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The Unique Role of Related Service Providers

Presented by Mary Jane Rapport and Amy Barr

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What are related services, and who provides these services to students with disabilities in schools? This course will define related service and describe how related service providers help a child with a disability benefit from their special education program. This course will assist all school personnel, including teachers, administrators, and support staff, by covering topics that address who related service providers are and what their roles are in supporting students. In addition, some guidance around how many people from different disciplines and backgrounds can come together to work collaboratively on behalf of the student is included. Implementation of related services will be the focus of the course.

Meet your instructors

Mary Jane Rapport

Mary Jane Rapport, PT, DPT, PhD, FAPTA, is a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Dr. Rapport is a professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Department of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine at the University of Colorado, where she is core faculty…

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Amy Barr

Amy Barr, PT, DPT is a practicing school-based therapist and the Physical Therapy Coordinator for a large school district located in the suburban Denver area. She has 20 years of experience working with adults and children and has spent the last 14 years serving preschool through transition age students in a school setting.…

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Chapters & learning objectives

Defining Related Services

1. Defining Related Services

This chapter will lay the foundation for the course by defining and explaining related services. Beginning with the definition from federal regulations, the chapter will continue by providing additional context to the role of related services as part of special education.

Providing Related Services to Students

2. Providing Related Services to Students

This chapter will build off of Chapter 1 by describing how related service providers make decisions from the perspective of their own disciplines but then come together as a team to support a student’s special education program through the IEP.

Teamwork and Collaboration

3. Teamwork and Collaboration

This chapter will address more specific components of teamwork and provide examples of how to facilitate interaction and communication among related service providers to collaborate on IEP goals and meet the needs of the student. This chapter also focuses on the support that school administrators can provide to related service providers and ideas for assessing their performance.