Telehealth / Teletherapy Benefits

Modified on Fri, 30 May at 5:31 PM

As the research supports, parent/caretaker engagement is critical to the success of AAC (research by Sam Brydon). Besides being accessible and convenient, AAC can be taught remotely and has been found to have profound impact and growth for families.

Although not for all, the benefits of Teletherapy should be considered, not overlooked.

Provider Benefits	Parent Benefits
Everything is video based. It's very easy to record clips for session analysis or proof of progress. Telehealth provides more data taking opportunities for providers Sessions are weather-proof and travel time is saved, which makes scheduling very flexible. Providers get a more accurate picture of family dynamics and behaviors. Parent coaching can be given in real time and in smaller doses, which can help with knowledge retention as well as behaviour shaping. Telehealth aids in generalization of skills at home With wifi access free in grocery stores and department stores, therapy is not limited to home.	Offers the greatest transfer of knowledge between SLP and parents by offering real time training. Geography is no longer a barrier to access the right provider. Virtual meetings are the most efficient use of time and resources. Sessions are planned with toys and tools that already exist in the home. Immunocompromised individuals can access therapy in the safest form. Children are motivated by engaging with parents. Parents are the most important teachers in their child's life. Parents of younger kids are more likely to be engaged in the AAC training process.

Provider Benefits

Parent Benefits

Everything is video based. It's very easy to record clips for session analysis or proof of progress.
Telehealth provides more data taking opportunities for providers
Sessions are weather-proof and travel time is saved, which makes scheduling very flexible.
Providers get a more accurate picture of family dynamics and behaviors.
Parent coaching can be given in real time and in smaller doses, which can help with knowledge retention as well as behaviour shaping.
Telehealth aids in generalization of skills at home
With wifi access free in grocery stores and department stores, therapy is not limited to home.

Offers the greatest transfer of knowledge between SLP and parents by offering real time training.
Geography is no longer a barrier to access the right provider.
Virtual meetings are the most efficient use of time and resources.
Sessions are planned with toys and tools that already exist in the home.
Immunocompromised individuals can access therapy in the safest form.
Children are motivated by engaging with parents. Parents are the most important teachers in their child's life.
Parents of younger kids are more likely to be engaged in the AAC training process.

Beyond the basic setup, several tools and techniques can enhance your Teletherapy practice:

Have parents provide a Google album with photos of materials and toys they have available
Get a good iPad stand or hands free lanyard for phone/tablet
Using ear buds can also be helpful, as to not distract AAC user when SLP is instructing parent

Recognize candidates who can be successful in a remote session.

AAC parents have highest chance of participation in Telehealth
Candidates need to be able to be tech-comfy, not tech savvy
Parents need to be organized

QVoice was born from Telehealth. As such, we have some tools to help:

Remote Access - see the QVoicer's device remotely
Usage log - real time logging to get more details on usage
Hinting - visual indicator for QVoicer without the need for physical prompting
Scribing - Data system to pictorially represent language progress
Multiple access - Remotely update device in real time so SLP can quickly assess situation and modify the grid or button in real time to quickly support AAC user and communication partner.

"Well, it's absolutely cemented for me that our role as a therapist is not to be doing the AAC implementation. It's to be supporting others, the most important people in the child, child's life, to be doing the AAC implementation. And it's an incredibly complex skill that you're asking them to do. And so you're going to need to use a coaching approach. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that what worked about my research was the coaching. It wasn't the workshops. The parents often didn't remember much from the workshops at all, apart from how nice the cheese was and how well they got on with the other parents. What they said in the survey after the first stage, that the coaching was what they appreciated the most. And I think it's the reason they stayed with the research for so long because it was supportive and collaborative and they felt like they were having as much input into it as I was. And it's really the only way, it's the only way to make AAC successful. And we might as well not be wasting our time anymore with one to one therapy and information dumps. .... Is harder to do and it can be hard to change people's mindsets but it is possible." - Sam Brydon

Listen to Sam Brydon's complete interview in this podcast episode.