Reduction in school individualized education program (IEP) services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Belinda Chen, Patrick Rasmussen, Mallory Legg and 21 others
PMID 36225267WHAT IT FOUND
Nearly half of students with Individualized Education Programs experienced reduced service frequency during the pandemic.
Unmet needs were highest for occupational and physical therapy. Clinicians should ask families about service gaps to support advocacy for compensatory education.
Key findings
01Service provision was reduced for 48% of patients with IEPs, while 29% maintained the same level and 6% saw an increase.
02Occupational therapy and physical therapy services had the highest rates of unmet need among those receiving services, at 47% and 46% respectively.
03Parents identified optional sessions, timing conflicts, and child refusal as the most significant barriers to remote learning, rather than lack of internet or devices.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The survey was limited to English-speaking families, which may exclude perspectives from non-English speaking households. The study did not account for variations in how different local education agencies delivered instruction (in-person, virtual, or hybrid), so results reflect a mix of local policies. Data collection occurred only between June and December 2020, so it does not reflect service changes in the second year of the pandemic. The study did not inquire about the child's primary disability or how it correlated with the tertiary care center's diagnoses. The response rate was 34%, which may introduce selection bias if families with greater service disruptions were more or less likely to respond.
Declared interests
The project received IRB acknowledgement. No specific funding sources or commercial conflicts of interest were reported in the text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high rates of unmet service need as evidence that schools intentionally withheld services. The study highlights barriers like child refusal and timing conflicts, and notes that many accommodations were difficult to translate to remote settings, rather than proving negligence.