New Service - Telehealth!

At Aurora Speech Pathology Services, we value community wellbeing and wish to keep you updated on what the introduced social distancing measures mean for our practice.

What does social distancing mean for my child’s therapy?

For now, the clinic is still open

We are continuing to take increased precautionary measures, including the screening of COVID-19 symptoms, prior to all appointments. However, given the likelihood of an escalation in social distancing measures to be imposed, we are aiming to transition away from face-to-face appointments in the clinic, and towards either home visitation or Telehealth (online) sessions.

Transitioning to Telehealth

What is Telehealth?

We are excited to be introducing a new service known as Telehealth (also referred to as telepractice). This is where speech pathology assessments, therapy and consultations are conducted remotely, via technology (audio and video conferencing).

All that is required to be setup is an internet connection and a ‘webcam’. Which are often built into most computers, laptops, and tablets. Sessions can be tailored to meet your needs, but ideally should take place within a quiet environment, in your home, and with an adult present to supervise the child’s participation in the session (dependent on the child’s age).

Is Telehealth effective?

Researchers have been looking into Telehealth in speech pathology for many years and the good news is:

According to ASHA, Telehealth can be used effectively to provide services to people with articulation and speech disorders, autism, stuttering, language, voice and neurodevelopmental disabilities (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2020)
Telehealth has been shown to be effective for children, from birth right through to adulthood (The Informed SLP, 2020)
Telehealth also maintains opportunities to continue vital parent training and coaching to assist your child meet their speech, language and social communication goals.

How can we transition to Telehealth?

You can contact Kristina directly, (or discuss it as part of your next appointment), and she can advise ideas to effectively transition for your given family situation.

Extended School Holidays! How can I cope?

One of the by-products of the coronavirus pandemic is a lot more time at home with the family, with many parents still needing to complete work from home. Without the option to take the kids to the zoo, to the beach or a playground, and with babysitting not an option for the foreseeable future, these extended school holidays may feel a bit daunting.

Here are some ideas from our team to help you balance the kids, any overwhelming feelings, and hopefully accomplish what you need to.

Make a visual schedule with 3 to 5 activities your child needs to do without you (while you make some work calls or a breather). You can make one using pen and paper, a whiteboard, or an app like ChoiceWorks.
Do some exercise together. There are lots of free options on YouTube including PE with Joe designed for families and kids all over the world during this pandemic.
If lockdowns don’t apply, try to get outside. Many communities are supporting a Bear Hunt so you can look for teddy bears in people’s windows and connect with the local community safely from the footpath.
Use these behaviour management suggestions to support good behaviour during an unsettling time for everyone.

Scheduling group activities and time alone, as well as ensuring the kids get to bed at a time that allows you some downtime in the evenings, will help the whole family manage a lot more time together than usual.

Thank you for understanding

Aurora Speech Pathology Services would like to thank you for your patience and cooperation through these uncertain times. We wish to work together to minimise risk to your family and continue our daily routines as best we can.

Contact Us

If you would like more information, please let us know. Call Kristina on 0422 667 596 or email kristina@auroraspeech.com.

Aurora Speech Pathology Services Suite 4, 609 Canterbury Road Surrey Hills, VIC 3127 Australia