Connie Upton, M.S., CCC-SLP, joined the PL Care Network in 2018. We interviewed her about the roots of her passion for speech-pathology and asked her to tell us a little about her experience transitioning to teletherapy.  Introduction I grew up in Kennebunk, Maine and went to the University of New Hampshire in Durham for my undergraduate degree. I worked for a year in New Hampshire, and then I went back to UNH to get my M.S. degree. Before moving to Germany, I lived in Southern Maine working for Pine Tree Society, a non-profit organization, doing a variety of speech therapy responsibilities—I was digging into AAC, doing evaluations, consultations, and providing therapy to people of all ages. I worked with Pine Tree Society for a number…

This month, we sat down with our Head of Clinical Standards and Outreach, Kristin Martinez, M.A. CCC-SLP, to learn more about how students with severe disabilities and impairments can benefit from teletherapy. During our interview, Kristin explains student candidacy and adaptive approaches to serving students with more severe impairments. What are some common misconceptions about student candidacy for teletherapy? One of the most common misconceptions about providing speech-language services via teletherapy is that this cannot be a successful service delivery model for students with more significant needs. At PresenceLearning, we have the benefit of a decade of experience providing online school-based services. Our students have progressed, met IEP goals, and graduated from services regardless of their primary disabilities or level of impairment. However, there are…

Jason M., M.A., CCC-SLP, has been a speech pathologist for 15 years. He attended Appalachian State University as an undergraduate and completed his Masters degree at South Carolina State University. Jason is currently working on his Doctorate in Education. Jason has been an SLP in the PL Care Network since 2016. How has the PL online platform enabled you to help your students and the schools you serve in new ways? The PresenceLearning Platform has provided me with the opportunity to help students in ways that I never before thought were possible. Using the online library allows me to access an almost infinite array of resources, activities, and materials to use with my students. Students love using technology and are enthusiastic to learn in a…

Karen M., CCC-SLP, is a lead clinician with PresenceLearning. Karen started working as an SLP in 1980. She was ripe for change and started researching teletherapy. After trying it out, she made the switch. Karen joined the PL Care Network in 2011 and in 2014, added the lead clinician role to her therapy work. How has the PL online platform enabled you to help your students and the schools you serve in new ways? The PL online platform has allowed me to group virtual school students working on social skills/pragmatics goals with students with similar goals who live in different parts of the state. I can group according to skill level instead of location. The same can be done for brick and mortar schools. Two…

Karen McBride, CCC-SLP, is a lead clinician with PresenceLearning. She currently lives in Pawling, New York. Karen started working as an SLP in 1980. She was ripe for change and started researching teletherapy. After trying it out, she made the shift. Karen joined the PL Care Network in 2011 and in 2014, added the lead clinician role to her therapy work. Could you walk us through your daily routine? A “day in the life of a PL therapist” if you will?  My workday is different every day. Generally, I will start with a birth-to-3 program in Maine. That population is my passion. I provide services to East Coast districts but as the day moves forward my other schools in Michigan, Missouri, Idaho and California start…

Barbara J., M.S., CCC-SLP Barbara J., M.S., CCC-SLP, grew up in the Washington, D.C. area, went to college in Texas where she lived for 9 years after graduate school, and then moved to Arkansas where she’s lived ever since. She joined the PresenceLearning Care Network of providers in 2016. How has the PL online platform enabled you to help your students and the schools you serve in new ways? Prior to being served by PresenceLearning, the schools in my PL district were visited by an SLP only once per quarter. The towns are only accessible by ferry and floatplane, making weekly services impossible. The SLP did all evaluations and training of staff in one day each quarter. For the past three years the children have…

If you’re a clinician working in a school setting, you know it’s important to prepare yourself for the back-to-school season. Our Head of Clinical Standards and Outreach, Kristin Martinez, CCC-SLP, provides tips on teletherapy organization and time management as we embark on the FY19–FY20 school year: How do you set yourself up for success with time management and organization in teletherapy? Whether you are located onsite or virtual, the school-based SLP’s primary role and responsibility is maintaining compliance for all students on his/her caseload. Maintaining compliance includes provision of direct therapy and consultation according to each IEP’s service delivery statement, reporting progress as outlined in the IEP, and, of course, ensuring that all annual and triennial review meetings and associated reevaluations are completed according to…

Cindy H., M.S., CCC-SLP, started her studies at the University of Missouri, Columbia (Mizzou), and later transferred to Southern Illinois University where she finished her B.S. and M.S. degrees in 1995 and 1997. Cindy worked as an SLP in “brick & mortar” schools for 15 years initially and has now been a provider with PresenceLearning for seven years.  How has the PL online platform enabled you to help your students and the schools you serve in new ways? The PL platform provides me with a wealth of organizational tools which enable me to utilize my time efficiently. I can access my student schedule quickly and view it in varied formats to suit my needs, making scheduling or rescheduling easy. The platform allows me to organize…

Angela Coyle, M.S.Ed., was born and raised in Iowa and attended college at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana where she lived for 30 years. She currently lives in Arizona with her husband. She has two sons in college, ages 20 and 22.  What inspired you to become a school psychologist? I always thought I’d be an educator, but I went through a back door. I started working for public television for PBS and NPR and really liked that. I started doing education outreach through Sesame Street and Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood and realized I really was supposed to be an educator. I didn’t necessarily want to go through a classroom process and be a classroom teacher. I decided to be a school psychologist because I really…

  Hollie F., CCC-SLP, graduated with her speech language pathology degree from Missouri State University and has been a practicing SLP for 12 years. We interviewed her to understand how she collaborates with the school partners she supports: How has the PL online platform enabled you to help your students and the schools you serve in new ways? The PL platform has enabled me to increase students’ success toward goal mastery by providing essential assessment and treatment materials at my fingertips. The ability to document goal progress during the session is priceless. My productivity is maximized and my time can be spent focusing on face to face interactions with the students. Can you tell us a little about how you collaborate with teachers and other…