Teletherapy - a whole new world…
It has not been a typical week here at C&D! In light of the coronavirus situation, we have had to completely rethink our therapy structure. This is something very new and exciting for us, so we have all been learning to adapt, setting up our home offices and going digital!
What are C&D doing?
Our therapists have been working very hard this week to give parents and children multiple options for continuing therapy.
We have sent out packs for children, consisting of individually tailored resources and activities to suit the needs and targets of the child. We then maintain contact with parents, via email or on the phone, about these resources to ensure that they are understood.
We have also began delivering Teletherapy – therapy delivered over a video calling app called Zoom. This may not be suitable for every child, but where appropriate we are delivering speech and language therapy through the use of games, activities or simply giving parents advice and strategies.
What’s been most challenging?
The most challenging part for me has been adjusting to digital life! I’ve had to remind myself how to use and make the most of programmes like PowerPoint. Also trying to think of ways to make activities and games as engaging as possible, especially for the little ones!
What’s been learnt?
I realised just how much can be done at home to support speech and language! Giving strategies to parents has opened my eyes to how many fun activities can still help children meet their targets indirectly, using the child’s interests to motivate them. Here are some top tips for home!
If you are working on speech sounds… have your child go on a scavenger hunt for items containing their speech sound! Have them insert this into a phrase e.g. “I found a..”. Or, have your child go through their favourite book/magazine and identify pictures of objects containing that sound. Perhaps have a sound of the week!
If you are working on vocabulary or describing… have your child find objects within the house and hide it. Have them describe what the object is! You could also have two objects that the child compares and explains the differences between. Perhaps they could go around the house and remember items in a certain location/category and then recall as many items as they can (e.g. items in the bathroom/fridge/bedroom)!
If you are working on questions… you can use picture books, recent family photos, an engaging YouTube video or even a TV show. Ask ‘wh’ questions (e.g. what, where, when) about each of these! You could also play 20 questions, taking turns to ask questions to determine what the object is.
For any interested parents not currently involved with us
If there are any parents out there with concerns or worries about their child’s speech and language levels during this testing period, please feel free to get in contact with us. We are still able to conduct assessments and therapy (where appropriate) for new clients and would love to hear from you.
Stay safe out there!