The Foreign Service Journal, June 2012

74 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 1 2 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT occupational therapy can be delivered during the child’s school day or after school, depending on the resources and preferences of each school. Telepractice offers the opportuni- ty not only to formalize a special edu- cation plan, but to ensure its carry- over from one school to the next. Moreover, it ensures that services are provided by a native speaker of English. Very few Foreign Service families would opt to have their chil- dren educated by non-native English speakers; why would we accept this for children who require special ser- vices? For FS families, the need to find a professional with the appropriate spe- cialization is an additional serious challenge. For example, every speech pathologist offers therapy, but some have specialties. A child with autism might benefit from having a speech pathologist who specializes in autism or nonverbal communication, or an occupational therapist who thorough- ly understands the attention deficits and sensory needs of a child with autism. Here, too, telepractice can provide the answer. Caveats? Sounds good, right? Well, like any- thing new, there are naysayers. In my research for this article I found very few opponents of telepractice, but I did encounter warnings. Many therapists are simply not convinced that their skills could possi- bly be as effective when delivered online. I know speech pathologists who think that while telepractice is probably better than nothing, it’s defi- nitely not the best option. Others believe that special training is required to do online therapy, or that it is only viable with certain populations. For the most part, however, these con- cerns have proved unfounded. ASHA has clearly demonstrated that therapy delivered via telepractice is just as beneficial as traditional in- person therapy. ASHA does not require its therapists to have special training, although there is no denying Telepractice offers the opportunity to both formalize a special education plan and ensure its carryover from one school to the next.