What is Teletherapy?

Teletherapy is the remote session of speech or occupational therapy via live video session or phone consultation. Teletherapy sessions are very similar to traditional speech and occupational therapy, instead of the clinician providing direct therapy in the same room, students and therapists have session via video, it is the same as face to face therapy and as effective.

 How does it work?

During therapy sessions, the student and therapist can see, hear, and interact with one another. If you’ve ever used FaceTime on your iPhone or any other video calling services, you have already used similar video technology. Along with your help, our licensed therapists use traditional therapy techniques and activities to provide quality therapy sessions. Here are a few tips for yourself to ensure your child’s session goes as smoothly as possible.

  • Prepare your child for their therapy session by explaining to them video therapy will be fun and interactive! Our therapists will have activities to engage your child and you will be there to guide your little one! Your child’s therapist should be in touch with you prior to discuss which video service would be best suited for your needs and assist you on how to reach their virtual classroom.
  • During these video therapy sessions, you as the parent will be our assistant. It is best if you are present during this time to help your child with following directions so he/she can get the most out of the service. At first, your little one may not stay still throughout the entire session and that is okay! Let them work however works best for them as each child is different!
  • If possible, please set up in a quiet room with natural lighting for best video quality. Limit background noise including televisions, barking dogs, phones, etc. so the clinician can hear your child as clearly as possible. If you decide to use headphones during teletherapy, consider headphones with microphones or a background-noise canceling feature.
  • Make sure you have a good internet connection that supports video calling! Do not use any other video tools (such as Skype) during the session. All other video tools must be turned off, so the videoconferencing platform can work properly otherwise some camera or microphone features may not function properly.
  • If your computer or mobile device has updates, please wait until after the teletherapy session to update or update your system beforehand. Doing this during your session can cause calls to drop or slow your connections.
  • If possible, please minimize the usage of video streaming services such as Netflix/Hulu or people playing online games during a sessionbecause it can slow the connection affecting the video quality.
  • Make sure that you don’t too many browsers and websites open, especially the ones that have online games. It is better to have one browser with a website open at the time. If you need to access websites during your session, you therapist may screen share or send you links when ready.

Remember to have water for your child and a nice cup of coffee or tea for you! When the session comes to an end, the therapist will give you recommendations that you can do with your child to help them reach their goals. As a reward for doing a great job, reward your child with stickers, a favorite toy or a favorite snack!

Please inform your therapist if you are limited on equipment for teletherapy such as no computer, webcam, good internet, etc. so we can try to accommodate other options if needed. If you have other questions please contact your child’s clinician or call Teamwork Therapies at 209-237-2484/925-399-5796 or email info@teamworktherapies.com / contactpleasanton@teamworktherapies.com  and we will get back to you as soon as possible, Thank you for choosing Teamwork Therapies for your child’s needs!