By: Janet L.
Courtney, MS, CCC/SLP
Founder and CEO of
Lighthouse Therapy LLC
I am so excited to introduce my guest blogger, Janet Courtney. She is the founder and CEO of Lighthouse Therapy LLC. They are the newest online teletherapy company for schools. Janet is a Speech-Language Pathologist of 25 years with the last 8 years spent servicing and assessing students PreK-12th grade via telepractice. Her passion has always been helping students and professionals to become the best they can be through therapy, mentoring, and supporting those she serves. She currently lives in Michigan with her husband and three mostly grown children. Janet was working as a lead therapist for a telepractice company when we met a few years ago. We have a mutual respect for each other's skills and abilities as therapists and leaders in the field of telepractice. You can find Janet's blogs at https://www.lighthouse-therapy.com/blog, contact her at Lighthouse at contact@lighthouse-therapy.com or call 888-642-0994.
"My son is two and he isn’t talking yet, is that
normal?" "Our one-year-old doesn’t feed herself and has trouble holding a
spoon, is that normal?" A teenage mom with a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old
is feeling overwhelmed and doesn’t know how to handle her children’s bad
behavior. All these scenarios are great examples of children who will
benefit from Early Intervention. The
federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C, (IDEA) covers
services for children and families from Birth through age 3. The
Preschool Program of Part B covers children for ages 3 to 5 (Section 619). These programs mandate special education
services to be provided to families and their children with developmental
delays or disabilities.
So, who is responsible for identifying these
students? Referrals for students can come from a variety of people and
places. Parents obviously are the first to notice difficulties that their
children are having, but not all parents will recognize these delays in their
own child. Physicians, social workers, daycare providers, preschool teachers,
relatives, and family friends may be the first to recognize developmental
delays or disabilities in this population. By seeking out assistance for a
child, parents and educators can get crucial services that a child and their
family needs. These services will significantly impact a child’s development
and future educational achievements. Critical physical, social, communication,
and academic development occur in the first 5 years of a child’s life.
When a child is referred for Early Intervention
(EI) or Preschool services, many different professionals will be involved in
developing an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) until the child turns 3
and then the team will develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
The team may include a school psychologist, neurologist, speech-language
pathologist (SLP), physical therapist (PT), occupational therapist (OT) or
other professionals, depending on the areas of concern for the child. The team, including the parents, will develop
an IFSP or IEP that defines the areas of concern and the services that the
family and child will receive. An IFSP specifically includes the entire
family; education and consultation are a key component in the IFSP. Goals related to the child’s development are
also an important part of this program.
Some parents and professionals wonder how
telepractice can address these children’s needs in an online setting?
Will it even work? If the
therapist is not there, how can they get data to determine if a student will
qualify? These are all excellent
questions that should be answered to address EI and Preschool services and
telepractice services. When a child is referred for EI or Preschool
services, developmental assessments and parent/teacher questionnaires are
crucial to get a caregiver and teacher’s perspective on where the child is
functioning. These questionnaires and
interviews can be conducted via telephone or on the platform. Many
questionnaires are also sent via email.
Lighthouse Therapy’s platform allows for safe and confidential sharing
of information through the security of our platform, thus decreasing the risk
of exposure to Pertinent Health Information.
Therapy services are conducted via online video
conferencing services. These services can be performed in the child’s
home with the caregivers/parents or in a preschool classroom in an individual
or small group setting. The clinician can coach parents on strategies and
activities specifically designed to promote development in deficit areas. The therapist can observe the
caregiver/parents with the child to continually monitor progress and adjust
strategies that are being recommended. In the preschool setting, a student
support specialist or classroom assistant can assist the child to join the
therapist in the session. The session is conducted via the platform with
engaging and interactive activities. The student may also perform
tabletop activities and, using a second documentation camera or external
camera, the therapist can observe the student’s activities and guide the
student and assistant from there. A
wide-angle lens is great for group settings or observation of the student
performing with peers or in a classroom activity. At Lighthouse Therapy, our platform can
easily adapt to all these environments and provide a dynamic and interactive
experience for the students, parents, and other professionals engaged in
assisting the student.
When coaching parents or caregivers, we as
therapists must speak in layman’s terms. It is important to give those
most involved in the child’s education practical tips to enhance communication
and learning opportunities. Teach the parents how to use highlighting in
their speech to emphasize the message or direction they are working on with the
student. Using repetition and modeling
for the child by giving them the words they are missing or giving them the
correct production of the words they are trying to communicate. Another
tip I always recommend to parents or primary caregivers is recording the child
at the beginning of the year. When they
interact with the child daily, they will not notice the progress their child is
making. By going back 3-6 months later
and listening to that recording again, it will be much easier for them to
recognize and identify the gains their child has accomplished.
So how do I integrate these ideas into a
successful teletherapy session? With children this young, it is always a
good idea to have at least 3 or more activities planned for a 30-minute
session. This will allow you to move from an activity that has lost their
attention without losing the child’s attention completely. Some examples
of activities I have prepared would have a theme related to a holiday, a
concept we are addressing, or favorite types of toys that the child responds to
(i.e. trains, animals, princesses, etc.). With the topic or goal in mind, I
include a song or YouTube video with lots of action to get the student excited
and engaged at the beginning of the session. I can stop and start the
video and use annotation on the video. This
also lays the groundwork for what we are working on that day. Then we do an activity with pictures, a story,
or a book related to the child’s goals. I
incorporate the use of stamps and drawing to help the child interact with and
talk about the pictures using highlighting and modeling for the student and as
a demonstration for the parent. Then we transition to a simple memory
game or flashcards again giving praise and excitement about the activity. If this is too difficult, I will use my
documentation camera and have a time of show and tell. This is a great way for the child to use his
communication skills to tell me about something that they are excited about.
For some of my ASD students, I make sure to include social greetings at the
beginning of the session and goodbye before they can end the session.
When used consistently, my students become accustomed to these
requirements and start to spontaneously produce them with minimal prompting and
carryover.
These services are desperately needed in many
areas of the country. By engaging in the use of telepractitioners, these
children will be given services that will be key to their future academic
success.
