process, and school-district operations informs our work with families seeking appropriate evaluations, goals, and services.
As a Katy special education law firm, we assist families in Katy, Cypress, Sugar Land, Richmond, and Houston. Contact us to discuss your child’s IEP and whether the ARD committee has considered the related services needed to support meaningful progress.
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