Missed therapy sessions: makeup vs compensatory services
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
When a speech session is missed because of the school or the SLP, such as SLP illness, meetings or testing, districts generally schedule a makeup, because the IEP's services must be provided. When the student is absent, most policies do not require one. Compensatory services are different: a remedy the IEP team or a state process decides on when services owed were not delivered.
A missed session feels small on a Tuesday. By March, a few missed Tuesdays can add up to hours of services a student was supposed to get. How a district handles that depends on why the sessions were missed, how the IEP writes the minutes, and the district's own policy. This page lays out the usual rules, the difference between a makeup and compensatory services, and one fictional student's year with real numbers.
This is general information, not legal advice. State rules and district policies differ, and the IEP team decides what a specific student needs. For how minutes are set in the first place, see speech therapy minutes. The speech therapy IEP goals pillar covers the rest of the field.
The rule behind it
Once an IEP is in effect, the district must make the special education and related services in it available to the student as the IEP describes.[1] Those services are part of the free appropriate public education the student is owed.[2] The minutes line on the IEP is a commitment, not an estimate.
The federal regulations do not spell out a makeup policy for a single missed session. Districts fill that gap with their own procedures, and states sometimes issue guidance. That is why two neighboring districts can handle the same situation differently.
Makeup sessions vs compensatory services
| Makeup session | Compensatory services | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Rescheduling a missed session, usually within a few weeks | Extra services to make up for services the student was owed and did not get |
| Typical trigger | A session missed for a school or provider reason | Many missed sessions, a long gap such as an unfilled position, or a finding that services were denied |
| Who decides | Usually the SLP and school, under district policy | The IEP team, or a state complaint or due process decision |
| How it is documented | Service log entry showing the makeup date | IEP team notes or amendment, prior written notice, or a written decision |
| Changes the IEP? | No | Often documented in or alongside the IEP for a set period |
A makeup restores a session. Compensatory services repair a gap. A state complaint decision can order compensatory services as a remedy when a district failed to provide appropriate services.[3] A parent can also raise the issue through a due process complaint.[4]
The compensatory services glossary entry defines the term. Extended school year is a separate service, decided on need for services beyond the school year; it is not a way to make up missed sessions. The ESY vs summer school page explains the difference.
Why the session was missed decides most of it
| Reason for the miss | Usual handling | Where it varies |
|---|---|---|
| SLP sick or on leave | Makeup generally scheduled | Some districts set a time limit for makeups |
| SLP at an IEP meeting or evaluation | Makeup generally scheduled | Some districts build makeup weeks into the calendar |
| School event, assembly or state testing | Makeup generally scheduled | Policies differ on events the whole school attends |
| Student absent | Makeup generally not required | Some districts offer makeups when time allows; long absences may lead the team to meet |
| Student refuses or is in crisis | Often logged as attempted; team reviews if it repeats | Practice varies widely |
| School closed for all students | Generally no session owed for that day | State guidance after extended closures has differed |
| SLP position vacant for weeks | Services still owed; team considers compensatory services | Handling of long vacancies varies by state and district |
A pattern matters more than one miss. If a student misses many sessions for any reason, the team should look at whether the student is still able to make progress, and meet if not. An IEP can be revised when the student is not making expected progress.[5]
How the minutes line changes makeups
A weekly line ("2 sessions of 30 minutes per week") makes every miss visible right away and leaves little room to shift sessions. A monthly line ("240 minutes per month") lets the SLP deliver a missed session later in the same month without calling it a makeup. Some districts prefer monthly lines for this reason. Others prefer weekly lines so delivery is easy to check. Either way, the log has to show the total.
Scenario: one student across a school year
Marco is a fictional third grader. His IEP gives speech-language services in a small group, 2 sessions of 30 minutes per week. That is 240 minutes in a 4-week month.
October 2026. Of 8 scheduled sessions, Marco gets 4.
- October 7 and 9: SLP out sick. 2 sessions missed for a provider reason.
- October 21: state benchmark testing. 1 session missed for a school reason.
- October 28: Marco absent. 1 session missed for a student reason.
Under the district's policy, the 3 provider and school misses are owed. The SLP schedules makeups on November 4, 6 and 13, logs each one as a makeup for its original date and sends a short note home. The October 28 session is logged as a student absence and not made up.
January 5 to February 13, 2027. The SLP leaves and the position stays open for 6 weeks. Marco misses 12 sessions, or 360 minutes. When a new SLP starts, probes show his accuracy on /s/ blends fell from 72% to 55% of words.
February 24, 2027. The IEP team meets. It reviews the service log, the missed minutes and the probe data, and agrees on 360 minutes of compensatory speech-language services: one extra 30-minute session per week for 12 weeks, March through May. The district gives prior written notice describing the decision and its basis.[6] The new SLP logs compensatory sessions separately from the regular ones.
The numbers are illustrations. Another team, with different data or a different state's guidance, might decide differently. The point is the record: dates, reasons, minutes owed, minutes delivered and data on the effect.
What to log for every session
- Date, start time and minutes delivered.
- Group or individual, and the setting.
- If missed: the reason, coded (provider, school, student, closure).
- If made up: the makeup date and the original date it replaces.
- If compensatory: a separate code, so it never mixes with regular minutes.
The service log tool is built for this. Keep it current the same day. A log reconstructed in May will not hold up when a parent asks how many sessions their child received.
Telling families
Tell families about misses in plain words and soon. A short note works: "Marco's speech sessions on October 7 and 9 were missed because I was out sick. I will make them up on November 4 and 6." Families who hear about misses from the SLP first rarely feel surprised later.
When a student's progress report goes home, the minutes delivered should match what the log shows. The speech therapy progress report comments page has wording that includes attendance.
Protecting your schedule from misses
Most provider misses come from meetings and testing. Building one flexible block into each week, or a planned makeup week each quarter, gives you room to absorb them. The SLP caseload management guide shows how to build that into the schedule, and the goals for the SLP role page has templates to match your caseload. When you are unsure how your district handles a case, ask your special education administrator for the written policy and follow it.
Frequently asked questions
Does the school have to make up speech therapy when my child is absent?
Under most district policies, no. Makeups are usually owed when the school or the SLP caused the miss. Some districts offer makeups for student absences when time allows, and long absences may lead the IEP team to meet. Check your district's written policy.
What is the difference between makeup sessions and compensatory services?
A makeup reschedules a missed session, usually within a few weeks under district policy. Compensatory services are extra services decided by the IEP team or ordered through a state process, to repair a larger gap in services the student was owed.
What happens when the school has no SLP for several weeks?
The services in the IEP are still owed. The district should track the missed minutes, and the IEP team typically meets to consider compensatory services once services resume. Handling varies by state and district.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- Compensatory services in the IEP glossary
- Service log
- Service minutes in the IEP glossary
- Speech language IEP goals
- Goals for the SLP role
Related guides
- Speech therapy IEP goals: examples by area
- Speech therapy minutes: group vs individual, typical amounts
- SLP caseload management: scheduling, grouping and documentation
- IEP progress report comments for speech therapy
- Speech therapy dismissal criteria: when a student exits services
- Speech therapy goals for autism
- Language goals examples for speech therapy
Sources
- 34 CFR §300.323: When IEPs must be in effect, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
- 34 CFR §300.101: Free appropriate public education (FAPE), Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 34 CFR §300.151: Adoption of State complaint procedures, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
- 34 CFR §300.507: Filing a due process complaint, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
- 34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 34 CFR §300.503: Prior notice by the public agency; content of notice, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
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.