Including “Parental Training” In An IEP

If we learned one of many things from the closing of schools due to COVID, it was the difficulty of children receiving related services through distance learning. While some related services were possible, others, such as physical therapy, were not, simply because the therapist could not touch and move parts of the child. There was frustration on educators’ and parents’ parts, and understandably so.

Wouldn’t it have been nice if parents knew exactly how to help administer related services? If they’d had training? If they had, not only could they have followed instructions provided by the therapists online, but they could have applied many practices at home and reinforced the instruction that was being provided by the therapists and educators in the classroom.

Well, that can be done!

In fact, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has a reference that “parent training” can be part of the child’s IEP. Now this does not mean that parents are expected to be therapists but could have enough training to properly support the therapies provided in school.

Sec. 300.34 Related services (a) speaks to what related services are and, in part, in this sentence says:

“Related services also include school health services and school nurse services, social work services in schools, and parent counseling and training.”

What this means is that parents could be provided training in support of related services provided to their child.  IDEA does not define what that training is, because, as anything found in the IEP, it will depend on what the child requires as determined by the IEP team.

This will not resolve the provisions of all related services, as some will require direct contact or presence of the related service personnel. However, if parents had knowledge of what the therapist was providing, the manner in which the therapy was being provided, then the parent (guided by the therapist) might have been able to support the therapy at home.

“Parent training” is well worth consideration in the development of your child’s next IEP.

BOTTOM LINE: If you need assistance implementing the strategies and instruction used at school for your child at home, then you can request “parental training” be considered at your child’s next IEP meeting.