Reflecting on Teletherapy and Its Role in Postpandemic Service Provision for School-Aged Children

Purpose: This survey study examines speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) experiences with teletherapy service delivery at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also explores the potential for integrating teletherapy into school-based therapeutic services beyond pandemic-related circumstances. Method: A 56-question digital survey was administered between April 20 and June 4, 2020, to members of select American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) community boards. SLPs reported on their pandemic preparation to initiate teletherapy, clients' eligibility for teletherapy, clients' technological readiness for teletherapy, perceptions of communication differences with parents/caregivers, and perceptions of parent/caregiver engagement during in-person and teletherapy service delivery. Results: A total of 470/655 responses were analyzed. Most SLPs prepared for teletherapy through webinars, ASHA website resources, and collaboration with colleagues. Key factors influencing client candidacy for teletherapy included behaviors such as uncooperativeness (65.0%); inattentiveness (55.6%); distractibility (44.4%); and speech-language conditions, specifically pragmatic functions (42.0%). Many SLPs (75.2%) noted that families lacked adequate access to telecommunication resources for remote therapy. Despite this, teletherapy improved communication with parents regarding students' therapy progress and carryover strategies. SLPs also reported feeling more comfortable with parent/caregiver participation in teletherapy as compared to in-person sessions. However, challenges were noted, including difficulties with setting up equipment and communicating with non–English-speaking families. Conclusions: Teletherapy provided significant benefits to SLPs and their school-aged clients during the pandemic. However, integrating teletherapy into school-based settings requires careful planning and consideration. We recommend further empirical research to evaluate its effectiveness across different school levels and speech-language diagnostic conditions in school-aged children. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.29100743