How can my child get therapy through their school, like PT, OT, or speech therapy?

If you would like your child to access therapies at school, those therapies need to be written into your child's IEP.

The first step is to ask for an assessment from the school district. Once the assessment is complete, you will meet with your IEP team to discuss the assessment results and what they indicate about your child's needs. You can share any prior evaluations or a report from your child's current therapist if your child already accesses therapy outside of school.

If the IEP team determines that your child would benefit from that therapy to access their education, it can be added to the IEP as a related service.

Note that school-based therapies are about being able to access the school environment and curriculum. Private therapies can cover more, which may be an option through your child's health insurance plan.