Parent-group and PTA presentations

This guide is for pediatric OT, PT and speech-language pathology practices invited to speak to a parent group, PTA or PTO. A useful talk answers one question parents can act on, points to free public resources and the child’s doctor, explains how school services differ from private therapy, and offers follow-up only to parents who ask.

Here PTA means a parent-teacher association, not a physical therapist assistant. A group not chartered as a PTA, often called a PTO, is a separate organization: only PTAs established by a state PTA or National PTA may use the PTA name.⁠¹ Either way the talk is public education: nobody becomes a patient by attending. Adult community groups need different goals; the adult referral guide covers that audience.

What makes a parent-group or PTA talk useful to families?

A useful talk leaves parents able to do one thing they could not do before: notice a milestone, bring a sharper question to the next well-child visit, or ask the school for an evaluation. Four elements make the difference:

• One topic a parent can act on. "What to do if your three-year-old is hard to understand" can be acted on this week; "child development" cannot.
• Developmental monitoring. CDC defines it as observing how a child grows and changes over time to see whether they are reaching milestones in how they play, learn, speak, act and move, and says parents and other caregivers can take part.⁠¹³
• When to ask the pediatrician. CDC tells parents who notice a missed milestone to talk with the child’s doctor, and reports the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation of developmental screening at 9, 18 and 30 months and autism screening at 18 and 24 months.⁠¹³
• How school services and private therapy differ. A state must find and evaluate children who may need special education, and parents can ask for that evaluation themselves.⁠^5,14

Monitoring is something a parent can do; screening is not. CDC describes developmental screening as a closer look using formal, research-based questionnaires or checklists in the hands of trained professionals, and notes that its milestone checklists do not substitute for validated screening tools; ASHA says its communication milestones are not a screening or diagnostic tool.⁠^13,15,16 Teach monitoring, explain screening, and perform neither on a child in the audience.

Which decisions should you settle before agreeing to a PTA talk?

Settle six things with the host before you say yes, and write down the answers:

Who sets the rules for a talk held at a school?

Usually two bodies: the PTA or parent group that invites you, and the school or district that owns the room. National PTA tells local leaders that a PTA is an independent nonprofit association, that the principal is not in charge of it, and that it should still follow school policies for community collaborations.⁠¹⁷ Facility, flyer, visitor and recording rules are set locally, so ask the host:

• Who approves the flyer, and may it carry the practice’s name and logo?
• Does the school require a facility request, a visitor sign-in or a background check for outside speakers?
• May handouts sit on a table or go home in backpacks, and who approves them?
• Is recording or photography allowed? National PTA tells PTAs to check school or district policy on photos and video at events on school property, and recommends a release form for pictures with children.⁠¹⁸
• Is the room accessible, and are interpretation or translations needed? National PTA’s event checklist asks whether entrances, meeting rooms and restrooms are accessible to people with disabilities.⁠¹⁹

What does National PTA say about businesses, sponsors and speakers?

That a PTA does not endorse them. National PTA’s bylaws declare it noncommercial and make its principles those of every state and local PTA.⁠³ Its guidance separates sponsorship from endorsement, calls endorsing a for-profit’s products or services inappropriate for a PTA, and limits a sponsor’s acknowledgment to thanks and general, factual information that does not appear to recommend buying from the sponsor.⁠⁴ No company may use a PTA’s name without permission or in a way that suggests a relationship that does not exist, though it may refer to PTA in statements of fact.⁠¹

So describe yourself as a guest speaker, not a partner or recommended provider, and ask before mentioning the talk online. The FTC’s Endorsement Guides note that the name or seal of an organization can itself be an endorsement, so a PTA logo beside your practice name can suggest an approval the PTA has not given.⁠²⁰ National PTA’s principles bind only its own associations, so ask a PTO for its rules.⁠³

What topics work best for a pediatric therapy talk to parents?

The best topic is a question the audience already asks, inside the speaker’s discipline and competence, with a next step a parent can take the same week. Match it to the ages in the room:

CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. resources run from 2 months through 5 years, which suits a preschool group or the younger siblings at an elementary PTA; for school-age audiences, tie the topic to school routines, play and participation.⁠² Stay inside what the speaker actually does: ASHA’s code bars misrepresenting competence, and APTA’s requires truthful information about services in any form of communication.⁠^7,8

When should a talk tell parents to call the child’s doctor?

Whenever a parent notices a missed milestone or has a concern, without waiting for the next visit. CDC tells parents to share their concerns with the child’s doctor, not to wait, and to ask about developmental screening.⁠^2,15

Parents also ask whether private therapy needs a referral first. For PT, every state, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands allow some direct access, but the provisions and limits differ by jurisdiction.⁠²¹ For all three disciplines the family’s health plan may set its own rules, so tell parents to ask their plan.

How do school services and private therapy differ for parents?

School services are the school’s legal obligation and come at no cost to the family; private therapy is a service the family chooses and pays for or bills to a health plan.⁠^6,22 Explain the difference accurately, and never present the practice as part of the school’s process.

• Child find. Each state must ensure that children with disabilities who need special education and related services, including those attending private schools, are identified, located and evaluated.⁠¹⁴
• Therapy as a related service. IDEA’s related services include speech-language pathology, physical therapy and occupational therapy when required to help a child with a disability benefit from special education.⁠²³ Speech-language pathology can also count as special education itself, provided at no cost to the parents, where state standards treat it that way.⁠²²
• A parent can start the process. A parent or the public agency may request an initial evaluation, which must be conducted within 60 days of parental consent or within the state’s own timeframe.⁠⁵
• A private evaluation is considered, not adopted. A privately obtained evaluation a parent shares must be considered in decisions about the child’s free appropriate public education if it meets the agency’s criteria.⁠²⁴
• Section 504. A public elementary or secondary program covered by Section 504 must provide a free appropriate public education to each qualified student with a disability in its jurisdiction, and evaluate a student believed to need special education or related services before an initial placement.⁠^6,25

Can a private therapist explain how to request a school evaluation?

Yes, as public information about the school’s process. CDC tells parents of a child 3 or older to call any local public elementary school, even one the child does not attend, and parents of a younger child to contact the local early intervention system, without waiting for a doctor’s referral or a diagnosis.⁠¹⁵ Do not predict eligibility, imply that a private evaluation binds the school, or suggest private therapy is required alongside school services.

What should a therapist never do during a parent-group talk?

Never diagnose, screen, promise results, tell a patient’s story, claim the host’s endorsement, or collect a family’s details without their choice.

• Diagnosing from the stage. A child described in a question period has not been evaluated, and screening uses validated tools in trained hands.⁠¹³
• Promising outcomes. ASHA’s code allows a reasonable statement of prognosis but bars promising the results of treatment, directly or by implication, and APTA’s bars misleading representations in any form of communication.⁠^7,8
• Acknowledging a patient in the room. HIPAA’s definition of health information covers information about the provision of health care to an individual, so greeting someone as a patient’s parent in front of others discloses that their child is in care.⁠¹¹
• Claiming the host’s endorsement. National PTA treats endorsing a for-profit’s services as inappropriate for a PTA.⁠⁴
• Collecting details by default. A sign-in sheet that doubles as a mailing list, or a request for the PTA’s member list, takes details nobody offered.
• Handing out a home program. Exercises or feeding instructions given to a room stand in for an evaluation nobody had.

How should you answer a parent’s question about their own child?

Answer the general part, decline the individual part kindly, and give a private route. A moderator can also collect questions in writing without names.

Can you share a patient success story in a talk to parents?

Only with the family’s written authorization, and a hypothetical family is the safer choice. A HIPAA covered entity may not use or disclose protected health information without a valid authorization unless the rule permits it, and HHS says marketing uses, with limited exceptions, need written authorization.⁠^9,26 Removing the name is not enough: the safe harbor method removes eighteen kinds of identifiers, including full-face photographs and any other unique characteristic, and requires no actual knowledge that what remains could identify the child.⁠¹⁰ In one school community, a grade, a sibling and a timeline can identify a child as well as a name.

A practice that is not a HIPAA covered entity is not bound by the HIPAA Rules, but APTA’s and ASHA’s codes still require it to protect what families share.⁠^7,8,27 A story is also an advertising claim: the FTC’s Endorsement Guides, which define product to include a service, say a consumer’s experience on a key attribute is likely to be read as what others can generally expect.⁠²⁰

Can you offer a giveaway or a free evaluation at a PTA talk?

Keep giveaways small, the same for everyone and unconnected to booking, and ask a compliance adviser before offering a free service. OIG explains that offering a Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary remuneration likely to influence the choice of provider can bring civil monetary penalties, that free items or services count as remuneration, and that it reads nominal value as no more than $15 per item or $75 a year per patient, never cash or a cash equivalent.⁠²⁸ A checklist for every parent is a handout; a gift card for booking is not.

How do professional ethics codes apply to a talk that promotes a practice?

A talk that mentions your practice is a public statement about your services, so your discipline’s code applies to it, and so does truth-in-advertising law.

FTC staff’s Health Products Compliance Guidance, written for health-related products, counts seminars as advertising and states that advertising must be truthful and that objective claims need substantiation before an ad runs.⁠³⁰ The FTC’s small-business guide sets the same baseline for any advertiser and notes that every state has its own consumer protection laws on ads.⁠³¹

How do you plan a parent-group talk step by step?

Plan it on one page, and leave a field visibly open until a fact fills it: a blank is a decision still to make.

1. Four to six weeks before. Agree the topic, audience and time slot, and send the host the questions about school approvals.
2. Three weeks before. Send the flyer wording for approval: speaker, credential and practice, with no "recommended by" at all and no "sponsored by" without a written sponsorship agreement.
3. Two weeks before. Check every fact in the outline against its source and have a second clinician read it.
4. On the day. Open by saying the talk is general education, not an evaluation; close with the private route and the opt-in card.
5. Within a week. Send one message to the parents who opted in, and nothing to anyone else.

What should a 30-minute OT, PT or SLP parent talk include?

Five parts: the question, what the discipline looks at, what a parent can watch, what to do next, and general questions. Every talk ends at the same two doors, the child’s doctor and the school’s evaluation route. For a 20-minute slot, shorten the middle, not the questions.

What goes in a pediatric OT talk outline for parents?

Daily activities, because they are the discipline’s focus. AOTA describes OT practitioners as experts at helping people perform the occupations they need and want to do every day, at home, at school and in the community, including activities of daily living, education, play and social participation.⁠³²

What goes in a pediatric PT talk outline for parents?

Movement in everyday play, with the doctor as the first call for any concern. CDC’s milestones cover how children move as well as how they play, learn, speak and act.⁠² Direct access exists in some form everywhere but differs by jurisdiction, so state your own state’s rule or say it varies.⁠²¹

What goes in a speech-language talk outline for parents?

Communication milestones, hearing and home language. ASHA’s milestone pages for birth to 5 years tell parents to communicate in the languages they are most comfortable using and to have a child’s hearing tested if they find themselves repeating a lot or using a loud voice.⁠¹⁶

What should the handout from a parent talk contain?

One page, public resources first and the practice last, usable by a parent who missed the talk:

• CDC’s milestone checklists and Milestone Tracker app, free, for ages 2 months through 5 years; the checklists come in English and twelve other languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Somali and Vietnamese.⁠^2,13,33
• ASHA’s communication milestones for a speech-language talk, with its note that they are not a screening tool.⁠¹⁶
• The public routes: any local public elementary school for a child 3 or older, the local early intervention system for a younger child, no doctor’s referral needed to ask.⁠¹⁵
• The practice, last: name, the speaker’s credential, the services and ages actually offered, phone and website. A clinic’s DrSensory listing can go here too; families use DrSensory free to find OT, PT and speech therapy clinics, and any clinic can claim its free basic listing.

Leave off testimonials, outcome claims and the host’s logo. CDC handles customization through its Act Early team, without the CDC or HHS logos and without changes to the milestones, and no longer ships pre-printed copies; the simplest course is to print its checklists unchanged and put your details on a separate page.⁠³⁴ National PTA suggests materials in multiple languages; if the practice cannot serve families in a language, the handout should not imply that it can.⁠³⁵

How should a practice follow up after a PTA presentation?

Only with parents who asked, only with what they asked for, and never with anything about a child.

1. Give everyone the handout; it needs no sign-up.
2. Offer a separate, optional card: name, email, and one box, such as "Send me the slides." Never use a sign-in sheet or the host’s member list.
3. Ask nothing about the child on the card; questions about a child belong in a private call through the intake call script.
4. Make every promotional email meet CAN-SPAM, including an accurate subject line, the practice’s valid physical postal address, a clear way to opt out, and opt-outs honored within 10 business days.⁠¹²
5. Send one message within a week, then only what each parent opted into; new patient email templates cover replies to inquiries.
6. Keep the opt-in list apart from patient records, and never tell the host who became a patient.

Does HIPAA apply to a sign-up sheet at a parent talk?

It can, which is why the card asks for nothing about health. A health care provider is a HIPAA covered entity only if it transmits information electronically in connection with a transaction for which HHS has adopted a standard.⁠²⁷ For a covered practice, health information includes anything a health care provider receives that relates to an individual’s physical or mental health, and protected health information is the individually identifiable kind.⁠¹¹ A card reading "my son is not talking yet" beside a name and email is that kind of information; a card with only an email address for the slides is not.

How does a PTA talk play out from invitation to follow-up?

One decision at a time, as this hypothetical talk shows.

The numbers are inputs, not benchmarks; what carries over is the order of the decisions.

How do you know whether a parent talk was worth the time?

Count what you can count without tracking families: handouts taken, opt-in cards returned, inquiries that mention the talk, and whether the host asks you back. Record "How did you hear about us?" by channel, not by attendee. Give talks an owner and a review date in the 90-day marketing plan, and weigh them against other channels, such as pediatrician referrals.

Sources

1. National PTA. PTA Branding (Local Leader Kit, Communications, Use of the PTA Name). Checked October 23, 2026.
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   “Only PTAs established by your state PTA or National PTA can use the PTA name”; “Be aware that companies cannot use your PTA’s name without your PTA’s permission and that no company can use the PTA name in any manner that claims or could be reasonably inferred to suggest a relationship that does not exist. Companies may, however, reference PTA in statements of fact”.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Learn the Signs. Act Early. (dated February 17, 2026). Checked October 23, 2026.
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   “LTSAE provides free, family-friendly, high-quality, and research-based resources to engage families and providers in monitoring children’s developmental milestones from ages 2 months through 5 years”; “Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, act, and move”; “Talk with the child’s healthcare provider Ask about developmental screening Consider seeking support through early intervention or public schools”.
3. National PTA. National PTA Bylaws (amended June 26, 2025, Article III and Article IV, Section 3). “National PTA shall be noncommercial, nonsectarian, and nonpartisan”; “The purposes and principles of National PTA, as prescribed in Articles II and III of these bylaws, shall in every case also be the purposes and principles of each constituent association”. Checked October 23, 2026.
4. National PTA. Donations (Local Leader Kit, Fundraising, Corporate Sponsorships). Checked October 23, 2026.
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   “Sponsorship is different from endorsement, in which a PTA endorses the products or services of a for-profit entity. Endorsement activities are not appropriate for PTA participation, based on PTA’s noncommercial policy”; “The written acknowledgment should be limited to an expression of thanks and may include general, factual information about the sponsor. The acknowledgment should not make a qualitative judgment regarding the sponsor or its product and it cannot appear as though PTA is instructing or recommending people buy a sponsor’s products or services”.
5. eCFR. 34 CFR 300.301 Initial evaluations (IDEA Part B regulations). Checked October 23, 2026.
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   “Consistent with the consent requirements in § 300.300, either a parent of a child or a public agency may initiate a request for an initial evaluation to determine if the child is a child with a disability”; “Must be conducted within 60 days of receiving parental consent for the evaluation; or (ii) If the State establishes a timeframe within which the evaluation must be conducted, within that timeframe”.
6. eCFR. 34 CFR 104.33 Free appropriate public education (Section 504 regulations). “A recipient that operates a public elementary or secondary education program or activity shall provide a free appropriate public education to each qualified handicapped person who is in the recipient’s jurisdiction, regardless of the nature or severity of the person’s handicap”. Checked October 23, 2026.
7. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Code of Ethics (effective March 1, 2023, Principles of Ethics I and III). Checked October 23, 2026.
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   “Individuals may make a reasonable statement of prognosis, but they shall not guarantee—directly or by implication—the results of any treatment or procedure”; “Individuals shall protect the confidentiality of information about persons served professionally or participants involved in research and scholarly activities. Disclosure of confidential information shall be allowed only when doing so is legally authorized or required by law”; “Individuals shall not misrepresent their credentials, competence, education, training, experience, or scholarly contributions”; “Individuals shall not misrepresent diagnostic information, services provided, results of services provided, products dispensed, effects of products dispensed, or research and scholarly activities”; “Individuals’ statements to the public shall provide accurate information regarding the professions, professional services and products, and research and scholarly activities”; “Individuals’ statements to the public shall adhere to prevailing professional standards and shall not contain misrepresentations when advertising, announcing, or promoting their professional services, products, or research”.
8. American Physical Therapy Association. Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapy Profession (Standards of Conduct and aspirational examples; APTA’s policy page states that the House of Delegates adopted it in 2025 and that it “went into effect Jan 1, 2026”). Checked October 23, 2026.
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   “1.2 Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants shall protect patients’ and clients’ confidential information and not disclose that confidential information except as authorized by the patient or client or as permitted or required by law”; “including ensuring that information regarding the authorship of clinical documentation, patient education materials, publications, and presentations is truthful, accurate, and relevant”; “6.1 Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants shall provide information about their services that is truthful and accurate and shall not make misleading representations in any forms of communication, including billing”; “6.5 Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants shall fully disclose any financial interest they have in products or services that they recommend to patients and clients or to the public”; “9.G Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants shall strive to educate the public about the scope of practice and benefits of physical therapy”. Policy page: Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapist.
9. eCFR. 45 CFR 164.508 Uses and disclosures for which an authorization is required (paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(3)). Checked October 23, 2026.
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   “Except as otherwise permitted or required by this subchapter, a covered entity may not use or disclose protected health information without an authorization that is valid under this section”; “a covered entity must obtain an authorization for any use or disclosure of protected health information for marketing, except if the communication is in the form of: (A) A face-to-face communication made by a covered entity to an individual; or (B) A promotional gift of nominal value provided by the covered entity”.
10. eCFR. 45 CFR 164.514 Other requirements relating to uses and disclosures of protected health information (paragraph (b), de-identification). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “The following identifiers of the individual or of relatives, employers, or household members of the individual, are removed: (A) Names”; “(Q) Full face photographic images and any comparable images; and (R) Any other unique identifying number, characteristic, or code”; “The covered entity does not have actual knowledge that the information could be used alone or in combination with other information to identify an individual who is a subject of the information”. Paragraph (b)(2)(i) lists eighteen identifiers, (A) through (R).
11. eCFR. 45 CFR 160.103 Definitions (HIPAA Administrative Simplification). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “Health information means any information, including genetic information, whether oral or recorded in any form or medium, that: (1) Is created or received by a health care provider, health plan, public health authority, employer, life insurer, school or university, or health care clearinghouse; and (2) Relates to the past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition of an individual; the provision of health care to an individual; or the past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to an individual”; “Protected health information means individually identifiable health information”.
12. Federal Trade Commission. CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business (business guidance). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “It covers all commercial messages, which the law defines as "any electronic mail message the primary purpose of which is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service,"”; “Don’t use deceptive subject lines. The subject line must accurately reflect the content of the message”; “Tell recipients where you’re located. Your message must include your valid physical postal address”; “Tell recipients how to opt out of receiving future marketing email from you”; “You must honor a recipient’s opt-out request within 10 business days”.
13. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Developmental Monitoring and Screening (Learn the Signs. Act Early., dated February 17, 2026). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “Developmental monitoring is observing how a child grows and changes over time to see whether they are reaching developmental milestones in how they play, learn, speak, act, and move at each age. Parents, grandparents, early childhood providers, and other caregivers can participate in developmental monitoring”; “If you notice that your child is not meeting a milestone, talk with your child’s doctor”; “Developmental screening takes a closer look at how your child is developing. The tools used for developmental screening are formal questionnaires or checklists based on research that ask questions about a child’s development, including language, movement, thinking, behavior, and emotions”; “The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends developmental screening for all children during regular well-child visits at least at these ages1: 9 months 18 months 30 months”; “AAP recommends that all children be screened specifically for autism during regular well-child visits at: 18 months 24 months”; “Developmental screening can be done by your child’s health care provider, and by other professionals in healthcare, early childhood education, community, or school settings who have been trained in using these tools”; “With a formal, validated developmental screening tool”; “Download CDC’s free Milestone Tracker App”.
14. eCFR. 34 CFR 300.111 Child find (IDEA Part B regulations). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “All children with disabilities residing in the State, including children with disabilities who are homeless children or are wards of the State, and children with disabilities attending private schools, regardless of the severity of their disability, and who are in need of special education and related services, are identified, located, and evaluated”.
15. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Concerned About Your Child’s Development? (Learn the Signs. Act Early., dated February 17, 2026). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “talk to your child’s doctor and share your concerns. Don’t wait”; “Note: these checklists are not a substitute for standardized, validated developmental screening tools”; “You do not need to wait for a doctor’s referral or a medical diagnosis to make this call”; “If your child is younger than 3 years old, contact your local early intervention system”; “If your child is age 3 or older, call any local public elementary school (even if your child does not go to school there)”.
16. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Communication Milestones: Age Ranges (for the public; age ranges from birth to 5 years). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “These milestones are designed to help you know what to expect as your child grows and develops—and to know when to seek the guidance of an audiologist or speech language pathologist”; “These milestones are not meant to be a screening or diagnostic tool”; “Communicate with your child in the languages that you are most comfortable using”; “Have your child’s hearing tested if you find yourself repeating a lot or using a loud voice”.
17. National PTA. Get Organized (Local Leader Kit, Leadership). “Your PTA is an independent nonprofit association”; “While you may partner with or focus your efforts on a school, your school principal is not in charge, though you should follow school policies for community collaborations”. Checked October 23, 2026.
18. National PTA. Photography and Videography (Local Leader Kit, Communications). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “If your PTA’s event is taking place on school property, be sure to check school or district policy related to taking photographs or recording video to avoid potential issues”; “it is recommended that you obtain a release form for pictures with children and for any photos you intend to use in advertising or on merchandise for sale”; “It should be noted that school release forms are not a replacement for PTA forms”.
19. National PTA. Events (Local Leader Kit, Fundraising, Strategies). “In choosing where to host your event, consider the following: Are there special requirements or restrictions for using the facility?”; “Is the facility (including entrances, meeting rooms and restrooms) accessible to people with disabilities?”. Checked October 23, 2026.
20. Federal Trade Commission. Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, 16 CFR Part 255 (eCFR, current text). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “Verbal statements, tags in social media posts, demonstrations, depictions of the name, signature, likeness or other identifying personal characteristics of an individual, and the name or seal of an organization can be endorsements”; “For purposes of this part, the term "product" includes any product, service, brand, company, or industry”; “An advertisement containing an endorsement relating the experience of one or more consumers on a central or key attribute of the product will likely be interpreted as representing that the endorser’s experience is representative of what consumers will generally achieve with the advertised product in actual, albeit variable, conditions of use”; “Material connections can include a business, family, or personal relationship”. §§ 255.0(b) and (d), 255.2(b), 255.5(a).
21. American Physical Therapy Association. Direct Access By State (resource dated September 4, 2024; the map data is described as current as of July 2025). “While all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, provide some form of direct access to physical therapist services, the specific provisions and limitations differ across jurisdictions”. Checked October 23, 2026.
22. eCFR. 34 CFR 300.39 Special education (IDEA Part B regulations). “Special education means specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability”; “Speech-language pathology services, or any other related service, if the service is considered special education rather than a related service under State standards”. Checked October 23, 2026.
23. eCFR. 34 CFR 300.34 Related services (IDEA Part B regulations). “Related services means transportation and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education, and includes speech-language pathology and audiology services, interpreting services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy”. Checked October 23, 2026.
24. eCFR. 34 CFR 300.502 Independent educational evaluation (IDEA Part B regulations, paragraph (c)). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “If the parent obtains an independent educational evaluation at public expense or shares with the public agency an evaluation obtained at private expense, the results of the evaluation— (1) Must be considered by the public agency, if it meets agency criteria, in any decision made with respect to the provision of FAPE to the child”.
25. eCFR. 34 CFR 104.35 Evaluation and placement (Section 504 regulations). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “A recipient that operates a public elementary or secondary education program or activity shall conduct an evaluation in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section of any person who, because of handicap, needs or is believed to need special education or related services before taking any action with respect to the initial placement of the person in regular or special education”.
26. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Marketing (HIPAA Privacy Rule guidance, 45 CFR 164.501 and 164.508(a)(3); content last reviewed July 26, 2013). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “With limited exceptions, the Rule requires an individual’s written authorization before a use or disclosure of his or her protected health information can be made for marketing”; “This exception to the marketing definition permits communications by a covered entity about its own products or services”; “A hospital uses its patient list to announce the arrival of a new specialty group (e.g., orthopedic) or the acquisition of new equipment (e.g., x-ray machine or magnetic resonance image machine) through a general mailing or publication”; “covered entities may not sell lists of patients or enrollees to third parties without obtaining authorization from each person on the list”.
27. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Covered Entities and Business Associates (content last reviewed August 21, 2024). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “If an entity does not meet the definition of a covered entity or business associate, it does not have to comply with the HIPAA Rules”; “but only if they transmit any information in an electronic form in connection with a transaction for which HHS has adopted a standard”.
28. HHS Office of Inspector General. Policy Statement Regarding Gifts of Nominal Value To Medicare and Medicaid Beneficiaries (December 7, 2016). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “a person who offers or transfers to a Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary any remuneration that the person knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary’s selection of a particular provider, practitioner, or supplier of Medicare or Medicaid payable items or services may be liable for civil monetary penalties”; “the statute defines "remuneration" to include, without limitation, waivers of copayments and deductible amounts (or any part thereof) and transfers of items or services for free or for other than fair market value”; “we are interpreting "nominal value" as having a retail value of no more than $15 per item or $75 in the aggregate per patient on an annual basis. As with our previous interpretation, the items may not be cash or cash equivalents”.
29. American Occupational Therapy Association. Ethics (Practice Essentials; the page links the AOTA 2025 Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics, doi:10.5014/ajot.2025.79S302, and AOTA’s Code of Ethics Core Values and Principles infographic). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “Occupational therapy personnel, including occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and students, have an obligation to demonstrate ethical conduct that reflects professional values when working with clients, families, caregivers, administrators, colleagues, policymakers, payers, and other health care professionals”. The infographic (© 2025) shows six guiding ethical principles, beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, justice, veracity and fidelity, and states: “Sanctionable offenses and violations of ethical standards are addressed separately under the Code’s Standards of Conduct, which outline specific and enforceable behaviors. The Ethics Commission enforces the Standards of Conduct under the Enforcement Procedures for the Code.”
30. Federal Trade Commission. Health Products Compliance Guidance (FTC staff business guidance, December 2022). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “the same legal principles apply to the marketing of any health-related product”; “1) Advertising must be truthful and not misleading; and 2) Before disseminating an ad, advertisers must have adequate substantiation for all objective product claims conveyed, expressly or by implication, to consumers acting reasonably”; “advertising includes statements or depictions on packaging and labeling; in promotional materials such as brochures or booklets; on the internet and in other digital content; in social media and influencer marketing; in press releases, press interviews, or other media appearances; at trade shows, conferences, and seminars”.
31. Federal Trade Commission. Advertising FAQ’s: A Guide for Small Business (business guidance). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “Advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive; Advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims; and Advertisements cannot be unfair”; “And every state has consumer protection laws that govern ads running in that state”; “Before a company runs an ad, it has to have a "reasonable basis" for the claims”.
32. American Occupational Therapy Association. Occupations and everyday activities (Practice: Domain and Process). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “Occupational therapy practitioners are experts at helping people perform the occupations they need and want to do every day”; “Occupations can be done at home, at work or school, and in the community”; “The broad range of occupations is categorized in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF-4) as activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, health management, rest and sleep, education, work, play, leisure, and social participation”.
33. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Milestone Checklists with Tips in All Available Languages (Learn the Signs. Act Early., dated June 11, 2025). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “CDC’s Milestone Checklists with Tips, developed by the "Learn the Signs. Act Early." program, provides a fun and easy way for parents and caregivers to track and support their child’s early development”. Besides English, the page offers the checklists in Spanish, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Farsi, French, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Korean, Chinese, Somali, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
34. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Customization, Translations, and Ordering Online (Learn the Signs. Act Early., dated January 27, 2026). Checked October 23, 2026.
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    “If you are interested in adding your organization’s contact information or logo to "Learn the Signs. Act Early." materials, please follow the below steps”; “Customized materials may not include the CDC or HHS logos”; “Do not edit the milestones or other content within the materials”; “Learn the Signs. Act Early. pre-printed resources are no longer available to order online through CDC. We recommend either viewing and printing the resources from the LTSAE resources site or reaching out to your local Act Early Ambassador to ask about the availability of free resources at the state and/or local level”.
35. National PTA. Promoting Your Event (Local Leader Kit, Promotion and Media Relations). “If your PTA is a school or district-based PTA, ask about using the tools available to you through your school(s)”; “Consider creating promotional messages and materials in multiple languages to reach all families in your school community”. Checked October 23, 2026.

Medical disclaimer. This page is for general educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is general guidance on running a therapy practice, not legal, compliance, billing or financial advice. PTAs, school districts and states set their own rules, so confirm the ones that apply to your talk with the host and your own adviser.