Do Your Child’s Supplementary Aids and Services Actually Match Their Needs?

By Frances Shefter, Esq. (and mom)

Parent’s Guide to Reading an IEP Series:

Part 1: Present Levels
Part 2: Annual Goals
Part 3: Accommodations
Part 4: Supplementary Aids and Services (Current )
Part 5: Special Education and Related Services
Part 6: Progress Reports – Coming Soon.
Parts 7 and 8: Coming Soon.

Part 4 of the Parent’s Guide to Reading an IEP

Over the past several weeks, we’ve been working through your child’s IEP one section at a time.

In Part 1, we talked about the Present Levels and why they are the foundation of the IEP. In Part 2, we looked at annual goals and discussed how they should directly address the needs identified in the Present Levels. Last week, we talked about accommodations and how they remove barriers so your child can access instruction and demonstrate what they know.

This week, we’re moving on to another section that I think is often overlooked but can make a tremendous difference in your child’s day-to-day success at school: Supplementary Aids and Services.

Parents often hear accommodations and supplementary aids discussed together, but they serve different purposes. Accommodations generally remove barriers so a student can access instruction or demonstrate what they know. Supplementary aids and services, on the other hand, are the supports and strategies that teachers and staff use throughout the school day to help your child be successful. These are often the things educators are doing behind the scenes and in the classroom to support your child’s learning.

Like every other section of the IEP, supplementary aids and services should connect directly back to your child’s Present Levels. If the Present Levels describe executive functioning challenges, I expect to see supports that help with organization, planning, and completing work independently. If they describe attention difficulties, I expect to see supports that help your child stay engaged during instruction. Every support should have a purpose, and that purpose should be easy to identify.

One of the Biggest Mistakes I See

One of the biggest mistakes I see isn’t necessarily that the supplementary aid is wrong. More often, it’s that the Clarify Location and Manner section doesn’t provide enough information for the support to be implemented consistently.

Many IEPs list an appropriate supplementary aid, but then the Clarify Location and Manner section simply says something like:

Across all settings.

That doesn’t really tell anyone what they are supposed to do.

When I review draft IEPs, I spend just as much time reading the Clarify Location and Manner section as I do reading the list of supplementary aids. In many ways, this section is more important because it explains how the support will actually be implemented.

If you have ever been in an IEP meeting with me, you have most likely heard me say, “If we all win the lottery and move tomorrow, would the new team know exactly what to do.”

If the answer is no, the IEP probably needs more detail.

The Clarify Location and Manner Section Should Answer the Important Questions

A well-written Clarify Location and Manner section should explain more than just where a support will be used. It should paint a clear picture of what the support actually looks like in practice.

As I’m reading this section, I’m looking for answers to questions like:

What exactly will the teacher or staff member do?

When will the support be provided?

Where will it be provided?

How will it be implemented?

Is it provided throughout the school day or only during certain activities?

If I can’t answer those questions after reading the IEP, I know we probably need more information.

Here’s What I Mean

One example I see quite often is a supplementary aid that simply says:

Provide teacher notes.

That’s a perfectly appropriate supplementary aid for many students. The problem is that, by itself, it doesn’t tell anyone how it should be implemented.

The Clarify Location and Manner section often says something like:

Student requires teacher notes across all settings.

A much stronger Clarify Location and Manner section might say:

Teacher notes will be provided before all lessons where students are expected to take notes. Guided notes may be used when appropriate.

Now everyone understands what is expected. The teacher knows when to provide the notes. Parents know what should be happening. Most importantly, your child is much more likely to receive the support consistently.

Another Example

Another supplementary aid I frequently see is:

Preferential seating.

The Clarify Location and Manner section often says something like:

Near the teacher.

Away from distractions.

That may be enough in some situations, but I often encourage teams to think about the student’s age and individual needs.

For younger students, I generally prefer the language to be more specific. For example:

Student will be seated near an adult, away from the classroom door and other high-traffic areas, where the teacher can easily monitor attention and provide support when needed.

That gives every teacher clear guidance about how to implement the support.

For older students, however, I often recommend building in a little flexibility and self-advocacy. Classroom dynamics change from semester to semester, and older students should have some input into what works best for them.

In those situations, I often recommend language such as:

Seating will be determined collaboratively by the student and teacher at the beginning of each semester based on the student’s learning needs and the classroom environment.

That still provides meaningful guidance while recognizing that students become more independent as they get older.

This Isn’t About Writing Longer IEPs

One thing I tell parents all the time is that I’m not asking schools to write longer IEPs, or for teachers to do more work.

I’m asking them to write clearer IEPs, which actually helps all teachers and requires less work on a daily basis.

The goal isn’t to add more pages. The goal is to make sure that everyone reading the IEP understands exactly what each support looks like and how it should be implemented.

That level of clarity benefits everyone—teachers, service providers, parents, and most importantly, your child.

Red Flags I Look For

Over the years, I’ve started to notice the same issues appearing over and over again. I become concerned when the supplementary aids don’t clearly connect to the Present Levels or when the Clarify Location and Manner section uses vague language that leaves too much room for interpretation. I also look for supports that have been copied from year to year without any discussion about whether they are still appropriate.

Another red flag is when different teachers could reasonably read the same IEP and implement the support in completely different ways. If that can happen, the language probably isn’t specific enough. While some subjects might implement supports slightly differently, it should still be in the same general manner and explain the why.

Questions to Ask During the IEP Meeting

If you’re reviewing a draft IEP and something doesn’t seem clear, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Some of my favorite questions include:

Can you explain what this support actually looks like during the school day?

Can we make the Clarify Location and Manner section more specific?

Who is responsible for providing this support?

How often will my child receive it?

How will we know whether it’s helping?

Those questions often lead to meaningful conversations and much stronger IEP language.

Data Detective 🔎

Let’s practice.

The supplementary aid says:

Monitor independent work.

The Clarify Location and Manner section says:

Across all settings.

Can you spot the problem?

I still don’t know what the teacher is supposed to do.

Does the teacher check in every few minutes? Review directions before independent work begins? Watch for signs of frustration? Help the student get started if they become stuck? This is different for every student. The teachers need to know what they need to do specifically for your child.

The support itself may be exactly what the student needs. The problem is that the Clarify Location and Manner section doesn’t explain how it should be implemented.

That’s the piece I would ask the IEP team to clarify.

How Shefter Law Can Help

One of the things parents tell me after we review a draft IEP together is, “I didn’t even know I could ask those questions.”

You absolutely can.

At Shefter Law, we don’t just look at whether the right supplementary aids are listed. We also look at whether they are written clearly enough to be implemented consistently. We review the entire IEP to identify vague language, missing details, and opportunities to make the document more individualized. We can help you prepare for the meeting, prioritize your concerns, or attend the meeting with you so you don’t have to navigate the process alone.

Sometimes having another experienced set of eyes on the draft IEP makes all the difference.

Book a Free Case Analysis with us here.

Final Thoughts

Supplementary aids and services are much more than a list of classroom supports. They are the blueprint for how teachers and staff will support your child throughout the school day.

As you review your child’s next draft IEP, don’t stop after reading the list of supplementary aids. Spend just as much time reviewing the Clarify Location and Manner section.

Ask yourself one simple question:

If a brand-new teacher read this IEP tomorrow, would they know exactly what to do?

If the answer is no, it’s okay to ask the IEP team to make the language more specific.

Because when the expectations are clear, implementation is more consistent. And when implementation is more consistent, your child has a better opportunity to make meaningful progress.

Coming Next Week…

In Part 5 of the Parent’s Guide to Reading an IEP, we’ll discuss one of the questions I hear most often:

How Much Special Education Does Your Child Actually Need?

We’ll walk through service hours, frequency, duration, and location, and discuss how to evaluate whether your child’s services are reasonably calculated to help them make meaningful educational progress.