The Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services (WCASS) has identified online speech therapy, also known as telepractice or telespeech, as an appropriate service delivery option for schools to address the statewide shortage of licensed speech-language pathologists (SLPs). In their recently released guidelines, “WCASS Special Projects Committee Report: Guidance to School Districts Facing Shortage of Speech & Language Pathologists,” WCASS outlines the role that qualified online speech therapy service providers, can have in helping districts deliver the necessary services to students with special needs.
The report states: “Local Education Agencies (LEAs) are required to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) to all students enrolled in special education in the district. As part of FAPE, the IEP team may consider a number of service delivery options to meet each student’s needs. If the IEP team determines the use of Telespeech provides FAPE to the student, it may be used as a method of service delivery.”
PresenceLearning’s online speech therapy services provid schools with telepractice services as an option for service delivery. PresenceLearning offers web-based access to a nationwide network of licensed speech-language pathologists who are available whenever and wherever they are needed. PresenceLearning also offers online assessments as well as occupational therapy (OT) and behavior and mental health related services.
