Related services can help a student participate in school and achieve his or her educational goals.
Your child’s IEP may recommend related services in the classroom, where related service providers can work with teachers, paraprofessionals, and other adults to support students; or your child’s IEP may recommend related services in other locations in the school. Your child’s IEP may recommend related services one-on-one or in a small group.
Finding an Independent Provider
Types of Related Services
The following related services may be offered to students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or Individualized Education Service Program (IESP). Work with your child's IEP team, CPSE, or CSE to determine which, if any, services are appropriate for your child.
Assistive Technology Services
Assistive Technology helps students use their school materials and allows them to communicate.
Counseling
Helps students improve their social, emotional, and coping skills. Goals may address appropriate school behavior and self-control, peer relationships, conflict resolution, and low self-esteem.
Hearing Education Services
Helps students who are deaf or hard of hearing improve their communication skills. Goals may focus on speech-reading (also known as lip-reading), auditory training, and language development
Occupational Therapy
Helps students develop eye and hand control and use information from the senses and attention to improve life skills such as eating, self-care, problem solving, and social skills.
Orientation and Mobility Services
Helps students with visual impairments improve their ability to be aware of and move safely in their environments.
Physical Therapy
Gives students independence in classrooms, the gym, the playground, bathrooms, hallways and staircases. Therapists will help students develop physical skills, such as:
- Gross motor control (large-muscle movement control);
- Ambulation (moving from place to place);
- Balance; and
- Coordination.
School Nurse Services
Helps students who have health-related needs stay safe and participate in school.
Sign Language Interpreter
Assigns a classroom sign language interpreter who provides access to academic and social interaction between teachers, staff and students.
Speech/Language Therapy
Helps students develop listening and speaking skills. Goals may address:
- Auditory processing (understanding and using the sounds of language)
- Phonological skills (organizing speech sounds)
- Comprehension (understanding language)
- Articulation (forming clear sounds in speech)
- Social language skills
Vision Education Services
Helps students who are blind or have visual impairments to use braille.
Assigning Providers
We find providers for students in a specific order (or “cascade”) to ensure that they are delivered in a timely manner. The way we provide them depends on what level of school your child is in:
Students in Preschool
- Our first step is to reach out to our contracted agencies for a provider.
- If there is no contract agency provider, we find an independent provider for your child.
Students in Public School Grades K-12
- Our first choice is a DOE therapist already assigned to your child’s school.
- If there is no DOE therapist available, we look to our contracted agencies for a provider.
- If there is no contract agency provider, we will give you a voucher, so you can find an independent provider.
- These vouchers are called RSAs (Related Service Agreements).
- SETSS vouchers are called P4s.
- Your school can help you identify an independent provider, or you can use our search tool to look for one yourself:
Find Out More
Students in Non-Public School Grades K-12
- Our first step is to reach out to our contracted agencies for a provider.
- If there is no contract agency provider, we will give you a voucher, so you can find an independent provider. Related Services vouchers are called RSAs (Related Service Agreements). SETSS vouchers are called P4s.
- Your CSE can help you identify an independent provider, or you can use our search tool to look for one yourself:
Find a K-12 Independent Provider
There are two ways for you to find an independent provider for your child--and both are available from our Finding an Independent Provider page:
- Review our independent provider lists.
- Use the search tool.
If you still can’t find a provider, contact your school or CSE, and they can help:
Related Services Transportation
You may be reimbursed for the cost of transporting your child to related services under the following circumstances:
Students in Preschool
When the services are provided at a site to which transportation is required, and we could not arrange for the services to be provided at home, the preschool or child care location.
Students in Grades K-12
When the services are provided at a site to which transportation is required, and we could not arrange for the services to be provided at school or home (and the student is not able to travel to and from the location of service using his/her DOE-issued three-trip MetroCard.)
Financial Hardship
If you cannot pay for transport, we will issue a MetroCard or make other arrangements.
Reimbursement
For related services transportation, students may be eligible to receive reimbursement for transportation paid for by their family, foster care agency, or shelter staff in instances that DOE busing was not available.
Submission of a Transportation Reimbursement Form does not guarantee reimbursement. The DOE reviews each submission and makes the final determination on reimbursement.
Review Transportation Reimbursement for Students Eligible for Curb-to-School Transportation before completing the web form above.