Telehealth: Making a smooth transition to online therapy

We have seen many changes during the past few weeks, with many more to come I’m sure. Change can be difficult for most of us, but for our young Autistic people, it can cause distress and increased feelings of uncertainty. Many of our rural and interstate families have been relying on Telehealth for their own or their child’s therapy for some years now. While some of the children and adolescents who we are working with have reported that they have adapted well to online learning and therapy, others may not have tried this and may be feeling anxious about this change.

It is important that we keep routine and rhythms in place as much as possible, or gently create new ones as we begin to ‘live with COVID’.

What does this mean for The Kidd Clinic?

There will be times in the forseeable future when we will need to move from face-to-face sessions to online delivery. When we talk about a ‘Teleheallth session’, we mean an online videoconference session using a secure platform. If videoconferencing is not possible due to poor internet connection, or you would feel more comfortable speaking via Telephone or instant messaging, this can be arranged.

Telehealth can be used effectively to provide: 

1. Psychological assessments.

2. Psychological therapy.

3. Parent sessions.

4. Parent, teacher and support worker education/ training and support. 

The benefits of Telehealth sessions

Recent research has consistently demonstrated the benefits of Telehealth sessions, including specific benefits for young Autistic people.

Some of our clients have reported that they appreciate.

1. Physical distancing during COVID-19.

2. No need to travel.

3. Child is often more relaxed in their own home and therefore may be more likely to engage in sessions.

4. Some children and teens love the idea of meeting online and therefore, increased treatment gains may result. 

5. More ability for psychologists to work with the parent to help problem solve difficulties at home. Parents can gain skills in becoming their child’s coach.

While Telehealth sessions may feel strange at first as we are so used of face-to-face sessions, it usually doesn’t take long to adapt to this new format. It is an important step in providing yourself or the young person in your life with continuity and certainty. 

Some tips for increasing children’s engagement in Telehealth sessions:

1. Prepare your child for Telehealth by explaining that they will be sat in front of a computer and will be able to see and hear their psychologist and their psychologist will be able to see and hear them.

2. Prior to the session, encourage your child to do a quiet activity. It can be difficult for children to transition from highly active or sensory overload activities to sitting in front of a screen doing therapy. Some activities we encourage your child to engage in to create some calm before your Telehealth session include; colouring, reading a book together, or crafts.

3.  Set your child up in a quiet (boring!) space of their own, without the distraction of siblings or too many other activities. Encourage them to choose an activity of interest before the session to show their psychologist.

4.  Have paper, pencils or textas available.

5.  Have playdoh or sensory toys in front of them.

6.  Parents may need to be on hand to assist with technology issues, or if children are young and need to be redirected back to the screen.

In circumstances where children are unable to engage with Telehealth, their session can easily be converted to a parent session. Research has shown that many therapeutic gains can be made when therapists work with a child’s parents. You can talk to your child’s psychologist about the many ways that therapeutic goals can be met through Telehealth sessions.