All About Teletherapy Part One: Is Teletherapy Right for My Child?
At Better Learning Therapies, our brand promise is “Therapy on Your Level.” Teletherapy is an evolving resource that helps us to meet the unique needs of your family. Speech, occupational, feeding, and physical therapy are just a few of the fields within healthcare that have adapted and increased access to care for families.
In this three-part blog series, we will explore some of the misconceptions about teletherapy, how to prepare for a great session, and take a deep dive into feeding teletherapy. Have questions or concerns you’d like us to address in this series? Just let us know!
What Are The Benefits of Teletherapy?
Some parents may be unsure whether Speech, Occupational, Feeding or Physical Therapy provided electronically would work for their child. After engaging in teletherapy sessions, most parents feel they have a better understanding of their child’s needs because they are so much more involved in therapy sessions. Our clients often achieve goals quickly because they practice more at home.
Teletherapy works well for many clients. Homeschooling families or those with multiple children may find it more convenient to schedule therapy sessions to take place from home. This virtual format also works well for children who are ill, homebound, or have compromised immune systems. Families who live too far to easily travel to a clinic multiple times per month or who have limited access to reliable transportation can access services through teletherapy.
Some of the other benefits include:
Fewer missed appointments
Ability to involve family and increase carryover
Therapy within the everyday home environment
Increased consistency and regularity
Convenience & flexibility in scheduling
Social Distancing
Teletherapy on Your Level
These changing times have prompted a deep passion to meet the challenges of our families in need. Using teletherapy, our therapists empower parents to be at the center of the therapy process. It allows the child to be in their home environment with their belongings and their family members. It doesn't mean that you need to sit in front of a computer and do drills. Teletherapy is a way to have very dynamic and innovative treatment, and therapy on your level. We keep it on your level by using a variety of familiar household items and toys to regularly address goals.
Top Four Teletherapy Myths
Myth #1: My child is too young for a teletherapy session.
The days of a “wait and see” approach to speech, motor, and feeding delays are past. Today we know that early intervention can improve your child’s outcomes. At Better Learning Therapies, we have the skills and knowledge to assess all areas of early childhood development. If you feel your child is not obtaining developmental milestones as they should be, please don’t wait and see!
Still, many parents may wonder if their child is too young for teletherapy. Parent education and role modeling are major components of therapy for young children in any setting and this translates particularly well to teletherapy sessions. Your child’s therapist will mentor you during your sessions, showing you how to integrate effective techniques into your daily activities.
“Therapy for kids in this age range typically includes a parent coaching model. Parents play and interact with their children in their own homes as their therapist coaches them on how to use specialized techniques to improve their child’s skills, and gives ideas for activities. Research has shown that this approach is indeed effective.” (Top 5 Misconceptions of Teletherapy | TherapyWorks)
Myth #2: My child doesn’t have a long enough attention span for teletherapy.
Therapy is not one-size-fits-all! Based on your child’s attention and sensory needs, our skilled therapists incorporate movement activities and breaks into their sessions. Therapy activities are selected to match your child's learning style. Our therapy sessions are fun and interactive, including games and screen sharing to keep your child motivated and interested throughout the session.
There are also many things you as a parent can do to help your child prepare for a great session. Check out the next post in this blog series for ideas to prepare for a great therapy session! Even with our skilled and engaging teletherapists and your excellent preparation, some children who struggle to remain in one place or need specific tactile cues to complete therapy tasks may require in-person therapy over teletherapy. Your child’s therapist will work with you to determine the best fit!
Myth #3: Teletherapy isn’t as effective as in-person therapy.
Have you heard about teletherapy but are apprehensive because you’re unsure about its effectiveness? Research studies continue to show that in-person therapy and teletherapy with a parent’s help are similar in outcomes! Additionally, significant improvements were observed in parents’ ability to coach their children and in their children’s skills. Teletherapy is a viable option for children. We’ve linked two of those studies here if you’d like to check them out!
Myth #4: Virtual therapy adds too much screen time.
Some parents ask, “Isn’t teletherapy just more screen time?” In short, no. There are great differences between content and engagement when it comes to comparing passive screen time with teletherapy sessions. (Teletherapy and Screen Time: All Screen Time is Not Created Equal)
Watching a television show or playing an online game are forms of passive or static screen time. It is a good idea to limit this type of screen time. However, teletherapy is a two-way interactive video. Teletherapy sessions are actively engaging a child’s brain and are filled with communication, socialization, and brain work. There might be a screen separating a child and their therapist, but they are still face to face, positively interacting on a regular basis, and participating in fun activities together.
What Do Our Therapists & Parents Say About Teletherapy?
Ms. Ashley
“I have very much enjoyed the continuity of care teletherapy has offered our military families. We know that a permanent change of station (PCS) is hard enough already, but when you must end therapy care and wait for placement in your new station location, progress can be lost. Teletherapy allows us to continue care or at least bridge the gap while the family is in transition. Consistency in treatment is vital and teletherapy can be a great tool.” - Ashley Bonkofsky, MS, CCC-SLP, Speech Language Pathologist, Feeding Therapist
Ms. Heather
“I love being able to work with families in their home environment using teletherapy. It gives me a great idea of how we can help set up the environment at home to help the child be most successful. For any type of program where the main focus is parent training, such as early intervention, teletherapy is my very favorite. We can use preferred toys and really help the parent help their child with their communication needs most effectively.” - Heather Amann, MS, CCC-SLP, Speech Language Pathologist
Ms. eMILY
“I love being able to meet clients and their families in their homes with the idea that we can collaborate on goals in order to create a holistic therapy plan for their individual needs. No matter the age, parents need to feel empowered with the skills necessary to help their children succeed. Teletherapy is a great resource to increase participation in a familiar setting, incorporate a child’s favorite activities, and also provide flexibility! For the military families that I typically work with, teletherapy provides accessibility and continuity of care in an otherwise chaotic lifestyle.” - Emily Rankin, MS, CCC-SLP, Speech Language Pathologist, Feeding Therapist
mS. Jessica
“The flexibility and convenience that teletherapy allows clients is unmatched. Teletherapy has really taken a lot of pressure off of children and parents especially if anyone in the household is having a difficult day. Teletherapy allows for a more naturalistic and less invasive feel to therapy that doesn't require trying to get everyone out of their pajamas, into the car, to the clinic, and into the treatment room or rush from the school pick-up line to the clinic with no down time in between to unwind. Teletherapy is fabulous for continuity of care not only for those who enjoy traveling, or are required to travel for their employment, but it also allows clients to still have their scheduled appointment if a family member is sick and cannot bring them to our clinic which is especially great during cold and flu season!” - Jessica Sutton, M.S., CCC-SLP; Speech-Language Pathologist, Feeding Therapist, and Front Desk Assistant
Our Parents
“I love that teletherapy is at home and flexible. I really like that it’s child-led and we can incorporate my child’s interests. I feel like I can easily implement the strategies practiced in the therapy session at home afterward.” - BLT Parent Comment, Preferred to be Anonymous
“I was definitely wary of doing OT with teletherapy for my son, and I felt crazy chasing him around with my camera so they could see what he was working on for them, but it actually worked out really well. As another plus, he was more willing to do the exercises at home, outside of the therapy appointment, because he had done them before with us (and his sisters encouraged him and helped out, even joining in!) Overall really happy with it.” - BLT Parent Comment, Preferred to be Anonymous
