Giving Compass' Take:

• Tara Garcia Mathewson describes the many virtual benefits of teletherapy sessions, which special education has used for years.

• With so many unprecedented challenges facing education, how does familiarity with teletherapy sessions provide some relief? How can you include special education in your coronavirus giving?

• Learn more about how and where you can offer your coronavirus support.

While the pace at which the coronavirus has forced schools to transition to online services is unprecedented, the act of providing these services online is not. And that includes doing special education online.

The idea of continuing to serve students with disabilities paralyzed many school leaders in recent weeks, and even led some to cancel school for everyone rather than tackle the challenge of providing special education online. But Kristin Martinez, the clinical director at PresenceLearning, which provides online special education services, said school leaders should take heart.

PresenceLearning provides licensed speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists and behavioral and mental health professionals to hundreds of schools all over the country. Over the last decade, the company has facilitated more than 2.5 million teletherapy sessions.

In normal times, schools contract with PresenceLearning to outsource certain special education services. When it’s time for a student’s session with a speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist, for example, they sit in front of a computer to communicate with the provider virtually. Martinez said schools have to provide on-site support for the student, whether it’s a paraprofessional or a speech aide, and the level of support they’re expected to give depends on the needs of the student.

Right now, with millions of students at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, many parents are filling in as their children transition to receiving services remotely. Teletherapy under these circumstances can’t exactly mimic the quality of in-person services, but Martinez said it is still possible to serve students with disabilities. At the very least, teletherapy can maintain a level of continuity in children’s lives during a time of upheaval.

Read the full article about teletherapy sessions in special education by Tara Garcia Mathewson at The Hechinger Report.