The arrival of a new diary can only mean one thing…. It is almost time for the summer holidays.
This has most certainly been a term like no other I have experienced in my 23 years of working as a Speech and Language Therapist.
We have all weathered the same storm but each of our experiences has been so different. I will not deny that my initial reaction in early March was to put my head in the sand and try and hope that the inevitable shutdown would not occur. For many of us our ways of working have changed dramatically over the past few months.
Time for some Rest & Recuperation before a new year begins……
When I qualified back in July 1997 I would never have imagined how it could even have been possible to deliver therapy virtually #TeleSaLT.
Now we live in a technologically rich world of smart phones, devices and laptops. Glitches rarely occur and when they do it is only for a split second or two.
TeleTherapy has been a steep learning curve for all SaLTs but especially for those of us who qualified before google had even been launched. If I am honest it is a path I would never have trialled had it not been forced upon me. I may still not be the most savvy TeleSaLT but the gains that some of my clients have made over the past few months has been amazing.
Some of the positives have been around having the opportunity to spend more time coaching parents on how best to support their child’s speech, language, communication and social skills.
It’s worked for a wide range of SaLT needs but don’t take my word for it here are some quotes from some of my clients parents/ carers.
“Teletherapy has been of great benefit to my son - very engaging, educational and fun too. As a parent, it is useful to see Sarah’s fantastic teaching techniques to enable me to continue the tasks at home.”
“When the Covid crisis hit we felt anxious over what would happen to A's speech therapy sessions. Regression was a great concern especially not having the knowledge when things would return to "normal". Teletherapy offered the opportunity to continue the speech therapy within the safety and comforts of home . It has also allowed me as the primary caregiver engagement during the sessions which in turn made me more confident in integrating the goals/skills into A's day to day life.
A continues to make steady progress as I feel he has been able to practice and strengthen these skills in his home environment not just school. Finally the flexibility and convenience in scheduling the sessions depending on A's response and needs has been a great advantage especially in keeping our work /life /homeschool balance.”
"Teletherapy has allowed my son to continue with his exceptionally important SALT inputs, providing him continuity so he is able to continue to progress on his speech and language journey. It has pushed his boundaries and he has adapted well to a different way of working, improving his language skills even further".
I will be honest and say it has not worked for everyone but they have been the minority.
I hope that come the new academic year I will be able to see my clients again Face to Face. I have so missed seeing everyone in person. My favourite quote this week has been from one of my clients who has just returned to school saying “mummy I want Sarah to come to school with us”. Let’s hope it’s not too long before I can come and visit you all in school again.
But if not I will continue to deliver therapy virtually… if you haven’t tried it do not dismiss it. I have been surprised at how effective it has been.
If you want a flexible service to fit in with your busy lifestyle Teletherapy might work for your family beyond the days of “Working From Home”.
Sarah Winstanley, SaLT
Communication Lincs Ltd. ………….because Speech Therapy Matters