How do you do voice therapy online?
The number 1 question I get is how do you do speech therapy online...
We are on the bandwagon to revolutionizing healthcare. I would venture to say that almost every other industry is using the internet to provide ease of services. So it's just natural for wellness and healthcare services to join in...
It's a foreign concept to many but telepractice, or online speech therapy, is an innovative service that we use to provide services to families who might otherwise not receive speech therapy due to many reasons. We can treat people in remote and rural areas, those with transportation challenges, those who can't afford a babysitter, or those who, simply, don't have the flexibility to take off work to travel to an appointment.
Step 1. ASHA Approval
ASHA, also known as the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association approved Telepractice in 2005... Yep that's 13 years ago... folks! But it's still new to many people!
Telepractice may be used to overcome barriers of access to services caused by distance, unavailability of specialists, &, or subspecialists & impaired mobility" (ASHA, Speech Language Pathologists Providing Clinical Services via Telepractice Position Statement (2005)
Step 2. Who can benefit from Teletherapy?
Speech and Language Pathologists providing
speech and language services to rural schools
voice, aphasia, or cognitive therapy to individuals in under-served or remote areas
speech, language, or cognitive services to remote home health agencies
consulting and training to individuals and families for communication coaching, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), early childhood parent training, articulation therapy, and more
Step 3. Equipment needed to attend Online Voice Therapy
Computer, Laptop, Ipad
Webcamera
Headset with attached microphone
High-speech Internet Connection
The great thing about the equipment is that these days most computers, laptops, and ipads already come with an integrated webcam and microphone... Headset is always optional but in my opinion is very helpful.
All you really need is a computer and a high-speed internet connection!
Step 4. Video Conferencing Software
At MCVS, we use an online teaching platform called Blink Session. This is a secure way for us to conduct speech therapy.
All you need to do is login at Blink Session with your username and password. Don't worry we provide you with the login information via email. You create the password using the link. Then you login for your session and we work on your goals. The best thing about Blink Session is that you don't even have to download anything to your computer.
We have access to teaching resources such as a wipe board, drawing board, games, youtube videos, flash cards. We also use a document camera for offline references, resources and google for links to pdfs as needed. We can use screen share and more to create a rewarding experience during our partnership together.
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