PT service minutes and consult models at school
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
School PT consult is time the physical therapist spends with the student's teachers and aides, not directly with the student, so staff can carry out mobility, positioning and safety routines all week. It is written in the IEP as a service with its own minutes, such as 30 minutes per month, beside or instead of direct PT.
A student who uses a gait trainer moves for about 6 hours a day at school. A PT who sees that student directly for 30 minutes a week is there for a small slice of it. The rest of the time, a teacher or aide sets up the stander, helps with the toilet transfer and walks beside the student in the hallway. School PT consult exists to make that time safe and useful.
This page explains the service models school PTs use, what consult time covers, how minutes are written and how they change across a student's school years. It follows one fictional student through three IEPs. For the role of school PT in general, see school-based physical therapy, and for goals, the physical therapy IEP goals pillar.
What the IEP must say about PT services
The IEP has to list the related services the student will receive, along with the projected start date and the anticipated frequency, location and duration of each.[1] It also has to list program modifications or supports for school personnel that the student needs. PT consult often fits that second item, training and support for the adults who work with the student, as well as the related services line. Physical therapy is a related service under IDEA when the student needs it to benefit from special education.[2]
Write consult with the same detail as direct service: who, how often, how long and where. "PT consult as needed" gives families no way to know what the student will get, and gives the PT no protected time.
The four main PT service models
| Model | What it looks like | Good fit for |
|---|---|---|
| Direct, pull-out | PT works with the student away from class, often in the gym or hallway | Learning a new skill that needs repeated practice with feedback, such as stairs with crutches |
| Direct, integrated | PT works with the student in the real setting: PE, recess, the bus loop | Applying skills in context; teaching staff at the same time |
| Consultation | PT works with teachers, aides and the PE teacher, with or without the student present | Routines staff carry out daily; equipment and positioning; safety plans |
| Burst or block | Direct PT more often for a set period, then back to a lighter schedule | After surgery, a growth spurt, new equipment or a school transition |
Many IEPs combine two: direct sessions to build a skill and monthly consult so staff practice it the rest of the week. The push-in vs pull-out guide covers the direct options across services.
The Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy describes school PT as supporting the student's participation in school, which is why consult and integrated service are so common in schools.[3]
What PT consult time is used for
Consult minutes are for work that changes what happens when the PT is not there. Typical PT consult tasks:
- Training staff on transfers, lifting, gait belts and guarding on stairs.
- Setting up and checking equipment: wheelchair fit, stander angle and schedule, walker height after a growth spurt.
- Positioning schedules: how long in the stander, when to change position, how to check skin under braces.
- Emergency and evacuation plans: routes, areas of refuge and who helps during fire drills.
- PE and recess planning with the PE or adapted PE teacher.
- Reviewing data collected by staff and adjusting the plan.
- Environmental changes: a ramp, a handrail, a classroom layout that allows a wheelchair to turn.
Consult is not checking in once a semester or answering an email. If the work does not change what staff do with the student, it does not belong in the consult minutes.
One student across three IEPs
Theo is a fictional student who uses a walker and, for longer distances, a manual wheelchair.
Grade 4, IEP of October 2024. Theo is learning to walk to lunch and back with his walker, a route of about 300 feet, and to climb the 6 steps to the music room with a rail. He falls about once a week. Services: direct PT 2 times a week, 30 minutes each, in the hallway and on stairs (240 minutes a month), plus PT consult 30 minutes a month with his aide and teacher. Accommodations: elevator key, extra passing time of 3 minutes.
Grade 5, IEP of October 2025. Theo walks to lunch in 5 minutes with no falls since March. Stairs are steady with standby help. Next year he moves to a middle school with a bigger building. Services: direct PT once a week, 30 minutes, integrated in PE and hallways (about 120 minutes a month), and consult 30 minutes a month. In May, a burst of direct PT 3 times a week for 3 weeks is added at the new building to practice the routes before the move.
Grade 6, IEP of October 2026. Theo travels the middle school with his walker between nearby classes and his wheelchair for the long route to the gym. He manages his own equipment check each morning. Services: PT consult 60 minutes a quarter with his case manager, PE teacher and aide, focused on the evacuation plan, equipment fit and new routes. No direct PT. Goals target independent travel to all 7 class periods.
The minutes went down because Theo needed less, not because the PT had less time. Each change followed data the team could point to.
How to decide between direct and consult
| Ask | If yes, lean toward |
|---|---|
| Is the student learning a new motor skill that needs a PT's hands-on feedback? | Direct |
| Is the skill learned, but staff need to carry it out daily? | Consult |
| Is there a safety risk if staff do a transfer or setup wrong? | Consult, with training, and often direct as well |
| Has something changed: surgery, new equipment, a new building? | Burst of direct, then back to consult |
| Is progress flat after a semester of direct service? | Review the goal and the model; more of the same may not help |
Rules at a glance, and where states differ
| Topic | What applies | Where states and districts differ |
|---|---|---|
| Writing services | Frequency, location and duration for each service[1] | Some forms show minutes per week, others per month or per year |
| Consult as a service | Supports for school personnel are part of the IEP[1] | Some districts list consult as a related service, others under supports for staff |
| Who can provide consult | A qualified PT | State licensure rules on what a PT assistant may do |
| Logging minutes | The school must provide the services in the IEP | Districts differ on log format and on how missed sessions are made up |
| Medicaid | Some school health services are billable[4] | Whether and how consult time can be billed depends on the state plan |
| Changing minutes | IEP team decision, with prior written notice to parents | Amendment procedures vary by district |
Writing PT minutes and consult that hold up
Weak: "PT consult as needed." Better: "Physical therapy consultation with classroom teacher and paraprofessional, 30 minutes per month, in the classroom and hallways, to train and review transfers, stander use and hallway guarding."
Weak: "PT 1x/week." Better: "Direct physical therapy, 1 time per week for 30 minutes, integrated in PE and hallway routes."
Weak: Reducing minutes because the caseload grew. Better: Reducing minutes when the student's data show they need less, and saying so in the present levels.
Log every session, direct or consult, with the date, minutes, who attended and what was done. The free service log works for this. A log is the record that shows the IEP was carried out, and it is what a case manager needs when a family asks about missed sessions.
For case managers
- Put PT consult on the calendar like any other service. Monthly consult that floats with no date tends not to happen.
- Invite the PT to the meeting when equipment, building changes or evacuation plans are on the agenda.
- Check that the general education teacher and PE teacher know about the consult and when it is.
- The OT may use the same models; see OT minutes and consult models. For writing the whole services page, see IEP services and minutes.
The service minutes, specially designed instruction and physical therapy glossary entries define the terms. Goal templates for PT are on the goals for the PT role page and the mobility equipment goals page.
Frequently asked questions
What does PT consult mean on an IEP?
It is time the physical therapist spends with teachers, aides and other staff, with or without the student present, so they can carry out mobility, positioning, equipment and safety routines correctly. It is written with its own minutes and frequency.
Is consult a lesser service than direct PT?
No. It is a different service for a different need. When a student has learned a skill and staff need to support it every day, consult often does more for the student than one direct session a week.
How many minutes of school PT is typical?
There is no standard amount. Minutes come from the student's goals and needs. A student learning a new skill may get direct PT weekly, while another may need only quarterly consult.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- Goals for the PT role
- Service log
- Service minutes in the IEP glossary
- Specially designed instruction in the IEP glossary
- Physical therapy in the IEP glossary
- Mobility equipment goals (motor skills)
Related guides
- Physical therapy IEP goals: examples for school-based PT
- School-based physical therapy: what it covers and who qualifies
- Adapted PE: who qualifies and what goes in the IEP
- OT minutes and consult models
- IEP services and minutes: how to write the services page
- IEP goals for walker and crutch use at school
- Accommodations for wheelchair users at school
Sources
- 34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 34 CFR §300.34: Related services, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- APTA Pediatrics, Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy, American Physical Therapy Association
- Delivering Services in School-Based Settings: A Comprehensive Guide to Medicaid Services and Administrative Claiming (2023), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.