Speech Therapy by Telehealth (Video Conferencing): Parent Guidelines

Description

During these difficult times, we’ve had quite a few enquiries about Plain English Telehealth Guidelines, so we’ve decided to make ours freely available to speech pathologists.

Speech pathology by telehealth (via video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Skype or Coviu) is convenient and the evidence-base supporting its use is growing, especially in areas of practice like stuttering (e.g. Bridgman, 2014).

But video conferencing telehealth has its disadvantages, too. Compared to face-to-face therapy:

• families are more likely to cancel appointments at short notice;
• you don’t have as much control over preparations, resources or whether the parent and client are prepared for your call;
• parents and clients are more likely to get up and leave the room during therapy; and
• siblings are more likely to wander in and interrupt (e.g. Bridgman et al., 2015).

These Speech Therapy by Telehealth Guidelines are designed to help you explain to clients what you need from them to deliver effective speech therapy via telehealth to their child.

Principal source: Bridgman, K., Block, S., & O’Brian, S. (2015). Webcam delivery of the Lidcombe Program: Insights from a clinical trial. Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology, 17(3), 125-129.