In the first days of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) everywhere had to scramble to figure out how to continue to provide services. For early intervention SLPs, who work with children under age 3, it was a particularly challenging season. Early intervention therapy sessions are intended to be family-centered, conducted in naturalistic settings. When these expectations were laid out, Zoom meetings with toddlers were not what anybody had in mind. But when the pandemic arrived, presenting new and unknown risks for the medically fragile children who are most likely to need early intervention services, SLPs had to work quickly to find new ways to meet their needs.
Dr. Jamie Smith and Dr. Ciera Lorio are collaborating on a study investigating the experiences of early intervention service providers who made this rapid transition to providing teletherapy. They will present preliminary findings at the American Speech-Language Hearing Association’s annual convention next month in New Orleans.
“It’s been very encouraging to hear all the stories from service providers who found that after the initial transition, teletherapy offered them a surprising and welcome degree of flexibility,” Smith said. “Teletherapy has meant easier access to services for rural families, ready access to interpreters for families whose native language is not English, and ongoing service delivery options for families whose children experience frequent illnesses.”
“Something that struck me was most service providers felt teletherapy improved their abilities to provide caregiver coaching,” Lorio said. “Because the sessions were now online, caregivers had a bigger role in supporting their child’s participation and attention. The provider was no longer there to work directly with the child, so caregivers had to do many of the intervention strategies the provider typically did. This required the service provider to coach the caregiver in how to effectively use the intervention strategies, and many providers mentioned this experience improved their confidence and ability to provide caregiver coaching services online and in person.”
Multiple participants reported that teletherapy richly rewarded their initial investment of time and energy. One participant, who continued to emphasize teletherapy in her present-day practice, said: “I felt like I was relearning how to be a therapist again. I know I can help these families.”