Making Connections: Why Teletherapy is Gaining Momentum In the Therapy World
Teletherapy is taking the therapy world by storm, and it's not hard to see why. These days, our children know more about technology than most of us do, and it's been part of their environment from birth. Add to that the fact that using technology is super fun and convenient, and it seems natural that many parents are actively seeking out this method of delivery for speech and language therapy.
But what IS teletherapy anyway? Teletherapy is a modality for therapy services including evaluation and treatment that involves the use of technology, specifically, the computer and internet. Generally, these services are provided using a secure platform, or connection software.
At Capital Speech & Language Therapy Services in Tallahassee, we utilize a secure, private platform that allows our clients and therapists to see and hear one another using a web camera and microphone. Our clients participate in hands-on activities on the computer using the mouse and keyboard. Our clients love interacting and learning through the use of games, interactive learning activities, and even special effects like voice changers and silly hats and hair on the clinician during therapy!
Teletherapy is a great option for clients living in rural areas that either don't have access to therapy or would be required to travel to access therapy. It's also a great option for parents who have busy schedules or for those who participate in homeschooling. Speech and language therapy provided using teletherapy has been found to be effective and beneficial by numerous research studies (You can find a few of these studies referenced at the end of this article), and has been used successfully for children of various ages, with a wide variety of diagnosis. Some of these diagnosis include Autism, Apraxia, Articulation and Phonological impairments, Receptive and Expressive Language impairments, Stuttering, and many others.
Teletherapy allows clients anywhere to have unprecedented access to qualified, knowledgeable Speech-Language Pathologists that they might not otherwise be able to utilize. As this service delivery model continues to grow exponentially, the future looks bright for teletherapy!
*Capital Speech & Language Therapy Services, offers teletherapy options for both evaluation and therapy services. In addition, we are Gardiner, PLSA Providers, and all of our Speech-Language Pathologists are certified by the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), and are licensed through the State of Florida.
*For more information regarding services for your child, please contact:
Robyn Hillison, Owner & Director at rhillison@capitalspeechpath.com
Research for Teletherapy Practice:
Boisvert, M., Hall, N., Andrianopoulos, M., Chaclas, J. (2012). The multi-faceted implementation of telepractice to service individuals with autism. International Journal of Telerehabilitation.
Fairweather, C.; Parkin, M.; Roza, M. (2004). Speech and language assessment in school-aged children via videoconferencing. Presented at the World Congress of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics, Brisbane, Australia.
Waite, M., Theodoros, D. G., Russell, T., Cahill, L. ( 2010). Internet-based telehealth assessment of language using the CELF-4. Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 41, 445– 458.
Waite, M., Theodoros, D. G., Russell, T., Cahill, L. ( 2010). Assessing children’s literacy via an Internet-based telehealth system. Telemedicine and e-Health, 16, 564– 575.
