Speech sound disorders impact about 5% of the population of kids between the ages of 3 and 17, making them a pretty common childhood development issue.
Examples of Virtual Speech Therapy
Speech-language pathologists have been using technology and computers to help improve outcomes for kids with speech sound disorders for as long as those technologies have been around! What began as early attempts to use audio recording and computer software to give kids extra feedback about the success of their practice attempts has expanded into a full range of virtual and digital options for therapists and families alike to access.
Virtual Speech Sound Disorder Treatment via Telemedicine
Teletherapy is a type of telehealth, in which a care provider manages a patient or client remotely, from a distance. In virtual speech therapy services, the most common service delivery model is one where the client and therapist connect via a secure video conferencing program, like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, among others. Platforms have options that adhere to strict privacy and security laws, so that the client and therapist can carry out the session without compromising the client’s private information.
Benefits of Remote Sessions
Benefits of remote sessions include flexibility in scheduling, allowing families to see the therapist from their own home, without dealing with commute time. These conveniences, combined with the realization that virtual services are actually pretty effective, is one of the key reasons telemedicine options have remained popular even as Covid-19 pandemic related social distancing has relaxed.
Virtual Supports for Kids with Speech Sound Disorders
Another type of virtual speech sound disorder treatment includes the broad range of computer programs, apps, and other technologies that exist to help treat these types of communication problems.
Virtual Biofeedback for Speech Sound Errors
Advances in technology have expanded the toolset available to speech-language pathologists when treating speech sound disorders. These technologies are typically used to provide an additional level of feedback to aid in the client’s learning of correct sound production.
Apps for Speech Therapy Practice
As mobile and personal computing has continued to expand in popularity, a number of programs specifically focused on speech sound disorders provide therapists and clients with a new set of tools for practice.
Latest Advances in Virtual Speech Therapy for Speech Sound Disorders
This second group of apps and computer programs have a variety of benefits. Because of advances in technology, traditional flashcard based speech therapy prompts can be embedded within increasingly complex game play.
Conclusion
Virtual speech therapy is here to stay and brings promise of improved access to care at lower costs and easier flexibility for families.