IEP: Supports vs Services

Now that school is in full swing, if you have a child with an IEP or 504 plan you may be meeting to discuss additional accommodations being added. But what is the difference between Supports and Services? Because there certainly is one, but these terms seem to be interchanged frequently which can have an impact on your child’s education.

Supports

A support changes how and what a child learns; modifying the curriculum to help your child succeed in school. This may mean that the supports are assisting your child in meeting the same goals as their peers or making their own progress in their own time. The supports that are put into place are individualized to each student to meet their individual goals; these include accommodations, and modifications of the original tasks presented to the class.

Examples:

Having additional time to complete tasks

Completing tests in a separate environment

Having breaks through out the day (scheduled or unscheduled)

Completing fewer items on a task

Having class notes written for the child

Having written assignments read to them

Being able to type assignments rather than write them

Services 

A service is just that, a service that is provided directly to the student; these are often Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, School Based Mental Health Therapy or Assistive Technology. These services are provided by trained professionals specializing in the service they are providing.

Additional examples:

School health services for medical needs

Text-to-speech technology

Audio books

Adaptive tools: slant boards, pencil gripper, wiggle chairs, weighted or compression vests, head phones

It should be noted that some services and supports may need a professional opinion and approval to provide “proof” of the need. So, preparing that before an upcoming IEP would be beneficial. It should also be noted that no matter how small or inconsequential a service or support may seem, it is always good to have it written into the IEP rather than school staff saying that they’re just going to do it. This way, if there are any concerns that come up, everyone can look back at the IEP and ensure that all accommodations are being utilized to support the child.

Remember, as a parent you have the right to request an IEP meeting to discuss your the progress or accommodations with your child’s team at any time; though it may take a while to schedule something with everyone on the team depending on how many services and supports your child is receiving. Just be sure to make requests in writing, rather than a phone call; everyone is human and sometimes those kinds of request can slip through the cracks.