Special Education Services & Supports

If your child is going to have a complete IEP, then you’ll need to be sure the specific Special Education Services & Supports your child needs are written into your child’s IEP.

To find the Special Education Services & Supports your child may need, write down your answers to these questions:

• What tools does your child NEED to make learning accessible?

• What therapies will help your child become more successful?

• Are there assistive technologies that will improve her learning or enhance access to learning?

• Has your child had an “Assistive Technology Evaluation”?

• Does your child require a special teaching method which requires teacher training?

• What tools does your child use at home that help her?

You may also want to visit the Learning Abled Kids’ Assistive Technology for Reading, Writing, and Math site to find special education services or aids that will help your child.

Your child may require specialized devices at home or other settings. IDEA §300.308(b) says, “On a case-by-case basis, the use of school-purchased assistive technology devices in a child’s home or in other settings is required if the child’s IEP team determines that the child needs access to those devices in order to receive FAPE.”

A school may provide separate items for home and school usage. They may also elect to let your child’s special education services & supports go back and forth between school and home. The devices must be provided if needed regardless of where they are used.

It is advisable for your IEP team to make notes about whether provided devices or aids will travel to and from home as needed, or if separate items will be provided for home and school use. If a child has executive functioning deficits or ADHD, it is often helpful to have separate items so your child won’t forget them.

Writing needed Special Education Services & Supports into your child’s IEP is relatively straight forward. Most often, these are listed in the IEP as devices, aids, or specialized services needed by your child. Additional information can be included in the IEP regarding when and how the services are used.

Special Education Services Quiz Question

When listing supplemental supports and services in an IEP, what limitations are there?
They must support academic activities.
They must be of reasonable cost.
There are no specific limitations.
They must be essential, not merely of benefit.

Answer: The Special Education Services & Supports should support your child’s FAPE (Free Appropriate Education).

—