Understanding Direct, Consultative, and Embedded PT Services

School-based physical therapy can be delivered in different ways. Some services are direct. Some are consultative. Some are embedded into school routines through staff support, equipment use, environmental adaptation, or collaboration with the team.

No service model is automatically better in every situation. The important question is whether the model fits the student’s educational needs and whether the team understands how the support works.

Caregivers should be able to ask what the service model means, who receives the support, where it shows up during the school day, and how the team will know whether it is helping.