Teletherapy is an effective way to continue to provide services via HIPAA compliant video conferencing and is an excellent option for continuing to progress your child's communication skills while overcoming the current barrier to direct services due to COVID-19.
During this difficult time, health and safety are the most important priorities, but your child's individual needs are important as well. Most activities conducted via teletherapy will be similar to a typical session, however parent participation is a key component if children need assistance during the session and for carry-over of goal work throughout the week.
Teletherapy sessions will be a combination of individual goal work and practice during the video conference, and updated home program assignments sent via email. In order for teletherapy to work, clients will need access to the internet and a computer or mobile device with a working camera and microphone, and the session will be initiated on the secure telehealth portal.
Current research regarding telehealth indicates that it is equivalent to face-to-face treatment, that communication outcomes are similar with treatement via telehealth, and that telehealth outcomes are significantly better than no-treatment conditions*.
I will make sure to work with each client to ensure that the telehealth sessions are valuable and that the client continues to make progress on their individualized goals.
Teletherapy success checklist:
Work area: determine an area that will be good for your child to work and remove distractions that may interrupt the session
Seating: find a chair or area to sit where the session’s work can be done comfortably and easily; seat should be in close proximity to the screen and at optimal height for the camera
Device: make sure the computer/device has a camera and microphone, a screen that is large enough for therapy materials and activities to be seen clearly, and (if possible) plug directly into the Ethernet to optimize connection and internet speed
Availability: be ready to go 5-10 minutes before the session, make the client is ready to work (is focused and has gone to the bathroom, snack prior to session if needed), and make sure that a caregiver will be available during the session if necessary to provide repetition of directions, redirection to task, or prompts
Homework: please have speech homework available for reference during the session
Shared Items or and activities: if desired, the client may may want to choose some items to share during the session
*Based on the following research: Coufal et al., 2018; Grogan-Johnson et al., 2013; Sutherland et al., 2018; and Wales et al., 2017.