As telepractice continues to grow, more children are being  served via telepractice, particularly in schools. It is important that parents are informed prior to starting these services as they have a right (according to federal law) to know that there will be a change in the manner in which their child will receive speech and language services. For many of these families, this may be their first exposure to telepractice services and don’t know what to ask.  Below are a list of questions that they should ask. These questions may also be utilized by schools districts who are contemplating using telepractice to provide speech and language services to their students.

1. Are the SLPs licensed in the state where the students receive services, AND, are they licensed in the state where they are providing services from?
   
   1.  Do the SLPs have their CCC (certificate of clinical competence) from ASHA?
      
   2.  Do they have the appropriate teaching credential from the Department of Education in my state?
      
2. Did the SLP receive any training?
   
   1. Was the training focused on how to use the platform?
      
   2. Was there any training on best practices in telepractice?
      
   3. How many hours did they practice before providing services to my child?
      
3. Does the clinician have at least two full years of experience working in public schools?
   
   1. How secure is the video-conferencing platform being used?
   2.  What happens if someone hacks into my child’s speech and language session?
   3.  Will I be informed if there is a breach?
      
   4.  How quickly will I be informed?
      
4. How do I contact the SLP?
   
5. Who can I contact if there is a problem with my child’s SLP that we cannot solve together?
   
6. May I observe my child remotely?
   
7. How are IEPs handled when the SLP is not local?
   
8. How do I know my child is actually being seen by the remote clinician?
   
9. How  was it determined by  child would be appropriate for telepractice services and by whom was this determined?
   

There are many more questions that parents (or schools) can ask, but these are the essential and important ones that need to be asked first.

Telepractice services are great and can be engaging when provided by the right telepractice clinician. The SLP should have had training in providing services via this model, they should have knowledge about best practices and  be up-to-date on laws and regulations surrounding the provision of these services.  Just as you would vet an in-person clinician, you should ensure that you are comfortable with a remote clinician as well!