The related service therapies provided by the DoE, which must be specified on a student’s IESP (Individualized Education Services Program), include:

Speech and Language Therapy 
Speech and Language therapists assist students in accessing and acquiring the necessary speech and language skills contained in the curriculum by:

• supporting acquisition of the skills that directly impact literacy development such as phonological skills, syntax, vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, sound awareness, and storytelling;
• addressing deficits in the areas of speech which impact academic achievement such as articulation, voice quality and volume, fluency, and stuttering; and
• promoting pragmatics and social language skills.

Occupational Therapy (OT)
Occupational Therapists help strengthen a student’s fine motor skills, visual motor processing, and sensory processing in order to improve a student’s participation in all educational activities. This includes:

• management of classroom tools or materials: Coordination of hands and fingers to manipulate small items, adequate pencil control, use of classroom tools (e.g., scissor skills, tape dispenser);
• visual-motor processing: drawing, coloring, illustrating written work, keeping pace with classroom writing demands, legible handwriting, copying with accuracy (near and far point), eye motor control during reading and writing; and
• sensory processing: ability to regulate level of activity and alertness for learning readiness, ability to maintain personal space boundaries, ability to respond appropriately to sensory input (e.g., touch, sound).

Physical Therapy (PT)
Physical therapists use activities to improve a child's gross motor development, ambulation, balance, and coordination in various settings. For example:

• the ability to access various areas of the school via walking, wheelchair, or other means of mobility;
• the ability to participate physically and maneuver within the classroom environment; and
• accessing (and participating in) the lunchroom, playground, bathroom, transportation, etc.

Counseling 
Counseling is provided by a licensed mental health professional such as a psychologist, social worker, or mental health counselor. Counseling, which can be provided either individually or in a small group, is designed to improve social and emotional functioning in the areas of appropriate school behavior, discipline, self-­ control, and conflict resolution. Counseling is appropriate for a child experiencing difficulty interacting appropriately with adults or peers, is displaying withdrawal, acting out behaviors, low self-esteem, or poor coping skills that significantly interfere with learning. Appropriate strategies which a counselor may teach a student are shared with teachers, so that they can be generalized throughout the day. In addition, there is on-going communication between counselors and YHT’s school psychologists.