Congratulations! You've agreed to speech, physical, and/or occupational therapy in your child's IEP, and you feel happy that those developmental needs will be tended to as part of the school day. Maybe this means you don't have to find the time or money for therapy on the side, which is always a relief. Maybe plans have been laid out in that document to target specific weaknesses that you've been worried about.

Maybe you never realized that this help was available for your child, and you're thrilled to have put these supports in place. Without a doubt, school therapy can play a huge part i your child's progress and school success.

If it actually happens as specified.

You'd think that having hours and days and goals spelled out in a legal document means that your child will definitely get those hours and days and those goals will be pursued and met by someone qualified and available. And all too often, you'd be wrong. An IEP is many things, but it's not a magic wand that makes problems of personnel and overcrowding and scheduling disappear. Finding a person, place, and time for the therapy that a school is legally obligated to provide can be understandably difficult. And maybe the fact that they're hoping parents never figure that out is understandable too.

That means -- sorry to say it, Mom and Dad -- that therapy is yet another thing you're going to have to watch like a hawk. Schools may feel they can slight on it because children with special needs aren't likely to be good reporters about missed sessions.

 You'd probably know if your child’s teacher was out for a few months, but would you know if your child didn’t get that once- or twice-a-week therapy on a regular basis? Maybe eventually, but how many sessions will have been missed by then?

Since therapists may split their time among several schools, they're sometimes hard to contact. Still, it’s worth the effort to build a relationship with your child’s therapists, and also to let your child’s teacher know that it’s safe to tell you, in confidence, when things are not happening as they should. If there's a book the therapist uses to send home notes and assignments, ask if more than a week goes by with no input. Volunteer in your child's school and keep an ear open for gossip about therapists on leave or on strike or otherwise missing in action. Find out when therapy is scheduled and ask your child specifically on those days if she saw the therapist; though your child may not report unprompted, he probably knows when the routine was off.

The IEP is a legal document, and your child is entitled to the services listed there. If the school does not provide them, you can get reimbursed for private therapy or have the services made up. This is one area where you definitely can’t assume that if you don’t hear anything, everything’s OK. Just as likely, if you don’t hear anything, it’s because nothing is happening.