Related Services

School Nurse
TCSE school nurses provide many health related services that help to strengthen and assist the educational team in assessing and providing health related services to children. The school nurses contribute knowledge and expertise in regards to the medical needs to parents, children and staff members. The primary focus of the school health service is to provide nursing care to the children within the programs. In addition, the nurses provide health training, early prevention of illness and disability, health assessments and health referrals.

Social Work
The Social Workers serve as an integral part of the multi-disciplinary team. Primarily, they are responsible for the social-emotional needs of our children. They provide individual and group services as indicated on the student’s Individualized Education Plan. The Social Workers offer classroom groups on developing social skills. They are also responsible for completing a social history at times of evaluation and reevaluations. Social Workers provide crisis intervention, reporting child abuse, critical incidence debriefing, as well as mediation, teaching tolerance, and drug and alcohol awareness and abuse. They are responsible for assisting with behavior management in the classroom and collaborating with community agencies for resources for our families.

Assistive Technology
TCSE provides on-going consultation to classroom staff/related service personnel on appropriate technology (both high and low) to be used throughout the day to enhance overall learning. TCSE offers resources and training on the use of devices and software with our staff, our families, and our districts. We keep inventory of our hardware, software, and assistive technology devices and maintain a resource library.

Speech-Language Therapy
TCSE Speech Language Pathologists are responsible for meeting the communication needs of students as indicated on the Individual Education Plan(IEP). Speech language pathologists’ roles and responsibilities include prevention, identification, evaluation and intervention of communication disorders including: speech (articulation/phonology, voice, fluency), communication, language, hearing and swallowing.     

Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy provides special assistance to eligible students so that he/she may overcome physical, sensory, and motor deficits that are interfering with their educational progress. Occupational therapy services are designed to help a student develop the underlying skills necessary for learning and the performance of specific tasks. Therapy also provides special equipment and adapted academic material to help a student function as independently as possible in an educational setting.     

Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy provides services for students with developmental delays, physical disabilities, motor deficits, and/ or movement dysfunctions which may interfere with their functioning and safety in the educational setting. Physical Therapy services are used to improve mobility, motor functions, control postural deviations and facilitate gross motor development. In addition, therapy works toward strengthening muscles, minimizing the disability and adapting equipment to facilitate optimal performance given the student’s capabilities.

General Principles governing Therapy in the Schools

School-based therapy

  • addresses needs that impact on the student’s educational performance
  • enhances the student’s ability to access his or her curriculum
  • addresses educational needs
  • is not based on medical need
  • must be an integrated part of the curriculum
  • should be integrated into the classroom or other natural setting as appropriate, such as PE, art, or recess
  • improves the student’s potential for successfully achieving classroom goals and objectives

Therapy may be provided through

  • consultation with parents and appropriate school personnel
  • periodic monitoring of program needs and developmental progress
  • recommendations for adaptive equipment or compensatory strategies for successful functioning
  • within the school environment
  • training of personnel working directly with the student
  • direct services by a therapist

*any combination of the above

The frequency and duration of therapy is recommended by the IEP team to enable the student to achieve their IEP goals and objectives.

Service Delivery Model
Tri-County speech, occupational and physical therapists are implementing IEP services utilizing a 3:1 service delivery model to provide a higher quality of service to your child and his/her teachers through increased integration of goals with classroom curriculum. Students will continue to receive services in accordance with his/her IEP. Implementation of this integrated therapy model will be beneficial to students and teachers because it will allow the therapists to increase their effectiveness in the following ways:

  • Observe your child in the classroom and collaborate with general and special education teachers about curriculum content and student expectations
  • Prepare for sessions, with goals of classroom teachers and benchmarks in mind
  • Attend to referrals and evaluations in a timely manner
  • Complete make-up sessions if needed
  • Support the District’s goals of site-based management through greater integration and partnership with classroom content and teachers

Students receive direct services as indicated by his/her IEP in three week intervals. This service delivery model allows increased consultation and collaboration with teachers and other special education staff to further assist your child in achievement of IEP goals. The classroom staff are incorporating physical, speech and occupational therapy objectives within daily classroom activities.

Tri-County speech, occupational and physical therapists provide direct services for three weeks, and use the fourth week each month for a variety of indirect services on behalf of, or in support of, the students on their caseload. These indirect services include consultation, observation, assessments, modifications/accommodation, trainings and therapy preparation. The amount of time each student receives during the indirect week is determined by student and/or program needs.

We are excited to improve the quality of therapy services within Tri-County Special Education by utilizing a progressive service delivery model that encompasses best practice recommendations among all therapy services provided in the school setting

Related Services (per Illinois School Code)

Section 226.310 Related Services
Each school district shall ensure that related services (defined in 34 CFR 300.34) are provided if necessary to assist an eligible child in benefiting from his or her special education.
(Source: Amended at 31 Ill. Reg. 9915, effective June 28, 2007

Each of our member districts provides appropriate related services to students with special needs as linked to the goals and objectives on the Individualized Education Plan.  The IEP team in a collaborative effort makes the decision for evaluation in these areas and then for the determination of services.

Services may be delivered to the student in either a consultation or direct manner.  Goals and objectives of the service must directly relate to those written to address the student’s disability.
Following is a list of possible related services:

  • Adapted PE
  • Aide – Class
  • Aide – Individual student
  • Art therapy
  • Audiology
  • Brailist/Reader
  • Counseling Services
  • Consultant Services
  • Adapted Driver Education (student must be at least 15)
  • Interpreter Services
  • Assistive Device
  • Music Therapy
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Outdoor Education
  • Orientation and Mobility
  • Other Related Services
  • Parent Counseling
  • Psychological Services
  • Physical Therapy
  • Psychiatric Services
  • Recreation
  • School Health Services
  • Speech/Language Services
  • Social Work Services
  • Special Transportation
  • Career and Technical Education
  • Transition/STEP by Division of Rehab. Service
  • Behavior Plan
  • Competitive Employment
  • Travel Training
  • Acquisition of Daily Living Skills
  • Supported Employment
  • Supports for Transition to Post-secondary Education
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