As a tele-speech therapist, I hear first-hand accounts from the parents I work with about the struggles they are facing with their children: "they won't sit in front of the screen," "I had a zoom meeting right before our session that went over and that's why we are late," "the baby isn't feeling well today, so it was hard to prepare Johnny for his session with you," etc. From my perspective, telepractice/teletherapy/tele-speechtherapy requires a team effort approach, which means listening to the families personal struggles, being flexible, and implementing new strategies to best meet children and their families where they are. If your child is having difficulty sitting in front of the screen what can we do differently? Would it be better if they stood? Sat on a ball? Incorporate gross motor activities? Or change the delivery model to more parent coaching so that you and your child work closely together as the SLP guides you through the activities? If your family is having a difficult day for whatever reason, your SLP may change the activities to better engage and hold your child's attention. Or maybe that session would best be a parent education/consultation session to teach you strategies you can implement with your child when the family is having difficult days.
As a former teacher at a special needs preschool, I understand the struggles children have in the classroom environment and the obstacles that virtual school present. With COVID-19 continuing to spread throughout the world, many schools are deciding to begin the school year virtually. This may elicit stressful and scary thoughts among parents everywhere, including single parents, dual income earning families, and families with children who learn best face to face. We are all in this together and we will all figure this out together.
The Educating All Learners Alliance has created a website for professionals in the education community to come together and share evidence based practices and strategies that could be used to help children receive the best education and support while learning virtually. This website not only provides a community for educators and parents, but it also provides resources. As we journey through this next school year, we, as parents, will need a support community in which we can ask questions, vent, find hope, and share our fears. Finding a research and evidence based resource is the best way to find appropriate resources for your family. There is hope and we can do this together!
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