Did you know Texas Hearing Institute offers speech teletherapy services? Since 2009, Texas Hearing Institute has provided teletherapy services for Speech Therapy as a flexible solution for families with barriers that prevent access to receiving in-person services. These barriers may include transportation issues, living far from our main campus in Houston, Texas, or difficulty scheduling time away from home.
What is Teletherapy?
Teletherapy services are evaluations and/or therapy sessions provided by our expert speech-language pathologists using audio and video technology via the internet. Our teletherapy services provide the same level of expertise and clinical care one would receive in-person at the clinic—just from the comfort of their home! All teletherapy appointments also use a HIPPA-compliant virtual platform to conduct sessions to protect each patient’s privacy.
Who is a good candidate?
Determining candidacy is a decision made by the speech therapist and the caregiver. Teletherapy services use the same parent-coaching model we use in in-person therapy. Parents or caregivers will listen to the goals, feedback and cuing strategies that their therapist gives them to practice skills with their child.
Consider the following questions:
- Do you have a quiet space to play during therapy?
- Do you have a steady internet connection and a device to use to connect?
If your child uses hearing technology, additional questions to consider are:
- Is your child’s hearing technology in working order?
- Is there a mini-mic or FM system available?
How do we prepare for a teletherapy session?
The first thing you’ll want to do is find a good location in your home to set up for your appointment. Depending on the age of your child, this may look like:
- Your child’s playroom or area for play therapy
- Your kitchen table for older school aged children with longer attention spans
Next, you’ll want to set up all your equipment and collect any necessary items for the session. This will include:
- A phone, table or computer with a steady internet connection
- Child and parent in a quiet room
- Any toys and/or emailed, printed, or mailed homework/worksheets
- There is no need to go out and buy any toys or materials. Home items the child recognizes from their everyday environment are the best props. Toys should be sorted into categories, and it may be suggested by your therapist to start a toy rotation. More information on sorting and classifying toys for therapy activities can be found in our blog post on Toy Rotation.
You’ll want to ensure that the environment you select for your session is free of any distractions and excessive noises. This means:
- Be in a private location
- This means no therapy in a car or in public spaces
- Turn the TV and radio off
Texas Hearing Institute offers specialized audiology, speech therapy, early childhood education, family support services, and professional expertise, giving hope to children and families affected by hearing loss. Contact us at (713) 523-3633 if you’d like to learn more.
For more information on how to give the Gift of Sound to a child with hearing loss, please click here.
