When a district needs a speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist or other related-service provider, the first question used to be "who can we hire?" Now it is also "how should services be delivered?" There are three main models, and most districts end up using more than one.
On-site
A clinician works in your building, on your schedule.
Best for:
Students who need hands-on support, such as many OT goals, younger students, or students with significant attention or sensory needs.
Push-in services in classrooms and close collaboration with teachers.
Buildings with a full caseload that justifies a regular presence.
Trade-offs: harder to staff, especially in rural or spread-out districts, and travel between buildings eats into therapy time.
Virtual (teletherapy)
A licensed clinician delivers live sessions by video.
Best for:
Covering an open position quickly.
Online and virtual schools, where students already learn from home.
Older students and students who do well with screen-based work.
Buildings that are hard to reach.
Trade-offs: not every student or goal suits video. ASHA's guidance is that telepractice should be of equal quality to in-person services, schools are responsible for equipment and connectivity, and in-person services must be offered when telepractice is not appropriate (ASHA). One Michigan superintendent told Bridge Michigan the best speech services are delivered face-to-face (Bridge Michigan), and for some students they are right.
Hybrid
The same clinician, or the same team, combines on-site days with virtual sessions.
Best for:
Covering several buildings without adding drive time.
Keeping in-person time for the students who need it most.
Districts moving from virtual coverage toward an on-site hire.
Trade-offs: it takes planning. Schedules, IEP service delivery notes and communication with teachers all need to account for both modes.
How to decide
Ask these questions for each building or caseload:
What do the IEPs require? Some goals clearly need hands-on work.
How quickly do you need coverage? Virtual can start sooner.
How spread out are the students? Travel time is therapy time lost.
What support is there on the student's end? An aide, teacher or learning coach makes virtual sessions work.
Is this temporary or long-term? Many districts start virtual and add on-site days as the relationship grows.
Whatever you choose, document the delivery method in the IEP and revisit it as student needs change.
How Anwar House of Therapy helps
We provide on-site, virtual and hybrid services from the same team: speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, social workers, school psychologists, resource room teachers and paraprofessionals. Because we are a clinic with locations in Ann Arbor and Dearborn, students can also be seen in person when that is the right fit.
Frequently asked questions
Can one team provide on-site and virtual services?
Yes. Anwar House of Therapy provides on-site, virtual and hybrid services from the same team.
Is virtual or in-person therapy better?
It depends on the student and the role. Many districts use virtual services to cover an open position right away and in-person services where hands-on support matters.
Which roles can be delivered virtually?
Speech therapy is the most common. Other services depend on the student's needs and goals, and your IEP team decides what is appropriate.
Not sure which model fits? Talk to our school team or call (734) 224-9121.
