Expanding Use of Telepractice in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology

It has been almost 10 years since I was indoctrinated into the specialized field of telepractice. My introduction was based on a persistent need. At the time, as the director of a statewide early intervention program, I was committed to delivering the same high-quality early intervention services using the communication approach selected by each family to all children in the state irrespective of the geographic location in which the children lived. This presented a challenge as many rural communities did not have a provider with expertise in working with children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH). If there was a provider, the professional often had the knowledge and skills for only one communication approach. A logical way to meet these commitments was to deliver services by connecting children in rural areas with providers in distant, and often urban, areas. Little did I know that I was venturing into a field that was already of high interest in the medical community. In short order, I became aware that the field of rehabilitation, and speech-language pathology specifically, was investigating telepractice as a service delivery model.