The Educate Online Speech-Language Telepractice solution

Progressus Therapy driven by Educate Online

Educate Online, a division of Sylvan Learning’s parent organization, is uniquely positioned and capable of solving this unique market and educational problem through a combination of Internet-based technology and remote and flexible staffing. With over 9 years of experience, Educate Online has delivered online diagnostic/prescriptive individualized instruction to over 50,000 students, employing over 2,000 remote certified teachers during this time frame. Educate Online succeeds through the employment of highly-interactive technologies which allow for the successful interaction between student and a flexible, remote workforce of qualified, U.S.-based teachers.

Educate Online will solve the problem of insufficient supply of speech-language therapy services and speech-language pathologists through a unique approach to online teletherapy that remedies the short-comings in the market and the short-falls in current teletherapy methods.

The Educate Online approach will be based on:

• At-home and remote speech-language pathologist sourcing and clinical services delivery. Educate Online’s educational platform will enable the participation of remote and at-home speech-language pathologists, thereby expanding significantly the sourcing of therapy session delivery coupled with appropriate administrative software capabilities
• Lower-cost deployment and delivery model
• High-quality session delivery
• The incorporation into Educate Online’s instructional platform of an expanded set of tracking, management, and curricular tools that enhance the adherence of speech-language therapy delivery and outcome to IEP goals and targeted grade level classroom standards called for in both IDEA and NCLB requirements
   

What is Speech-Language Telepractice?
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Telepractice Working Group presented the following policy in their 2005 position statement:

Telepractice is the application of telecommunications technology to deliver professional services at a distance by linking clinician to client, or clinician to clinician for assessment, intervention, and/or consultation. It is the position of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) that telepractice (telehealth) is an appropriate model of service delivery for the profession of speech-language pathology. Telepractice may be used to overcome barriers of access to services caused by distance, unavailability of specialists and/or subspecialists, and impaired mobility. Telepractice offers the potential to extend clinical services to remote, rural, and underserved populations, and to culturally and linguistically diverse populations.

The use of telepractice does not remove any existing responsibilities in delivering services, including adherence to the Code of Ethics, Scope of Practice, state and federal laws (e.g., licensure, HIPAA, etc.), and ASHA policy documents on professional practices. Therefore, the quality of services delivered via telepractice must be consistent with the quality of services delivered face-to-face.

ASHA video on telepractice:

Why is speech-language telepractice needed?

    Nearly 1.2 million students present speech and/or language impairments as their primary disability, accounting for approximately 20% of the 6 million students ages 6-21 with disabilities served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). An additional large percentage of students presents speech and/or language impairments as secondary or tertiary disabilities. Schools are the largest provider of speech-language services to children 0-22 years old in the United States (American Speech-Language Hearing Association, 2005).

    Despite the incredible demand, there is a critical shortage of speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Factors contributing to the shortages are: difficult working conditions, excessive paperwork, insufficient personnel supply, increased demand for services, retirements, and lack of funding. School-based practitioners report that the shortages have resulted in increased caseload sizes, less opportunity for collaboration, decreased opportunities for individualized services for students, decreased quality of services, and reduction in or denial of services to eligible students (www.asha.org/members/slp/schools/prof-consult/need02/vacancies).

    Currently, approximately 50% of SLPs work in the school setting. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects the employment rate of SLPs to demonstrate only average growth through the year 2014. More than 14,000 additional SLPs will be needed to fill the demand between 2004 and 2014, a 15% increase in job openings (BLS, 2006). Additional data on vacancies for SLPs in schools is available in the Twenty Sixth Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

    Because such a large portion of students with disabilities require speech-language services, an adequate supply of highly-qualified SLPs is crucial to the success of students. School districts are challenged to provide high quality, evidence-based speech-language services to children ages 0-22. Since the supply of SLPs currently graduating from universities does not meet the demand, innovative solutions such as telepractice are needed in order to meet the needs of school districts and children.