Speech therapy is a work of heart.
How Does Teletherapy Work?
TeleTherapy requires the patient to have good internet connection.
- Using a computer provides the best connectivity.
- Tablets are a second option.
- Cell phones can be used, but it is not recommended as they have the lowest connectivity.
TeleTherapy CANNOT be conducted in a moving vehicle.
- Not only is it an unstable connection and disrupts the flow of therapy, but insurance carriers will not reimburse for therapy conducted in a moving vehicle.
Teletherapy is conducted in the same manner as in-person therapy, but virtually utilizing a HIPAA compliant platform.
All Patients
- Most therapy sessions are 30-minutes each. Some are 45-minutes or 60-minutes depending on the patient, the disorder or other service provided, and the patient’s plan of care (POC).
- A link is provided for each therapy appointment within your reminder emails. You may also enter each session via your patient portal.
- At the time of your appointment, just click the link. You will be placed in the virtual waiting room until your therapist starts your session.
Pediatric Patients
- Parents/caregivers of younger children or children with attention challenges must be prepared to be involved in each session.
- Our therapists have their own toys to utilize during sessions or the child may decide to use his or her own toys (usually 1-3 preferred toys) during therapy.
- Therapists also utilize on-line speech and language games to screen share with patients.
Some patients may need breaks during therapy
- We manage this just as we would with in-person therapy. Some children need movement to get the wiggles out and some just need ‘brain’ breaks.
- Your therapist will discuss this with you at the start of the therapy process while creating a plan for the patient. This may involve doing a few speech activities and then allowing the child to get up and move around, get a toy or a snack, tell a story, etc.
- We support breaks if this allows the patient to work better overall throughout the session. There is a difference between avoidance tactics and wiggle needs. Some days may require more wiggle time than others.
It is the patient’s responsibility to confirm with his or her insurance carrier that TeleTherapy services are covered. Any service not covered by insurance will be charged directly to the patient.
