Definition of Habilitative Services
Habilitative services are therapeutic services that are provided to children with genetic conditions or conditions present from birth to enhance the child’s ability to function. Habilitative services are similar to rehabilitative services that are provided to adults or children who acquire a condition later on. The difference is that rehabilitative services are geared toward reacquiring a skill that has been lost or impaired, while habilitative services are provided to help acquire a skill in the first place, such as walking or talking. Habilitative services include, but are not limited to, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy for the treatment of a child with a congenital or genetic birth defect.