Case Study: Washington Virtual Academies (WAVA) expands access to speech therapy and accelerates student progress with PresenceLearning

Live Online Speech Therapy Expands Educational Options for Washington State Students

Washington Virtual Academies (WAVA), a statewide virtual K–12 program, struggled to meet students’ IEP speech therapy needs because local speech‑language pathologists were scarce and parents wanted in‑home services without interrupting remote learning. The shortage meant WAVA sometimes couldn’t provide required services or had to turn away students, creating staffing headaches and limiting enrollment.

WAVA partnered with PresenceLearning in fall 2010 to deliver live online speech therapy. Setup was simple, students made strong progress, and parents reported high satisfaction—many learned reinforcement strategies by observing sessions. In the first year WAVA moved about half its speech therapy caseload online, plans to expand to younger students, and has eased staffing burdens while enabling more students to enroll regardless of location.

Washington Virtual Academies (WAVA)

Kristin Hirschmann

Special Services