IEP Services Explained: What Your Child Should Be Getting

IEP services include special education (specially designed instruction) and related services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and counseling. The IEP must specify the type, frequency, duration, and whether delivery is direct or consultative. "Consultative" means the therapist advises the teacher — it is not the same as direct services delivered to your child.

Related services are one of the most misunderstood and most under-delivered parts of the IEP. This guide breaks down what each service means and how to tell if your child is getting what they actually need.

This guide breaks down every major IEP service, explains the critical difference between direct and consultative delivery, shows you how to evaluate whether the hours are adequate, and tells you exactly what to do if things aren't happening the way the IEP says they should.

What Are Related Services?

Related services (services like speech therapy, OT, counseling, and transportation that help your child benefit from special education) are the supports your child needs in order to benefit from special education. They're defined in federal law under 34 CFR 300.34 — and the list is broader than most parents realize.

Think of it this way: special education is the instruction — the specially designed instruction (instruction specifically adapted for your child's disability) that addresses your child's learning needs. Related services are everything else your child needs so that instruction actually works.

The main types of related services include:

• Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) — communication, articulation, language processing, social pragmatics
• Occupational Therapy (OT) — fine motor skills, sensory processing, handwriting, daily tasks at school
• Physical Therapy (PT) — gross motor skills, mobility, coordination, navigating the school building
• Counseling / Social Work Services — emotional regulation, anxiety, social skills, behavioral support
• Assistive Technology (AT) — devices and tools that help your child access learning
• Transportation — specialized bus, aide on the bus, or other transit supports
• Audiology Services — hearing assessments, FM system management, audiological support
• School Health / Nursing Services — medical support during the school day

This is not an exhaustive list. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) specifically says the list of related services is not limited to what's named in the statute. If your child needs a support to benefit from their education, it can be a related service.

Direct vs Consultative Services: The Difference Matters

This is one of the most important distinctions in your child's IEP — and one of the most commonly overlooked by parents.

Direct Services

Direct service means the specialist works directly with your child. The speech therapist sits with your child and does speech therapy. The occupational therapist works with your child on handwriting or sensory strategies. Your child is in the room, actively receiving the service.

Direct services can be delivered:

• Individually — one-on-one with the therapist
• In a small group — typically 2-4 students with similar needs
• In the classroom (push-in) — the therapist comes into the general education classroom and works with your child during instruction
• In a separate setting (pull-out) — your child goes to the therapist's room for the session

Consultative Services

Consultative service means the specialist advises the teacher — but does not work directly with your child. The occupational therapist might observe your child, then give the teacher strategies to use. The speech therapist might review goals with the teacher and suggest classroom modifications.

In a consultative model, your child may never interact with the therapist at all.

When Is Each Appropriate?

There's no universal rule, but here's a general guide:

Situation	Direct Is Usually Better	Consultative May Be Enough
Your child is just starting a new skill	Yes — they need hands-on instruction from the specialist	Not yet
Your child has significant delays	Yes — they need targeted, intensive support	Not yet
Your child has mastered the skill but needs help generalizing it	Maybe — depends on the skill	Yes — teacher can reinforce in context
Your child is being transitioned off a service	Maybe — as a step-down	Yes — as a bridge to independence

If your child's evaluation recommends direct therapy and the IEP only provides consultative, ask why. The delivery model should match your child's needs, not the school's staffing constraints.

Common IEP Services: A Deeper Look

Speech-Language Pathology (SLP)

What it addresses: Articulation (how your child produces sounds), expressive language (putting words together to communicate), receptive language (understanding what others say), social pragmatics (conversation skills, understanding social cues), fluency (stuttering), and voice disorders.

Who provides it: A licensed Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) or a Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant (SLPA) under the supervision of an SLP.

What to look for in the IEP:

• Specific frequency and duration (e.g., "2x/week, 30 minutes per session")
• Whether it's individual, small group, or classroom-based
• Direct vs consultative — and the rationale for the model chosen
• A matching goal for every area being addressed

Occupational Therapy (OT)

What it addresses: Fine motor skills (handwriting, cutting, buttoning), sensory processing (over- or under-sensitivity to noise, touch, movement), visual-motor integration, self-care tasks at school (opening lunch containers, managing a locker), and classroom attention/regulation through sensory strategies.

Who provides it: A licensed Occupational Therapist (OT) or a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) under OT supervision.

What to look for in the IEP:

• Whether the OT addresses sensory needs, motor needs, or both — and whether the service hours reflect that
• Whether your child has a sensory diet or regulation plan, and who is responsible for implementing it
• Clear goals tied to functional skills — not vague statements like "will improve fine motor skills"

Physical Therapy (PT)

What it addresses: Gross motor skills (walking, running, climbing stairs), balance and coordination, mobility within the school building, positioning (seating, wheelchair needs), and participation in physical education.

Who provides it: A licensed Physical Therapist (PT) or a Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) under PT supervision.

What to look for in the IEP:

• Whether PT addresses your child's ability to navigate the school environment safely
• Whether adaptive PE is also being considered alongside or instead of PT
• Frequency that matches the severity of the motor challenges identified in the evaluation

Counseling / Social Work Services

What it addresses: Emotional regulation, anxiety, depression, social skills, peer relationships, self-advocacy, behavioral challenges, coping strategies, and school-based trauma support.

Who provides it: A school counselor, school psychologist, or licensed clinical social worker. For children with more intensive needs, the school may contract with an outside provider.

What to look for in the IEP:

• Whether counseling is individual, group, or both — and why
• Specific goals tied to the counseling service (not just "will improve behavior")
• Whether a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) exists alongside counseling, and how the two work together
• Who coordinates with you about what's discussed in sessions and what progress looks like

Assistive Technology (AT)

What it addresses: Any barrier to learning that can be reduced with a tool or device. This can range from low-tech (pencil grips, slant boards, visual timers) to high-tech (communication devices, text-to-speech software, specialized keyboards, eye-tracking systems).

Who provides it: An AT specialist, the special education team, or the related service provider whose area the AT supports (e.g., SLP for communication devices).

What to look for in the IEP:

• Whether an AT evaluation was done — if your child struggles to access the curriculum, ask for one
• The specific device or tool named (not just "assistive technology as needed")
• Who trains your child and the staff on using it
• Whether your child can use the device at home if needed for homework

How Services Connect to Goals

This is one of the simplest and most powerful checks you can do on your child's IEP: every service should tie to a specific goal, and every goal should have a service supporting it.

Here's why this matters:

• If there's a goal but no service backing it up — who is working on that skill with your child? A goal without a service is a wish, not a plan.
• If there's a service but no goal — why is your child receiving it? This isn't necessarily wrong (some services support access more broadly), but you should understand the purpose.

Do a simple cross-reference:

1. List every annual goal in the IEP
2. List every service (special education and related)
3. Draw a line connecting each goal to the service that supports it
4. Look for orphans — goals with no service, or services with no goal

If you find a gap, bring it up. "I see a handwriting goal, but no OT listed in the services section. Who is helping my child work on this?" That question alone can uncover a significant hole in the plan.

For a deeper look at what makes a strong goal, see our guide: IEP Goals: How to Tell If They're Actually Good.

Is That Enough? How to Evaluate Service Hours

Let's talk about the most common service line in IEPs across the country: "30 minutes, 1x/week."

Is that enough? Maybe. But for many children, it's not — and the number was chosen based on what the school can staff, not what your child needs.

Here's how to think about whether the service hours are adequate:

1. Compare to the Evaluation

What did the evaluation report recommend? If the evaluator wrote that your child needs "intensive speech-language intervention" and the IEP provides 30 minutes once a week, there's a gap. The IEP team is not bound by evaluator recommendations, but they must consider them — and if they deviate, they should explain why.

2. Check Progress

Is your child making meaningful progress on the goals tied to that service? If your child has received 30 minutes of OT per week for two years and their handwriting hasn't improved, the service level may not be sufficient. Flat or declining progress is a signal to re-evaluate.

3. Consider the Severity

A child with mild articulation errors may genuinely need 30 minutes a week of speech therapy. A child who is largely nonverbal may need daily communication support. The severity of the need should drive the service level.

4. Ask the Right Question

At the IEP meeting, try this: "Based on my child's current levels and the goals we've set, is this service level sufficient for my child to make meaningful progress within one year?"

If the team can't clearly explain how the hours are enough, they may not be.

What If Services Aren't Being Delivered?

This is more common than it should be. The therapist is out sick. There's a school event. Testing season disrupts the schedule. Before you know it, your child has missed weeks of services that are written into a legally binding document.

Here's what to do:

Step 1: Document Everything

Keep a log. Every time your child comes home and says they didn't see the speech therapist, write it down. Date, what was missed, and what your child told you. You can also ask the school for a service delivery log showing actual sessions delivered.

Step 2: Email the Case Manager

Don't call — email. Create a paper trail. Be specific:

"I'm writing to follow up on [Child's Name]'s IEP services. The IEP specifies 30 minutes of speech-language therapy 2x/week. Based on my records, [Child's Name] has missed [X] sessions over the past [time period]. Can you confirm which sessions were delivered and discuss a plan for making up the missed sessions?"

Step 3: Request a Meeting

If the pattern continues, request an IEP meeting in writing. At the meeting, you can:

• Ask the school to acknowledge the missed services
• Request compensatory services (make-up sessions for what was missed)
• Discuss how to prevent future disruptions

Step 4: File a Complaint If Needed

If the school consistently fails to deliver IEP services and doesn't take corrective action, you can file a state complaint with your state's department of education. Failure to implement an IEP is a clear violation of IDEA.

For more on your rights and the complaint process, see: Your IEP Rights: What Schools Must Do.

Requesting Additional Services

You don't have to wait for the annual IEP review to request changes. You can request additional or different services at any time, in writing.

Here's how:

1. Put it in writing. Email the IEP team or special education coordinator. Be specific about what you're requesting and why. Example: "I'm requesting that the IEP team consider adding occupational therapy services for [Child's Name]. I'm concerned about [specific observations]. I'd like this discussed at an IEP meeting."
2. The school must respond. They cannot ignore your request. They either agree to meet and discuss, or they refuse — but a refusal must come with Prior Written Notice (PWN).
3. Come prepared. Bring data: progress reports showing stalled progress, your own observations, outside evaluations if you have them, and the specific goals you believe need more support.
4. If denied, get PWN. If the school refuses to add the service, they must give you a written explanation of why, what data they used, and what alternatives they considered. This document is your starting point for any further advocacy.

State-Specific Notes: NH and MA

Federal IDEA sets the floor, but your state may add protections on top. Here's what parents in New Hampshire and Massachusetts should know about related services:

New Hampshire

• Aversive interventions are prohibited. New Hampshire law explicitly bans the use of aversive behavioral interventions — including physical punishment, withholding food or water, and forced isolation — as part of any educational program (Ed 1102.01(m)).
• The IEP must specify frequency, location, and duration of every service. This is required by both federal law (34 CFR 300.320) and NH rules (Ed 1109). Vague language like "as needed" does not meet this standard.
• Financial responsibility stays with the resident district. Even if your child attends a different school or program, the cost of related services remains the responsibility of your home school district (RSA 186-C:7). You should never be billed for IEP services.

Massachusetts

• Services must begin as soon as the IEP is implemented. Once you sign and the IEP goes into effect, services must start immediately — not "when the therapist has an opening" or "after the scheduling is sorted out" (603 CMR 28.05).
• Parents can request related services evaluations at any time. You have the right to ask for evaluations in specific areas — OT, PT, speech, counseling — whenever you believe there's a need. The school must respond.
• 30 school working days for evaluation. When you consent to a related services evaluation, the school has 30 school working days to complete it (603 CMR 28.04(1)). The full process — evaluation and eligibility determination — must be done within 45 school working days.

Your Next Steps

1. Pull out your child's IEP right now. Find the services page. List every service, its frequency, its duration, and whether it's direct or consultative.
2. Do the goal-service cross-reference. Match each goal to the service supporting it. Flag any goals without a service or services without a goal.
3. Ask your child. If they're old enough, ask whether they're seeing each therapist regularly. Kids know when sessions get skipped.
4. Check the delivery model. For every service listed as "consultative," make sure you understand what that means and whether it's appropriate for your child's current level of need.
5. Request a service log. Email the case manager and ask for documentation of actual services delivered this year. Compare it to what the IEP promises.
6. Put any concerns in writing. If something doesn't add up — not enough hours, missed sessions, consultative when it should be direct — write it down and send it to the team.

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Sources

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) — U.S. Department of Education
• 34 CFR 300.34 — Related Services Definition — Code of Federal Regulations
• 34 CFR 300.320 — IEP Content Requirements — Code of Federal Regulations
• 603 CMR 28.00 — Massachusetts Special Education Regulations
• NH Ed 1100 — New Hampshire Standards for Education of Children with Disabilities