How School Districts Are Leveraging Collaborative Virtual Therapy to Better Serve IEP Students
The landscape of education has undergone a significant transformation over the past few years, and one of the most notable changes is the rise of remote therapy services for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Early adopters of remote therapy in K-12 education found themselves at the forefront of a movement that finally addressed some of the inequities created by critical shortages of qualified clinicians.
However, not all remote therapy options are created the same, and school districts that have leaned into Collaborative Virtual Therapy are redefining how therapy services are delivered in educational settings. Doing so has allowed them to better serve students with IEPs by providing more consistent, accessible, and scalable therapy solutions that involve a care team of providers, educators, and families.
Addressing the Shortage of Clinicians
One of the most pressing issues in delivering IEP-related speech therapy, occupational therapy, and mental health therapy is the shortage of qualified clinicians. Many regions, particularly rural or underserved areas, struggle to recruit and retain therapists due to a lack of qualified candidates. Additionally, many clinicians opt out of working in a K-12 setting, favoring private practice or healthcare settings where they might perceive more flexibility or better compensation. This shortage has long been a barrier to providing the necessary support to students with IEPs.
Remote therapy, however, is helping to mitigate this problem by expanding the pool of available therapists beyond geographical constraints. As noted by Omar Dawood, CEO of Huddle Up, "Teletherapy has the unique ability to bring qualified therapists into communities that have historically struggled to fill these positions. This not only addresses the shortage but also allows for a more diverse range of expertise to be available to students."
Clinicians from any location can now offer their services to students in need, bridging the gap between supply and demand. While this flexibility allows schools to provide therapy services to students, regardless of their location, not all solutions offer the same level of consistency and quality required for IEP students to thrive academically and socially.
Technology as a Differentiator
The COVID-19 pandemic played a pivotal role in changing the perception of remote learning and therapy. Before the pandemic, remote therapy was often viewed as a less effective alternative to in-person services. However, the necessity of remote solutions during school closures forced educators, parents, and therapists to adapt quickly. This, in turn, prompted many organizations in and outside of K-12 education to invest heavily in remote platforms used to engage and support these audiences.
“Prior to the pandemic, the most difficult hurdle to overcome was getting people to their first televisit. Once they experienced their first session, they noted how similar the services were and the ease of joining through video conference,” Rachel Mack-Robinson said, who, as an SLP by trade, founded Huddle Up prior to the pandemic to deliver remote therapy to students. “Since then, technological innovations in secure communication, interactive and collaborative tools, and digital therapeutics have empowered both clinicians and clients and paved the way for a more flexible and accessible model of therapy.”
These advancements have further supported a shift in the perception of remote therapy. High-quality video conferencing platforms, secure data sharing, and specialized online therapy tools have made remote therapy not only feasible but also effective. The result has been a widespread realization that remote therapy could be just as effective as in-person therapy when implemented correctly.
“We believe that starts with collaboration among parents, providers, and educators in support of student success,” Dawood said. “For example, at Huddle Up, we’ve built best-in-class tools that allow therapists to spend more time delivering care, a platform that educates and informs parents on their child’s care and progress, and a whole suite of resources to support the educators we partner with. It’s this level of Collaborative Virtual Therapy that is the transformative aspect of what Huddle Up brings to our partners.”
These tools allow therapists to engage with students in a meaningful way, track progress, and collaborate with educators and parents, all within a virtual environment. As a result, Collaborative Virtual Therapy is seen less as a compromise and more as a viable and sometimes preferable option for delivering IEP services.
Comparing Remote Therapy and In-Person Outcomes
When comparing remote to in-person options, early adopters have found that outcomes are often comparable, and in some cases, remote therapy delivers superior outcomes.
Remote therapy offers several advantages, such as reduced distractions in a controlled environment, less time missed due to travel, and more flexibility to tailor sessions to the student’s schedule.
Those working in a Collaborative Virtual Therapy environment have the added benefit of a broader care team they can access for guidance and support, the ability to involve parents more directly in the therapeutic process, and access to tools and resources not available to their on-site counterparts without significant investment from the schools and districts that employ them.
“In-person therapists, especially those in the K-12 space, often find themselves on an island when it comes to clinical oversight and collaboration,” Dawood said. “In addition to our investments in technology, we’ve invested in our people. Our therapists have access to a wealth of resources, including support from a clinical management team and peer-to-peer mentorship.”
Dawood also noted that Huddle Up’s Collaborative Virtual Therapy model means that schools and parents can expect fewer disruptions in their students’ progress as compared to many in-person models. “We employ hundreds of credentialed, W-2 clinicians, many cross-licensed in multiple states, that are available to step in when there’s an unexpected provider absence or when a school's caseload or onsite coverage suddenly changes.”
For IEP students who often require consistent and specialized support, this uninterrupted coverage ensures continuity of care, which is crucial for student development and success. This is something that’s not always possible in situations where schools employ onsite providers without access to backup coverage.
The Advantage of Scalability
Another significant advantage of Collaborative Virtual Therapy is scalability. As student populations and caseloads fluctuate throughout the school year, Collaborative Virtual Therapy provides a flexible solution that can easily adjust to these changes. Schools can quickly increase or decrease the number of therapy sessions offered, depending on the needs of their students, without the logistical challenges associated with hiring or relocating staff. This scalability ensures that all students receive the appropriate level of support, even in the face of changing circumstances.
“At Huddle Up, we’ve shown time after time that we’re able to quickly flex up and support the changing needs of the schools and districts we partner with, often reducing the need for comp and ESY time later in the year,” Dawood said. “In fact, we partner with a number of districts, who have a mix of onsite and remote providers, that count on their partnership with Huddle Up when faced with changing caseloads for the simple reason that it’s much easier for us to lean in with added support than it is for them to recruit and onboard a new provider in the middle of a school year.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, early adopters of remote therapy have helped address the critical shortage of clinicians by leveraging technology that, for some, has greatly improved since it was necessitated by the rise of the pandemic. Those who have pushed further into a Collaborative Virtual Therapy model are better serving IEP students by leveraging a system that supports scalability, ensures continuity of care in the face of changing caseloads and coverage, and engages providers, parents, and educators in the care of their students.
As perceptions continue to evolve, technology advances and collaboration becomes a hallmark of remote therapy, Collaborative Virtual Therapy services are poised to become an integral part of how educational institutions meet the diverse needs of their students.