We compared the progress made by school children in speech language therapy provided through videoconferencing and conventional face-to-face speech language therapy. The children were treated in two groups. In the first group, 17 children received telemedicine treatment for 4 months, and then subsequently conventional therapy for 4 months. In the second group, 17 children received conventional treatment for 4 months and then subsequently telemedicine treatment for 4 months. The outcome measures were student progress, participant satisfaction and any interruptions to service delivery. Student progress reports indicated that the children made similar progress during the study whichever treatment method was used. There was no significant difference in GFTA-2 scores (Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation) between students in the two treatment groups. Satisfaction surveys indicated that the students and parents overwhelmingly supported the telemedicine service delivery model. During the study, a total of 148 of the 704 possible therapy sessions was not completed (21%); the pattern of cancellations was similar to cancellations in US public schools generally. Videoconferencing appears to be a promising method of delivering speech language therapy services to school children.
Telepractice has the potential to provide greater access to speech-language intervention services for children with communication impairments. Substantiation of this delivery model is necessary for telepractice to become an accepted alternative delivery model. This study investigated the progress made by school-age children with speech sound impairments in side-by-side intervention compared with telepractice intervention. Fourteen children aged 6 through 10 years with identified speech sound disorders were randomly assigned to intervention delivered in a side-by-side or telepractice service delivery model. Intervention was provided twice a week for 30-min individual sessions during a 5-week summer intervention program. Children in both service delivery models made improvement in their speech sound production during the program. There were no significant differences between the two groups on postintervention assessments including standardized assessment and listener judgments of word productions. Measurements of treatment fidelity were also reported. The results of this study support the use of telepractice in the intervention of children’s speech sound disorders.
The purpose of this article is to describe the characteristics and effectiveness of a telepractice speech-language therapy program for school-age children. Outcome data related to the caseload, type and amount of intervention, and student progress from a school-based telepractice therapy program were compared with the K-12 Schools National Outcomes Measurement System (NOMS) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. NOMS provides data for students receiving intervention through direct, in-person service delivery models. The findings suggest many similarities between the characteristics of the telepractice and direct, in-person service delivery models. The telepractice service delivery model was effective for most students included in the study. Results of this study support the described telepractice service delivery model as a viable option for speech-language therapy services delivered to public school students with communication impairments. Limitations of this study are discussed with guidance provided for future research studies exploring the efficacy of speech-language therapy delivered via telepractice.
Telepractice and other technological advances are being widely adopted to increase access to, improve the efficiency of, and potentially decrease the cost of speech-language and audiology services. Although use of the telepractice service delivery model is proliferating, little descriptive information is known about the training that is available to preservice graduate students in speechlanguage pathology and audiology. This study examined the current state of speech-language pathology and audiology telepractice training at the university level. Method: An 18-item survey was e-mailed to 256 directors of graduate programs in speech-language pathology, speech and hearing sciences, and/or audiology listed with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association EdFind database. Ninety-seven respondents from 35 states or U.S. territories returned the survey.
Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are increasingly turning to technologies such as the Internet and videoconferencing for service provision (Dudding & Justice, 2004). Many school-based SLPs are recognizing the potential applications of telepractice for students with communication impairments, but may be uncertain about how to put telepractice into action. The purpose of this article is to describe one approach to implementing telepractice in the public school setting.
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