IEP Related Services in Pennsylvania

What related services can be included in an IEP in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania requires that the IEP include a statement of each related service needed to assist the child in benefiting from special education, specifying the frequency, location, and duration of each service (34 CFR §300.320(a)(4); 22 Pa. Code §14.131). Related services are defined under 34 CFR §300.34 as transportation and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education; Pennsylvania incorporates this federal definition by reference through 22 Pa. Code §14.103. The list of related services includes speech-language pathology, audiology, interpreting services, psychological services, physical therapy, occupational therapy, recreation (including therapeutic recreation), counseling services (including rehabilitation counseling), orientation and mobility services, medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes, school health and school nurse services, social work services in schools, and parent counseling and training (34 CFR §300.34(a)). Pennsylvania's 29 Intermediate Units (IUs) play a significant role in providing related services, particularly to smaller school districts that may not have full-time specialists on staff. The IEP must specify the projected date for the beginning of services, the anticipated frequency, location, and duration, along with the anticipated modification date (34 CFR §300.320(a)(7)). Pennsylvania also mandates consideration of Extended School Year (ESY) services at each IEP meeting under 22 Pa. Code §14.132. The IEP team must consider seven factors when determining ESY eligibility: regression risk (measurable skill decline during breaks), recoupment capacity (ability to recover lost skills), maintenance likelihood (sustaining IEP-relevant skills), skill consolidation (mastery level when programming interrupts), independence goals (importance for self-sufficiency), learning withdrawal patterns (disengagement after repeated breaks), and severity of disability including autism, serious emotional disturbance, severe intellectual disability, degenerative conditions, and severe multiple disabilities (22 Pa. Code §14.132). No single factor is determinative. ESY decisions cannot be based on desire for daycare, respite care, or summer recreation programs (22 Pa. Code §14.132). For students with severe disabilities, expedited ESY timelines apply: the annual review meeting must occur by February 28 and placement notice must be issued by March 31 (22 Pa. Code §14.132).