Indirect Services On Behalf of the Child
One of the cornerstones of flexible service delivery models is the provision of indirect services. In Ohio, under the Operating standards for Ohio's school serving children with disabilities, "speech language services" include the "provision of speech and language service for the habilitation or prevention of communication impairments and counseling and guidance of parents, children and teachers regarding speech and language impairments". Under these standards, preschool and school-age service providers have the ability to offer "indirect or direct services in one or any combination of instructional groupings, including large-group, small-group, individual instruction and/or parent training and consultation" based on the student's individual needs. Upon reviewing the Operating Standards, SLPs in Ohio's schools have the authority to offer a continuum of services, to include pullout therapy, collaborative consultation and classroom-based services whenever appropriate.
"On Behalf of the Child" is a concept that is intricately tied to the provision of indirect speech language services. Students with disabilities not only require direct services, but also require additional supportive services to help make progress toward goals and objectives and ensure that skills are generalized and maintained in other educational, nonacademic, and extracurricular environments (ASHA, 2000). "These activities are referred to as indirect services because they do not involve face-to-face contact with students, yet they are just as important to students' education programs as are face-to-face services" (ASHA, 2000, p.6). ASHA (2006) includes the design, maintenance, programming, and staff training for augmentative communication systems as vital indirect work activities necessary for students to learn to communicate across school and other environments. "Other required indirect activities include student-centered planning and collaboration with other teachers and professionals, designing curriculum and instructional modifications, serving on student planning teams, designing student service plans, collecting and analyzing student performance data, communicating and meeting with parents and nonpublic school staff, and planning for student transitions" (ASHA, 2002, p.6).
Indirect services that are "On Behalf of the Child" must be pursuant to the IEP and must be agreed upon and documented in "Services Section" of IEP. These services can be designed to enable the student to make progress toward IEP goals and objectives and/or maintain a classroom accommodation or modification.