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Physical therapy is easy to overlook because the missing sessions often do not show up on a report card. The cost shows up somewhere else: on the stairs, in the gym, at recess, in the walk to the bathroom. If PT is on your child's IEP and it has stopped, or never began, this page walks through what PT is supposed to do, who is responsible for finding a therapist, and how to build a record of the gap.
What PT is supposed to give your child
The NYC Public Schools describe physical therapy as a related service that gives students independence in classrooms, the gym, the playground, bathrooms, hallways and staircases. They list four skills a therapist works on:
- gross motor control, meaning control of large-muscle movement
- ambulation, meaning getting from place to place
- balance
- coordination
Think about where your child struggles physically during a school day. Those places are a good way to describe what the lost sessions have cost, in your own words, when you write to the school.
Signs the sessions are not happening
Children rarely announce that a therapist stopped coming. Some clues parents notice:
- your child cannot name the PT, or names someone who left months ago
- no progress notes on motor goals arrive with report cards
- a new skill you were told to expect, like managing stairs alone, never appears
- the school says PT is "being arranged" week after week
Who finds the therapist
The DOE says it assigns providers in a set order it calls a cascade. For a child in public school, grades K to 12, the first choice is a DOE therapist already assigned to the school. If none is available, it looks to contracted agencies. If there is still no provider, it gives the family a voucher called an RSA, or Related Service Agreement, so you can find an independent provider. For preschool and non-public school students, the DOE says it starts with contracted agencies and then moves to an independent provider or RSA. Our page on the RSA voucher and the one on finding a provider with an RSA explain that step.
If therapy happens somewhere else
Sometimes the only available PT is off site. The DOE says families may be reimbursed for transporting a child to related services when transportation is required and services could not be arranged at school or home. For K to 12 students, this applies when the child also cannot use the DOE-issued MetroCard to get there. If you cannot pay for transport, the DOE says it will issue a MetroCard or make other arrangements. It also says that sending a reimbursement form does not mean it will be paid.
Home activities help, but they are not the service
The DOE publishes a list of physical therapy activities for families, like hopscotch, animal walks, bean bag toss and, for students in wheelchairs, seated Zumba and obstacle courses. These are good ways to keep a child moving. They do not replace sessions with a licensed therapist that the IEP requires.
Keep your own count
Write down the weekly PT on the IEP, the date sessions stopped, and every message you sent. Our guide to documenting missed services and the free printable log make this simple. When required services were not provided, a hearing or a settlement can sometimes award compensatory services, such as make-up PT. No one can promise that result. A clear record is what makes the question worth asking.
If your child has gone weeks or months without what the IEP promises, you can ask for a free callback. We explain what families in your situation usually do and, where it fits, connect you with help. There is no cost to you, now or later.
Last reviewed: October 2026
