Let’s discuss what online speech therapy, its advantages and how it can help you.
How Does Online Speech Therapy Work?
Online speech therapy, also called virtual or teletherapy, is when speech therapists use video conferencing to meet with your child through therapy sessions at home. . It uses online games, apps and materials that are accessible at home and support your speech therapist’s practices, techniques and activities. The majority of speech therapy conducted at home is at the same quality as it would be for in-person care.
Digital tools may also used for sharing information between you and your child’s therapist. You can send videos and recordings of the child’s behavior at home for your therapist to review. This is useful for assessing your child further because their behavior is observed through everyday activities, instead of a clinical setting.
How Is It Different from In-Person Speech Therapy?
Many parents find in-person therapy to be the most standard option. This means that therapy is provided by a speech-language pathologist at the school or clinic. While speech therapy services are typically delivered in person, achieving your child’s speech goals can be done through both in-person and online therapy.
Online therapy is effective at dealing with communication challenges. It has been recognized as an appropriate delivery model for speech-language pathology, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
The methods of in-person and virtual speech therapy were also evaluated in a study from Ohio. The school children in the study improved greatly through both delivery types, but the online therapy kids had better mastery of their Individual Education Plans (IEP’s). Online speech-language therapy achieves similar or better results compared to in-person conventional therapy.
Is online therapy the best fit for my family?
Online speech therapy is one of the many ways to receive speech therapy today. It’s best to use online speech therapy when:
You’re looking for quality in your therapy.
Virtual speech-language pathologists (SLP’s) are fully registered and licensed. They have the same qualifications as those who work in hospitals, schools or clinics.
Online alternatives are sometimes offered by practices with physical clinics. In these cases, the same people who conduct in-person speech therapy are available to you online. Whether you are online or in person, comprehensive therapy is available to you.
Even the process of getting dressed and driving up to the clinic only makes it worse for them as they know they are definitely going to a strange location. Having your child at home will help them feel more comfortable, especially if they are anxious of the traditional therapy setting at a clinic.
Your child is more comfortable at home.
Virtual therapy brings therapy to a place of comfort. If you try to get them ready for therapy, some children grow shy and refuse to leave the house. With online therapy, your child doesn’t need time to get used to an activity in a clinic. Your therapist might even see gaps sooner in your child’s performance that they may not see in a clinic setting.
Even the process of getting dressed and driving up to the clinic only makes it worse for them as they know they are definitely going to a stranger location. Having your child at home will help them feel more comfortable, especially if they are anxious of the traditional therapy setting at a clinic.
You want to be more involved as a parent.
Excellent parent coaching opportunities can come from speech therapy at home. You keep disturbance at the minimum when your family is in a natural environment. Other activities at home stay as they are every day, and will help your child feel like they aren’t being observed when playing or talking to you.
Parents have an opportunity to be more involved in their child’s online therapy sessions. It’s also easier for parents to incorporate speech practices at home when they learn from their therapists at home.
You want a more convenient therapy that fits your schedule.
Virtual therapy also eliminates the time you spend driving to your clinic. You don’t have to worry about bad weather on the way, road traffic, or the hassle of searching for parking when you arrive. Online speech therapy is also the safest way to get quality therapy when you are advised to stay at home.
There are also many online speech therapists that can help you work therapy around your schedule, instead of you adjusting to clinic hours. Your child can have accessible therapy after school and you can even join them after work to help with their speech development.
Speech therapy can also be done online when there isn’t much availability for in-person services in a small town or if the nearest clinic is too far away. Online speech therapy also allows you to seek a specialist if your child needs one, regardless of distance.
Conclusion
Speech therapy can be done online, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. Signing on to the benefits of online therapy is worth it for some families, and it’s important to choose the method that fits your family best. To learn more about whether online speech therapy is right for your child, sign up for a free consultation and talk to us about it.