It is important for special education teachers to know who their local and state resources are. The special educator/case manager will work with outside agencies, service providers and disability organizations to support students and their families. Educators need to partner with school and outside resources early on, to ensure the student is prepared to transition to post-secondary, community life, education, and careers.

Families often don’t know who to turn to for help in learning more about their child’s disability. The special educator also needs to support families by providing them with disability related information and organizations and resources in the community to benefit their children. 

Please use an address format for the local, state and national organizations.

Note the address format with hot links and phone numbers. If you reside in another state, research your state and local resources. Include disability specific organizations.

Web-based resources

Include informative websites that are not just “organizations”. What service providers will your students need currently and looking forward to post secondary resources, for optimal access to independent living?

For Example 

LD online offers hundreds of expert-reviewed articles and resources for educators, parents, and others concerned about children and adults with learning disabilities and ADHD. http://www.ldonline.org/

National Center for Learning Disabilities – a comprehensive resource for educators and parents. Includes an Action Center and Reports and Studies, full of downloadable  current research, reports and videos. https://www.ncld.org/

Teaching LD.  Information and resources for teaching students with learning disabilities published by the Council for Exceptional Children. Start with the Basics of LD. and  be sure to explore the Resources which includes Current Practice Alerts and video Voices from the Field http://teachingld.org/

Related Service Providers

Let’s start with IDEA’s full requirement for specifying a child’s related services in his or her IEP. This appears at §300.320(a)(4) and stipulates that each child’s IEP must contain:

(4) A statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services, based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable, to be provided to the child, or on behalf of the child, and a statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided to enable the child—

(i) To advance appropriately toward attaining the annual goals;

(ii) To be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum in accordance with paragraph (a)(1) of this section, and to participate in extracurricular and other nonacademic activities; and

(iii) To be educated and participate with other children with disabilities and nondisabled children in the activities described in this section… [§300.320(a)(4)]

We’ve bolded the part of IDEA’s regulation that specifically mentions related services, because it’s important to see the context in which this term is used. It is that context, and IDEA’s own definition of related services, that will guide how a child’s IEP team considers what related services the child needs and the detail with which the team specifies them in the IEP.

Related services may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:

• Speech-language pathology and audiology services
• Interpreting services
• Psychological services
• Physical and occupational therapy
• Recreation, including therapeutic recreation
• Counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling
• Orientation and mobility services
• Medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes
• School health services and school nurse services
• Social work services in schools

IDEA requires that a child be assessed in all areas related to his or her suspected disability. This evaluation must be sufficiently comprehensive so as to identify all of the child’s special education and related services needs, whether or not those needs are commonly linked to the disability category in which he or she has been classified.

(Center for Parent Information & Resources, 2017)

If you are having difficulty finding Related Service Providers within the readings, you can use the following resources to help you identify what Related Services Providers would likely supports students with X disability, based on their needs.

Wrightslaw, (n.d.) Related Services- A Closer Look. Retrieved from https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/relsvcs.indepth.htm#top

Read: Lombardi, P, (2020). The Roles and Responsibilities of the Special Educator. Related Services: Supports for Students with Disabilities. https://granite.pressbooks.pub/edu606-701/chapter/related-service-providers/ 

Knowledge in this area is addressed frequently in the Special Education Teacher Competentices (NH)

1d.  Understand the functions of schools, school systems, and other agencies and their relationships to general and special education;

3d. Identify levels of special education services, supplementary aids and services and support for school personnel to create inclusive instructional opportunities that accommodate diverse learning needs

6b. Incorporate supports, services, and supplementary aids, including equipment, materials, and assistive technology, across all environments

8a.  Identify organizations and publications relevant to students with disabilities;

8b. Identify sources of unique services, networks, and organizations for students with disabilities.

9c. Collaborate, communicate, and coordinate with professionals and state and local agencies within the community to identify and access services, resources, and supports to meet the identified needs of individuals with disabilities and their families.

9d. Advocate and/or secure appropriate services for students with disabilities.

Image

Magnifying  computer graphic- Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

updated 6.13.23