teli Teletherapy for Occupational Therapy in Early Intervention

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By Debbie Fekos, Occupational Therapist

occupational therapy teletherapy session

Understanding teli’s teletherapy during COVID-19

Your child has been approved for Early Intervention and you want to get started.  Learn about teli’s occupational therapy teletherapy sessions.

What does a teli Occupational Therapy teletherapy session look like?

An Occupational Therapist (OT) collaborates with parents and caregivers around the daily routines that your child may find challenging. They help with activities of daily living such as getting ready for bed, taking a bath, eating a meal, or playing with a sibling.  Additionally, an OT works through play activities that may include playing outdoors in a sandbox, or building a fort with a sibling.

Early intervention teletherapy sessions are focused on you and your child. The session will begin with your Occupational Therapist asking about your specific routines and goals for your child that you would like to work on together.  

From there, your OT will observe you and your child at home through your video device.  As families and children demonstrate an activity your therapist can provide feedback and begin to problem solve situations with you to address what might prove to be challenging.  Your input is vital since you know your child best and combining the feedback from the occupational therapist with your perspective is invaluable.

Throughout what is typically an hour-long teletherapy session, the parent is encouraged to “test the waters” while you have a resource “on the line”. At the end, you both discuss what next steps you might try with your child and plan for the next visit.

Gaining parents perspective and reaction around how things are working is essential as parents begin to become more confident as they learn to apply the learning that works, and maybe doesn’t work, in helping their child.

What might an Occupational Therapy teletherapy help address?

Just as Early Intervention services done in the home, a teletherapy can address any number of child developmental delays using this technology. As one client noted, “It is almost like being together!”

To provide an example of an occupation therapy teletherapy session, meet Tommy, a child dealing with sensory issues.  His mother notes that Tommy, refuses to touch sand or playdough that she would like him and his brother to play with together.  

During the teletherapy session , via FaceTime, the therapist observes Tommy and his brother with playdough.  Tommy raises his hands in avoidance and shakes his head “no” several times.  Tommy’s mom directs her attention to the phone while the occupational therapist demonstrates with her playdoh, ways to desensitize by touching with one finger at a time.

The OT then encourages the mother to model the behavior, touching with one finger at a time followed by funny noises that she knows Tommy likes.  Tommy’s brother has fun doing this too.  Within a few minutes, Tommy is poking playdough with each finger and laughing with his brother and mother.

teli Early Intervention Teletherapy

In our current environment, we have the opportunity to pursue solutions in new and different ways.  If you would like to consider teli Early Intervention teletherapy, just give us a call at 412-922-8322 and we can get you started in no time to help your child reach their full potential!

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