Why Online Speech Therapy For Kids May Be Better Than Traditional Speech Therapy
For many decades, students and private clients have been engaging in traditional, “in-person” speech therapy in school classrooms and private clinics. With the advent of video-conferencing technology in recent years, the American Speech Hearing Association has been advocating for the use of telehealth speech therapy to reach more students and clients in need. During the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth (or online) speech therapy has been a lifeline for getting students and clients across the country their needed services.
Getting back to in-person learning and living is best; but now more than ever, online speech therapy is a new and accepted tool as a service delivery option. While speech services via telehealth are supposed to mirror the quality of in-person services, sometimes it may even be better. Here are a few reasons why:
Reduced stress levels: When kids log in from home for their private online speech therapy, they are in familiar and comfortable surroundings. This reduces their stress levels while also not worrying about privacy compared to being in a public clinic. This allows kids to better focus on their speech and language goals. In the school setting, we have had older students log in from a quiet area in the library or private classroom while using a headset. This feeling of privacy has eliminated the “stigma” of going to the speech room that older students may not want. This has increased the attendance of our older students. Better attendance = faster progress!
Less cancellations: When our private clients log in from home, there are less reasons to cancel online speech therapy sessions due to transportation or childcare issues and scheduling conflicts. Consistent speech therapy is an important driver for progress.
Headphones increase attention: Kids who wear headphones or earbuds during speech therapy have increased attention and less distraction from their environment. This also allows for better auditory perception of speech sound modeling when this is a target in therapy.
Smaller groups = more practice: For students who receive speech services online at school, the groups are typically smaller than in-person groups. This allows for more individualized instruction and quicker progress.
Increased Specialization: With online speech therapy, kids can have access to speech-language pathologists across the US who are experts in specific areas of speech and language. Telehealth practices can draw from a larger pool of professionals compared to their local area. Thus, online speech therapy is a wonderful means of connecting clients to experienced specialists in any given area of speech and language.
In-person and online speech therapy are both great options with each having its own special place in treatment. However, the reasons listed above or just some of the ways online speech therapy may be better for some of the children we serve!