Reaching the child behind the screen: the das SLT telepractice experience (thus far)
Online or home-based learning (HBL) has come to prominence for many educators amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of the usual classroom setting, the curriculum is delivered via online means. As Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), the speech-language therapists (SLTs) at das have taken head-on the challenge of making telepractice – the telehealth equivalent of online learning – work for our children.
To find out more about Telepractice see the ASHA definition here: https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/professional-issues/telepractice/
Maintaining service culture despite challenges
The das SLTs have always focused on a service culture that has the welfare of the child at its heart, so we sought to make decisions and take actions that would contribute to positive experiences and outcomes for our children, even as we acknowledge that telepractice is not a perfect substitute for face-to-face therapy. Our aim has been and still is, to continue to support our children with some form of therapy if and where possible.
With this philosophy in mind, we approached the implementation of telepractice in measured steps. We scoured the knowledge base for existing evidence maps and best practices at the time, as well as emerging resources and guidance. We also reached out to relevant authorities and professional bodies to ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines and professional codes-of-conduct to ensure that we continue to provide a satisfactory level of standard of care.
SUPPORT FROM LOCAL PROFESSIONALS FOR ONLINE LEARNING
Although we continue to work through numerous challenges in offering telepractice sessions to our children, we reap rewards in knowing that our families on telepractice have grown gradually accustomed to and that a large majority of our children are currently benefiting from it.
We have made it so far only because of the people who have journeyed with us, walking alongside or supporting from the sides. We are incredibly thankful for the patience and understanding shown by our parents and our children and are indebted to the support of our fellow colleagues at das. We are also grateful for the guidance offered by Speech And Language Therapy Singapore (SALTS), the professional association for SLTs in Singapore, the resources made available by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and numerous other organisations dedicated to speech-language therapy, and the unselfish professional sharing of pathfinding members of the SLT community around the world who are leading the way in adapting traditional therapy for telepractice.
We will strive as a team to make telepractice more effective so that we can better support and benefit the children in our care for as long as the need for this mode of therapy continues.
To read the full article on SLT Online Telepractice click below:
REACHING THE CHILD BEHIND THE SCREEN
