How can communication services, including AAC devices, be documented as “educationally necessary”?
Devices and services are deemed educationally necessary when they allow the child to benefit from a free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act specifies that special education services should enable students to access, participate in, and demonstrate progress with respect to the general education curriculum. It is hard to imagine a case in which a student would have equal access to the curriculum and the ability to participate and progress without benefit of an adequate means of spoken and/or written communication! Communication services can be represented on the IEP as special education, related services, or supplementary aids and services. Because assistive technology is one of the “special factors” that IEP teams must consider for all children, IEP teams are obliged to discuss communication devices and services when a child’s communication limitations are so significant that they impact the child’s access
