Isn’t in-person therapy better than online speech therapy for young kids? 

This is a question we’re getting a lot around here at SpeechKids these days. And it’s a question I’m constantly asking myself. But you know what I keep coming up with?

No, in-person speech therapy isn’t (automatically) better than online speech therapy for (some) kids.

SpeechKids is staying virtual for the foreseeable future. Part of the reason we are staying virtual is because of the successes we’ve been experiencing with our clients through an exciting innovation: 

10 minute sessions of DAILY direct online speech therapy (we’re calling it ‘microdosing’)

Speech language pathologists like to make a Big Deal about The Research. And one of the findings in The Research is that short, frequent bursts of therapy are more effective than longer, more spread out sessions. 

So why do most therapists do sessions once or twice per week for 30-50 minutes? 

• Because “that’s how we’ve always done it”

• Because we’re asking clients to travel to the office, or for therapists to travel to clients.

• Because it would be crazy to ask anyone to travel for an appointment that’s any shorter than 30 minutes or so.

• Because - for some clients - it’s the right dose.

But here’s the beauty of the internet! Because of technology, we can now leverage a treatment protocol that we know is Evidence-Based and apply it in the real world.

Boom!

Microdose sessions have been effective with the clients with the following issues:

• Articulation disorders

• Autism

• ADHD

• Auditory processing disorder

• Phonological disorder

• Apraxia

• Late Talking

Clients make faster progress, and the time in sessions is more effectively used.

Here’s what happens during a microdose session: we say hello and we GET TO WORK. We work HARD AND SMART for the full time and then we say “bye bye”.

How is microdosed online speech therapy different from a “regular” session?

In a regular session, we spend more time on everything: greetings, partings, activities and BREAKS. In the average 50 minute session with a kiddo, we have to build in break time: very few kids can “go hard” for a full 50 minutes (or even a full 30). The breaks do serve a purpose: to allow the brain to “digest” and “gather itself”. But -- when we do microdose sessions, we plan for that digestion time to happen after the session, not during. Here are some other benefits to shorter, more frequent sessions:

• No homework (unless you want it)

• Faster skills learning

• Better retention of skills from session to session and into “real life”

• “Spillover” into areas that haven’t been addressed in therapy (generalization of skills)

• Motivation stays high

• Little to no transition time into and out of therapy

• NO TRANSPORTATION

• A 15 minute session actually takes…. 15 minutes

If you’ve been on the fence about whether to start with a virtual therapist because you think it might not be as effective, I encourage you to try these microdose sessions. It’s not for every child, but it might be good for yours. See how your child responds to short, frequent sessions that allow them to get in, get out, and then go about their day while also experiencing faster progress and therapeutic benefit.

We’re here for questions. Don’t hesitate to reach out.