Who is supposed to teach your child?

Read your child’s IEP carefully. Who is supposed to be teaching your child Speech, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Orientation and Mobility, Adaptive Physical Education, etc.? Does it say in their IEP that speech language services will be provided by a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)? If so, that individual is supposed to be teaching your child, not SLP/Staff which could mean your child is being taught by an untrained, unlicensed individual.

Some administrators encourage IEP teams to write “Special Education Staff,” “SPED staff, or “SLP/Staff” as the speech therapy provider on the child’s IEP. The term “Staff” may refer to anyone on the staff who is willing to do speech therapy — including untrained substitutes, aides and paraprofessionals. wrightslaw.com

If your child has in their IEP that a Speech Language Pathologist will provide services for your child, then that individual is the one that is supposed to teach your child. Make sure whom ever the IEP states that is providing services to your child, that person is doing it.

How the special education service is being provided to your child is important. If your child is receiving any special education services, be sure the IEP states the service will be provided by a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), Occupational Therapist (OT), Physical Therapist (PT), Orientation & Mobility Specialist (O & M Specialist), Certified Adaptive Physical Educator (CAPE) or Adaptive Physical Education Specialist (APE Specialist), etc. Otherwise your child might have someone who is not trained to teach special education children nor are they qualified to do so.