School-Based Telepractice Assessment (STA): Guidance for Evaluating School-Based Speech-Language Telepractice Service Delivery

• Published in: Topics in language disorders Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 173 - 188
• Main Authors: Lundblom, Erin, Cohn, Ellen R, Tindall Covert, Lyn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01.04.2022
• Subjects: Allied Health Personnel; Compliance (Legal); Counselor Role; Delivery Systems; Federal Legislation; Language Impairments; Program Evaluation; School Health Services; Speech Impairments; Speech Language Pathology; Speech Therapy; Telecommunications
• ISSN: 0271-8294
• DOI: 10.1097/TLD.0000000000000278

Over 50% of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)-certified speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are employed in schools (ASHA, n.d.). Speech-language pathologists increasingly provide services to students with speech and language disorders via telepractice. ASHA's Roles and Responsibilities of Speech-Language Pathologists in Schools document states that telepractice services must be comparable to in-person services (ASHA, 2010). This article presents the School-Based Telepractice Assessment (STA; Lundblom et al., 2021), comprising aspirational questions related to compliance with federal legislation; personnel; roles and responsibilities of school-based SLPs; and privacy and security issues. The STA is designed for use by SLPs, school administrators, and contracted providers. The guide comprehensively evaluates the range of school-based telepractice components such as diagnostic and therapeutic services, the use of support personnel consultation, preventative services, integration with the school culture and curricula, and compliance with federal regulations. The STA can guide both school-based SLPs and administrators as they prepare for telepractice service delivery and later appraise whether the telepractice services are comparable to in-person school-based practice.