Online Speech Pathology Appointments

Like a face to face appointment, online appointments enable us to work directly with your child in assessing their strengths and challenges, and building their skills. To do this, all we need is a strong internet connection, a view of your child’s face and the opportunity to hear them speak.

When you have engaged one of our speech pathologists for an online appointment, you will be sent a secure link that enables our speech pathologist to connect with you and deliver our high-quality services.

Once you have this link, all you have to do is click on it from a laptop, desktop, tablet or phone, and you and your child will be able to access the online appointment in a secure and safe setting.

All online speech pathology appointments occur in real time which means you and your child will be able to see, hear and talk with your speech pathologist just as you would in any other therapy session.

If you are concerned about the set-up associated with online appointments, our Client Experience Officers will walk you through the entire process during your initial online consultation.

During your online appointment, your speech pathologist will assess where your child is up to and provide intervention based on the agreed goals that have been set for your child. If your child is school-aged, therapy appointments may involve shared book reading, simple text reading, drawing pictures and figures, playing games and writing.

Online speech therapy will also involve parent support and education, just as a face to face session would.

All online sessions are supplemented with ‘support material’ that will be sent to families prior to commencing online therapy.

Online Initial Consultations

Initial consultations are conducted with our Client Experience Officers and involve just the parent/s or carer/s. During this consultation, your child’s needs, strengths and challenges will be discussed, and information will be provided regarding assessments, ongoing therapy and the equipment and set-up associated with online appointments.

Initial consultations run for 15 minutes.

Online Assessments

Like face to face assessments, online assessments will involve both parent and child. The speech pathologist will present images and questions to aid in the assessment of your child’s skills and challenges, and will discuss any interim results and observations with you.

Online assessments run for 30 or 50 minutes.

Online Speech Therapy Sessions

For younger children who are not yet ready or able to sit in front of a camera for a certain period of time, online therapy follows a parent-based model. The parent-based model is the best approach for online intervention for younger children as it enables our speech pathologists to work directly with you, the parent. Through ongoing support, guidance and training, our speech pathologists provide you with the skills to deliver ‘therapy’ and support your child in everyday environments, including home.

For school-aged children and those who can actively participate in an online therapy session, our speech pathologists will utilise interactive games, stories and discussions to help your child build their communication skills. During these online sessions, our speech pathologists will also provide support and advice for parents so you can continue therapy outside of the online appointment.

All online therapy sessions will be supplemented with support materials that will be sent to families prior to their appointment.

Online speech therapy sessions run for 30 or 50 minutes.

A good internet connection is the first thing required for an online speech pathology appointment. For us to deliver the best possible service, we recommend a download speed of approximately 1.5 Mbps (megabits per second) and an upload speed of 0.6 Mbps. If you have any questions relating to this, please do not hesitate to ask our Client Experience Officers when making your appointment.

In addition to a good internet connection you will require one of the following:

Computer
We support both Macs and PCs (macOS, Windows and Linux). All you need is an internal or external web camera, microphone and speakers. Most modern computers have these built-in already

Tablet
Both iPads and Android Tablets can be used for our service. Just ensure your tablet has a front-facing camera, microphone and speaker built in. Alternatively, you can utilise headphones or earbuds that incorporate a microphone.

Smart Phone
Although smart phones are not the preferred method for accessing online therapy, you can still access our services via this device if need be. Again, you will need to ensure that your smart phone has a front-facing camera, microphone and speaker built in.

The team at A Growing Understanding take your privacy very seriously, so you can rest assured that our online service is no different. We employ specific technological implications that ensure the online services we offer are secure and safe at all times.

None of the data that is exchanged in an online appointment is saved anywhere. The entire session including audio, video and data, is encrypted and no external parties can listen in or ‘hack’ the information.

Recent research suggests that online appointments and the use of Telehealth has seen a significant increase amongst speech pathologists over the past couple of years. This is not surprising considering the introduction of the NBN (National Broadband Network) and the ongoing need for access to quality speech pathology services.

Just like face to face services, online appointments offer parents and their children an opportunity to continue to build their skills and grow. But online services mean this can happen at your place of work, home or education centre. With an ability to jump online at a pre-determined time, you and your child can access quality services and support despite the situation, location or challenges that your family may face.

Additional benefits of online services include:

• Increased capacity and access to quality services
• Efficient and flexible method of delivery
• Affordable access with no travel
• Engaging and interactive therapy sessions
• Increased parent involvement
• Greater opportunities for reinforcement and practice
• Exlopration of computer applications and understanding

Research also suggests that the online context offers the same, if not improved outcomes for your child. But it is always important to ensure you take advantage of any opportunity to plan and set goals associated with your child’s development.

The team at A Growing Understanding will support both you and your child through your speech pathology journey, and ensure all services are tailored to your child’s needs and are assessed on a regular basis.