There’s a lot going on right now. A LOT. Like most SLPs, I was thrown into the world of teletherapy last spring. Before the pandemic struck, I was providing speech therapy face to face to little ones with autism in a university clinic. It was beautiful. I could engage directly with the kids, use toys and materials readily available, move around with the kids, and keep it fun. Then suddenly, everything went virtual. Like everyone else, I scrambled, researched, and tried to learn everything at once about screen-sharing, online games, Boom cards, online books, apps and everything I could get my hands on. What I learned though, was that often for my little ones and their families (and for my own sanity), keeping it simple was key. Here are a few ways I kept it simple with the little ones:
Establish a routine. Have a clear beginning, and end to the session. Use a visual schedule if you want. I love these visual schedules:
You can also simply let the students and parents know at the beginning of the session what you hope to accomplish. Sometimes I will write this down on an actual whiteboard and other times I will just verbally explain.
Take advantage of the opportunity to connect with families and to address language skills in a new way. Providing teletherapy gives me an opportunity to connect with caregivers that I don’t typically have. For each student it is a little different. For some, it is an opportunity to have direct conversations with parents about their concerns and to address them directly. In other sessions with families, (especially for my youngest families) I use a coaching model and help families learn how to interact with their children to facilitate language.
For other families, while I work directly with the kids, the caregivers have an opportunity to observe speech therapy directly and to learn strategies that they can implement at home.
Don’t feel pressured to do all the things! Focus on the goal, not on all the fancy technology options! Sometimes I can get wrapped up in trying to figure out how to include interactive google slides, green screens, movies, boom cards, and interactive white boards in my sessions when what I really need to focus on is engaging with my students and addressing their communication goals. I am trying to learn all of the new things and trying to be tech savvy, but quite honestly, sometimes it is just too much for my students, my families, and me! The articulation cards, books and speech therapy strategies you use in face to face can also be used in teletherapy.
Use movement in your sessions. Kids need to move around, and keep busy. They are still the same little active kids even though they are on the other side of a screen. Here are a couple of things that have worked well for me.
Add additional technology elements when you and your students feel comfortable.
I hope this is helpful to you! Take it easy on yourself and keep it simple if you can.
