By: Lindsay Barret MS, CCC-SLP
While teletherapy may not be ideal or appropriate for everyone, there are several aspects of virtual sessions that challenge the exact therapeutic goals our children are working on, simply by delivering services that are virtual in nature. Teletherapy is not a new concept in the field, but it certainly has become much more prevalent.
Below is a list of benefits of teletherapy that exist simply as a result of therapy being conducted digitally. Of course, teletherapy is not right for everyone, so be sure to talk to your child’s speech therapist to learn if it is right for you and your child.
1. Flexibility: Telesessions are new for most children and require them to become accustomed to activities that were not part of their typical routines. Activities that were once done in person must be altered to fit the digital world. Technical issues will certainly arise and parents/caregivers are now required to manage these challenges. All of these elements associated with teletherapy require kids to be flexible, assess the “size” of the problem/alter their reactions to match the severity of the problem, and take the perspective of their parent(s), caregiver, and/or clinician. Targeting these social skills during therapy is a common component of treatment plans for the children we work with.
2. Parent/caregiver involvement: Many parents and caregivers are involved now more than ever. They often sit in on the child’s virtual sessions, helping the child attend and solving technical issues that may occur. This helps parents learn the techniques and strategies implemented by the clinician. Skills can then be targeted outside of therapy, in real world settings.
3. Generalization of skills: Conducting therapy virtually means that therapy is held in a new setting, beyond the walls of a treatment room. This helps the child generalize the skills targeted in therapy to new environments. Given that therapists are virtually “in the home,” this gives therapists the opportunity to incorporate new materials into their sessions, particularly ones that the child has at home and already knows and loves.
4. Attention: Focusing and listening through a screen requires different skills than attending to a person in the room. Children have fewer cues to rely on during digital sessions. Tactile cues are no longer an option, while visual and auditory cues become the focus. Given that sessions are typically conducted in the child’s home, new distractions are present. Items around the room, sounds, and people that were not present within the treatment room have to be filtered out.
5. Routine: Kids need to feel a sense of control and an understanding of what is to be expected. Speech and language teletherapy offers the chance to maintain a sense of their weekly routine/therapy sessions, if in-person services are not available. It also promotes continuity of services which supports their progress overall.