Update--- Our district is replacing our Speech Therapist with Skype

[mauimama5]

Updated to say:  It is now March.  Our first therapist was terrible.  She had a very heavy accent and although her English was good there were some issues.  Such as say "Shishors"  instead of scissors.  Then my daughter started saying shishors instead of scissors.  :(  Also she would just pass over things even though my kids hadn't even said the right sound or even the right word. So we had a meeting and we were able to get switched to another ST.  But still on the computer.  The new lady is better.  She makes the kids try harder. But it is what it is.  It often glitches out.  There is often a lag time.  We are given a very tight 30 minutes.  If there are any technical issues it eats into our limited time.  My son and daughter have some things in common they need to work on.  But they each have individual issues with certain letters and sounds.  So no one has given me a good answer to how we will address their individual needs when they are sharing a 1/2 of ST a week.  

My daughter enjoys it but she doesn't know any different.  My son, who had 3 years of traditional ST, still is a very reluctant participant. The only reason he is still going is that we modified his IEP to include reading class.  So he has one on one help with reading right before speech. We have been pursuing ST privately but we are on crappy state insurance.  And there is a shortage of ST's in our area.  

I think our best hope is to move to a different school district.  Some of the surrounding districts still have regular ST.  

We are also in the process of trying to get our insurance to approve genetic testing for our son.  His new doctor is building a case and haggling with the HMO over it.   If we do find something it would hopefully open up more doors for services. Like OT or more ST time.   

I want to say again that I am sure this type of application works for many people.  But if you have a child with a moderate to severe speech delay Skyping is not, IMHO, a viable solution.  If fact I feel like we are losing ground and my son is often left confused. 

I added a picture of ST. See the little lady in the corner of the screen?  My sons hair is actually orange but he had dressed up like Harry Potter for a literacy day costume contest.  :)

Aloha!            

2 of my kids are set to receive speech therapy this year.  This will be the second year for our son through the school district, first for our daughter. Our insurance doesn't cover speech so we are stuck with the school district.  

This year they are replacing the real live ST with Skyping.  My kids will Skype with a ST who is somewhere else in the state. 

Has anyone done this before?  I just think it will be a huge fail.  My son's speech needs are pretty intense. He would never have made the progress he has without one on one and someone right in front of him showing him what to do with his mouth. 

We still have weeks to wait before our IEP meeting.  So I can't really even ask for details.  I just got a letter in the mail about it.

Thoughts?

Edited by mauimama5 - 3/24/12 at 11:42am

[devon]

That sounds horrid!  I can't imagine having to do any direct instruction via skype for a kiddo, let alone ST!  There are often lags with Skype, the language doesn't always match the screen, etc. 

How are they going to address these issues?

[Emmeline II]

I found this:

Quote:

Speech therapy sessions may be able to be conducted using  Skype technology. This is most appropriate for older children or adults, who do not require ‘hands-on’ adjustments or cueing.   

Google: speech therapy over skype

http://www.google.com/search?q=speech+therapy+over+skype&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Why you can't ask for details on the speech/skype program? If there isn't contact information on the letter I'd probably contact the district offices.

I've included some links below in case you are not satisfied with the outcome of the meeting or just want to be prepared in case you are not.

Do I HAVE to Sign the IEP? - Wrightslaw

Refusing to Sign the IEP - Wrightslaw

Why Do Schools Draw Lines in the Sand? Understanding the Playing Field, Power Struggles, Schools Meetings & Follow Up Letters

Wrightslaw From Emotions To Advocacy - Special Education ...

[mauimama5]

Emmeline, I did ask a few questions, but mostly, they don't have good answers yet. It's "new" and they aren't sure, and someone more knowledgeable will be available at our IEP.   

Devon, I agree...it sounds horrid.  My only other option is to drive 2 hours each way to another town for ST through our insurance. Although Scottish Rites helped my son when he was preschool age.  they are opening up again in our area.  If all else fails maybe they can offer them some services. 

I have been dealing with the Special Ed system now for 14yrs in 2 states.  It really hasn't made as much progress as you hear on the news. 

[mauimama5]

And thank you for the links!  :)

[Drummer's Wife]

Huh, interesting. I have one kid who receives speech therapy and another who is being evaluated to see if he qualifies, too. Not sure how I'd feel about them doing so over Skype. I really like their SLP.

I'm wondering how exactly this saves the school district money (if that's the reasoning)? I mean, doesn't the SLP still have to be there, on the computer, providing therapy? Surely he/she would expect the same salary - especially since there is a shortage of speech therapists, so it's not like they couldn't easily find a face-to-face position paying a regular wage.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife 

I'm wondering how exactly this saves the school district money (if that's the reasoning)? I mean, doesn't the SLP still have to be there, on the computer, providing therapy? Surely he/she would expect the same salary - especially since there is a shortage of speech therapists, so it's not like they couldn't easily find a face-to-face position paying a regular wage.

May be it's a travel thing -- May be this way they can have one speech therapist handle a bunch of different schools that are far apart.

The only mom I know who had Skype for Speech therapy was living in a remote area and doing a on-line charter school. Her DD was in 4th grade and didn't have any other special needs, just enunciation problems. In her situation it worked, but this seems pathetic for a brick and mortar school dealing with younger/more complex kids.
 

[FarmerBeth]

I don't see how this would work for kids with language based learning disabilities or even enunciation.  It's hard to see the lips for the enunciation over video display, and as a PP said, the words and video don't always sync.  And in a language based learning disability, kids require lots of nonverbal cues to work out the right word or to describe it, so being in sync and capable of seeing the whole body matters.  Also, with enunciation, actually touching the mouth or being up close enough to really see the tongue really matters.  I really hope you have more info to work with.  What could help if it's the only option is using the speech sessions to model to you what to then later work on with your son.  My son only has a few real SLP sessions a year, and one of the school teacher's aides and my own self carry out the rest of the practice after we were both shown (we live in a rural area and this is the norm around here).  Its still worked really well, and his speech issues definitely fell under "intense" with expressive language falling at 2.5 years behind in kindergarten, and enunciation issues running about the same behind.  He's nearly caught up now at age 7 except for some grammar problems.  I do think you'd want some in person one on one sessions with your son and yourself and any involved school members present if you go that route, though.

[jenrose]

For younger kids, this would be completely inappropriate. I just can't imagine. 

[SpeechieK]

Wow - when I read the title of this thread at first I thought it was a joke! With my internet connection my little boy can barely skype with Granny, I can't imagine trying to conduct my everyday work over skype!

Maybe in your area you have better connections so at least this part would not be an issue.

You don't say how old your kids are or what the issues are that the speechie will be dealing with. As I get my head around this I can see how for some kids in some situations this could be preferable to a long drive. I can see how it might work for a parent only consult, the kind I would do over a long phone conversation at the moment.

But (and it's a huge but!) - what about the play, the equipment, the hands on, looking at the child from all angles, looking inside the mouth, listening to breathing, listening to voice quality, keeping the child motivated by moving around and changing task?

I could go on and on with my list but as this is a totally new idea to me, maybe I am missing something about how this works.

I would love to hear more so do let us know how you get on in your enquiries and I wish you all the best in getting the quality service all kids deserve.

[SoCaliMommy]

I agree that sounds like a bad idea.

[SpottedFoxx]

I see an epic fail in your district's future.  What a terrible idea.  While our SLP does use videos with our son (for oral motor planning), I can't image not having her in the room with him.  Plus, she uses a lot of hands on techniques (stroking the tongue with tongue depressors, sucking pudding through a straw, etc.) to build oral muscles.  How can they accomplish those things if the SLP is not there?

[mauimama5]

Today was my son's first session.  I wasn't impressed. When my husband asked him how it went, our son responded that it "sucked".   :-(  Pretty serious word for him.

When we got there I was surprised to find another child there as well.  They both sat in front of the monitor with their own set of headsets. The kids shared a mouse.  My son had to reach over the little girl to use it on his turns. The SP was on the very corner of the screen. 

Mostly they played some matching games.  My son was having some trouble understanding her.  He has been congested so his ears probably have some fluid.  And I am not sure, but she seemed to have an accent.  Accents can be a struggle for him.

He pretty much hated it.  I felt really sad for him.  Speech has been a big part of his life for 3yrs and he really enjoyed the interactions and NEVER would have progressed to the point he is at without the one on one.   

We will give it a month.  Then I will try to work something else out. 

Ugh

[FarmerBeth]

This sounds so terrible.  Honestly, I wouldn't even wait the whole month.  Get him to try at most two more sessions.  It would be so hard if he gets unmotivated about the therapy to the point it's difficult to get him going again.  Even if you had a bit less frequent one on one, with you trained to help in between sessions, I still think it would do a lot more than no one on one.  I know you are in the States, so you have less low cost resources than Canada.  Hanen programs are often used for lower cost solutions here, both in the health care system, but also not for profit groups and family resource centres.  They may have bursaries or low cost programs available, and they cover a large range of speech difficulties.  There's a large parental education part to it, which I really find helps as that way you can reinforce learning from home.  I left you a website link.  I don't now if you can find something like this in your region, but just a thought.

http://www.hanen.org/Home.aspx

Good luck!  Keep us posted!

[SpottedFoxx]

Don't give it a month - a child can regress tremendously in a month.  Start fighting now!  That's completely unacceptable.  I'm so sorry you are going through this.
 

Originally Posted by mauimama5 

Today was my son's first session.  I wasn't impressed. When my husband asked him how it went, our son responded that it "sucked".   :-(  Pretty serious word for him.

When we got there I was surprised to find another child there as well.  They both sat in front of the monitor with their own set of headsets. The kids shared a mouse.  My son had to reach over the little girl to use it on his turns. The SP was on the very corner of the screen. 

Mostly they played some matching games.  My son was having some trouble understanding her.  He has been congested so his ears probably have some fluid.  And I am not sure, but she seemed to have an accent.  Accents can be a struggle for him.

He pretty much hated it.  I felt really sad for him.  Speech has been a big part of his life for 3yrs and he really enjoyed the interactions and NEVER would have progressed to the point he is at without the one on one.   

We will give it a month.  Then I will try to work something else out. 

Ugh

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by FarmerBeth 

This sounds so terrible...Even if you had a bit less frequent one on one, with you trained to help in between sessions, I still think it would do a lot more than no one on one. 

[beachcomber]

I agree with Farmer Beth. From my experiences with my DD, for younger kids SLP really does need to be in person. I can't imagine being able to work with anyone under 12 on Skype. Kids just naturally move too much!

[jenrose]

It sounds like inadequate accommodation, and the school district needs to cough up and do the right thing and bring back a live person.

[BettyK]

I am sorry to hear that your son had such a bad experience with online speech therapy (telepractice). I am actually a tele- therapist myself but I use a custom designed platform, built to conduct speech therapy online.  Telepractice becomes more popular  and it is a great solution for schools in remote areas, where in-person speech therapy is not an option due to severe shortage of speech pathologists.

However, not every child is an appropriate candidate for this type of service and the speech pathologist should determine if the child can benefit form telepractice. One should consider factors such as attention, memory, visual/hearing acuity, and how much physical cueing is necessary. In addition technology should be assessed as well.  Both the school and speech pathologist should have high –speed internet connection to allow the highest quality of service. If your child does not show progress with this type of service you should seek help with in-person speech pathologist.

Below I included some facts about telepractice.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has recognized telepractice as an appropriate method of service delivery since 2005, stating that “telepractice is an appropriate model of service delivery for the professions of speech-language pathology [and audiology]. Telepractice may be used to overcome barriers of access to services caused by distance, unavailability of specialists and/or sub-specialists, and impaired mobility. In addition there are over 40 academic studies concluding that telepractice is an effective way of conducting speech therapy online.

In 1997, the Mayo Clinic concluded that “Telemedicine evaluations can be reliable, beneficial, and acceptable to patients with a variety of acquired speech and language disorders, both in rural settings and within large multidisciplinary medical settings.”

I hope that your son will get the help he needs. 

[MeTooMama]

Even with a great connection there are problems with lag and synchronization. I wouldn't be happy at all with skype therapy! Not to mention the fact that you'll have to sit over the top of the poor kid because he can get super distracted with smiley emoticons like my SN son or the call will get dropped and you'll have to keep setting it back up for him. Tsk tsk on the cheapskates at the school board. This is a no bueno idea.