How therapists use an IEP to support students with special needs.

As a related service provider or behavioral health therapist, your contribution to a student’s individualized education program (IEP) is critical to helping that student achieve education goals.

If you’re new to school-based therapy, understanding how IEPs work and your role in making sure that therapies are provided and documented is part of the job—an essential one!

Key takeaways.

• • IEPs are a federally mandated document that provides a roadmap for student success by outlining a student's unique needs, goals, services, and supports.
  • From evaluating student needs to recommending services, your clinical expertise helps develop and implement meaningful IEP goals.
  • Collaboration with an IEP team creates a holistic approach that supports the whole child and adapts as needs change.

What is an IEP and why is it important?

An IEP is a tool that details the educational goals and supports a student in special education will receive to learn and thrive in the classroom. This legally required document is like a roadmap, creating one coordinated multidisciplinary plan that combines the goals and expertise of an entire IEP team.

With a focus on the whole child, IEPs are based on collaboration. Each discipline evaluates the student and gives input on how to help the student achieve intended goals. The IEP directs your therapy plan, ensuring your services align with the student’s needs and desired outcomes.

At Kelly Pediatric Therapy, we take our roles very seriously. Our team has seen habits form where an OT writes their part, speech writes their part, and PT has their own goals. We believe strongly that it should be a multidisciplinary document that is a holistic way of viewing the child toward a collective goal.

How to collaborate as part of the IEP team.

Although each discipline makes its own contribution, an IEP is meant to provide a holistic view of the child. That’s why the IEP team is often comprised the following core members:

• Parents or guardians
• Related service providers (i.e., OT, SLP, and physical therapist [PT])
• Behavioral health therapist
• Special education teacher
• General education teacher
• School psychologist
• Case manager
• School district representative
• Student (Students can be included on the team at age 16.)

The therapist’s role in the IEP process.

As a therapist, your input helps shape the goals, services, and strategies that support student progress to access their education.

While details will vary based on your clinical specialty, here’s how you’ll generally create and use an IEP:

• Evaluate functional needs: You’ll use assessments to understand how a student’s strengths and challenges impact learning and daily school activities.
• Collaborate on IEP goals: You’ll work with a team to develop goals that address the student’s unique needs.
• Inform service recommendations: You’ll use your expertise to help determine appropriate therapy supports and interventions.
• Implement evidence-based strategies: You’ll provide targeted therapy to develop the skills the student may need for classroom success.
• Recommend accommodations and modifications: You’ll adapt tools, routines, and environments to remove any barriers.
• Review and adjust interventions: You’ll analyze progress data and modify strategies when necessary.

Of course, putting this into practice can look different depending on your specialty. For example, as an occupational therapist (OT), you might evaluate the student’s fine motor skills, sensory needs, and ability to participate in classroom activities. This information would contribute to recommendations, goals, and interventions in the student’s IEP.

For a speech-language pathologist (SLP), you’ll evaluate students' communication and speech skills, identify the need for intervention, and develop goals around improved language, vocabulary, self-esteem, socialization, reading/writing comprehension, and more.

Once everyone has added input, you’ll meet with the team to go over the document and discuss observations. These meetings provide a space to understand the team’s goal for a student and how your services will contribute to success.

Tracking progress and adjusting IEP interventions.

Tracking outcomes allows the team to adjust strategies and ensure services continue to meet the student’s evolving needs. There are several types of meetings that can happen:

• Annual IEP meeting:
  At the very least, all team members meet once a year to review and update the student’s IEP goals and services.
• Progress report meetings:
  Therapists submit formal progress reports alongside school report cards, either quarterly or each trimester, depending on the school’s schedule.
• Informal collaboration:
  Therapists regularly communicate with case managers, teachers, and other support staff as often as needed—sometimes daily or weekly—to meet student needs.
• Parent communication:
  Level and frequency of therapist-parent communication varies, from weekly updates or session notes to just the annual IEP meeting, depending on family preferences.
• Ongoing support:
  Frequent, informal check-ins among therapists, teachers, and staff happen naturally within the school environment to ensure students receive consistent support.

At Kelly Pediatric Therapy, we also have a proprietary billing system that tracks outcomes in fulfillment of the IEP. Our providers find the technology to be a helpful tracking tool. They also appreciate a CEU that we offer about writing legally-compliant IEP programs and notes.

IEP vs. 504 Plan: What’s the difference?

We often get this question from new school-based therapists, Students typically have a 504 Plan or IEP. The IEP is for students in special education who need supports to be able to access the curriculum.

The 504 plan is more for students who may have a disability, but it's not impacting them cognitively. Many times, a 504 is initiated by a pediatrician or medical practitioner.

A good example might be somebody who has cerebral palsy, and they're in a wheelchair, but cognitively intact. They can do all the work and access curriculum, but they have some physical disabilities. They need accommodation to use the elevator or other accommodations.

• This doesn't require testing by the school, like an IEP.

• It does require documentation to support the claim.

• The 504 is typically managed by the school counselor.

• Often, there is a meeting every year to review with the parents, but you don't have the same strict progress guidelines as a federally mandated IEP.

Many students with ADHD might have a 504 versus an IEP because they might need some accommodations for extra time test taking or breaks throughout their day, but they're still able to access their learning and their curriculum.

Grow your career with Kelly Pediatric Therapy.

At Kelly Pediatric Therapy, our mission is to support dedicated therapists like you, so you can make a difference for children and families in our schools, clinics, and communities. We offer resources, mentorship, and real opportunities for career growth—plus a true work-life balance. Learn more about all the ways we support our therapists. 

Explore our PT, OT, SLP, and behavioral health opportunities in schools across the country.