As we all know, in the digital age, things change rapidly, and not always for the better. So much of the technological innovation seems to be nothing more than a poor digital replacement for long lost quality. So, while for online schools, teletherapy would look to be a no-brainer, why should brick and mortar schools replace their onsite therapists?
For starters, teletherapy blends the most excellent quality in speech-language therapy with the many benefits that digital innovations afford. Aside from the many advantages to SLPs, it offers much for schools as well. Perhaps most important of all, study after study has shown its effectiveness.
Nevertheless, as an administrator with the responsibility for making decisions that will impact the entire school or even district, you are undoubtedly interested in getting concrete. Below are three of the most sought-after benefits that teletherapy offers.
1. Teletherapy eliminates the need to travel
It may sound trite, but online therapy is just a click away. After the basic setup of verifying your Internet connection and a few technical details, you are good to go. No reason to worry about the therapist not showing up or being late, therapy can be provided from the comfort of the therapist’s home.
For parents, it is a dream come true. No need to bring along the other children to the session or find a babysitter. Students can receive teletherapy during school hours or at home. Saving on travel for both the therapist and student allows both to be more awake and engaged during the session, an important factor in enhancing therapeutic outcomes.
2. Teletherapy brings down the bottom line
It would be difficult to match the savings teletherapy affords to brick and mortar schools. First of all, the elimination of therapist related travel expenses are a tremendous savings all by itself. But there is another, and perhaps, more important reason that it will save you money. It can be summed up in one word: recruitment.
National statistics consistently show that there is a growing therapist shortage around the country. As you already know, recruiting and hiring high-quality therapists is becoming more and more cost prohibitive. By working with an online therapy agency, this entire line item on the budget ceases to exist. Think about that, top quality therapists when you want them for no extra cost!
3. Teletherapy allows for unprecedented session review
Just imagine if your hard-working students could replay that last speech-language session over and over again until they got it just right. In face-to-face therapy, aside from the technical challenges involved, “taping” the session could make the child anxious and consequently negatively impact performance.
However, with remote therapy, every session is being recorded without the child even being aware. Recording sessions can prove to be an invaluable resource over the course of the year. Also, a parent can monitor sessions to see how both their child and the therapist are performing.
4. Join the teletherapy revolution
So why are you waiting? Day by day, more and more schools are turning to teletherapy to offer their students top-notch therapy with all of the benefits that technology has to offer.
Isn’t it time that you did the same?
