A treat for you all today - we have a fantastic student with us on her final block placement, Emily Ng, and she has written this blog post for us!

Following the COVID-19 situation that affected everyone’s way of living and working, speech therapists have had to re-evaluate and change their therapy practice to adjust to the limitations and restrictions of the situation. One method of providing therapy that has presented itself as an ideal method in a lockdown situation is teletherapy. Teletherapy allows speech therapists to provide therapy through the computer screen, allowing for socially distanced sessions. Some pros and cons of teletherapy include:

Advantages:

Reduced travel times for both the families and therapists
Therapists can see clients in more remote areas
Environmental benefit from reduced printing needs
New resources and materials that can be used in sessions

Disadvantages:

Technology problems on either end of the connection
A lack of technology equipment (computer, speakers, internet connection)
Therapists or parents having less technological knowledge to implement the session
Distractions for children from the computer or from the home environment

Now that teletherapy has become more of a mainstream option, therapists and families have the additional option to conduct and receive therapy sessions without direct contact.