Who would have thought that when we set the date for the 13th annual Better Hearing & Speech Month #BSHM2020 Screening that we would be under a stay at home order in response to a pandemic that is impacting the entire world. We, along with speech-language pathologists (SLPs) everywhere and in every practice setting (private practices, schools, early intervention, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and more), have had to dramatically shift our service delivery models in the blink of an eye to continue to meet the needs of the clients and families we help. I’m proud to say that the clinicians at STG didn’t miss a beat, feverishly learning virtual platforms and how best to provide services ethically while also trying to navigate billing and insurance coverage for these services. After personally being closed minded and a skeptic of teletherapy for working with children in a private practice setting, I have been pleasantly surprised with how well virtual face-to-face services are going. I dearly miss seeing the kids, families, and my co-workers in person, but I feel oh-so-fortunate for families’ willingness and technology to be able to continue to do what I love doing during this time. I also see the long-term potential for teletherapy to help meet the needs of children with communication disorders who live in the rural areas of Nevada as these children have not had the same access to care as families who live in more populated areas.
We have weathered a huge learning curve in a short amount of time, but we are already proficient in using virtual services to provide the services we are trained to do (licensed SLPs have to hold a master’s degree). Not only has the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) stepped up and provided valuable resources and support, but SLPs everywhere have supported each other through live webinars, resource/idea sharing, and emotional support/encouragement. I have never been prouder to be a speech-language pathologist and certified member of ASHA and NSHA!
We have offered the free screening to celebrate Better Hearing and Speech Month and spread the word about the great profession of speech pathology for the past 12 years…and instead of postponing the 13th Annual BHSM Screening, the screening will go on virtually on May 16th, 2020! Families with children between the ages of 3 and 6 can email shawna@sierraspeech.com or shannon@sierraspeech.com to reserve virtual screening slots (directions and more information will be shared after the screening slots are confirmed). Again, I am thankful for technology and a willingness on the part of the clinicians and the families to be able to make the 13th annual screening a reality! We hope to ‘see’ you on May 16th!
http://www.sierratherapygroup.com/videos (watch to see what a screening looks like)