Telepractice? Telemedicine? Online sessions?

A Quick Read to Help Parents Navigate through Therapy Services in Times of Pandemic

During the past months, we witnessed a boom in online services, with the new social distancing rules and movement restrictions being in place. Individuals and companies did their best to adapt to the new rules so they could protect themselves and the community. Many of us had the chance to observe closely how people and businesses adapted to this new reality: online services were available from schools to yoga studios. And the healthcare sector is not an exception. We also did our best to continue providing the very best medical service to those in need. 

It is true that long-distance service is not a novelty in Medicine. Its been around for many years, usually to support communities and individuals who do not have access to services due to their remote location of residence. In Speech & Language Therapy long-distance services have also been used for a long time. The American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) established that all SLT and Audiology online services should be labeled as telepractice. ASHA defines telepractice as the application of telecommunications technology to delivery of speech-language services at a distance by linking client to clinician for assessment, intervention, and/or consultation.

Many parents are concerned if their child will receive the same quality session online as meeting with the therapist face to face. In fact, research shows that this is a very effective approach. And the advantages of telepractice does not stop here:

1. Eliminate transportation concerns, saving money and time.
2. Reduces absences, consequently boosting treatment effectiveness, since session attendance is one of the key elements of therapeutic success.
3. Highly motivating especially for teenagers and older children that love gadgets.
4. A great solution for people with vulnerable health and safety concerns.
5. Schedule friendly since parents can easily book the session during their spare time.
6. Promotes total family involvement since parents are required to attend the session together with their child.

Call or email your therapist today to learn what do you need to start with telepractice sessions.

Resources:

https://www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Professional-Issues/Telepractice/