Telehealth Across Australia

Supporting children, teens, and adults with literacy, language, and social communication

What is telehealth?

Telehealth is the delivery of speech therapy services via secure online platforms. It connects you with a qualified clinician in real-time for assessments, therapy, consultation, and caregiver training, without the need to travel.

Align Allied Health utilises telehealth as our primary method of delivering high-quality speech therapy for children, adolescents and adults across Australia.

What do I need?

To get started with telehealth, you’ll need:

A reliable internet connection.
A device with a camera and microphone (e.g., computer, tablet, or iPad).
A quiet, private space.
Any materials or resources provided in advance.

Tips for a Smooth Session

Set up in a well-lit, quiet space.
Test your device and internet beforehand.
Have materials ready before the session.
Minimise distractions (turn off notifications, reduce background noise).

The Benefits of Telehealth

Convenient – access therapy from your home.
Accessible – available to people across Australia, including rural and regional areas.
Flexible – schedule therapy around your availability.
Effective – research shows telehealth is just as effective as in-person therapy for many communication needs.

What is the evidence?

Telehealth has been shown to be an effective model for delivering speech therapy services in various areas. Research supports its success in treating speech sound disorders, language, literacy, fluency, and more in both children and adults.

Childhood speech and language disorders (Waite et al., 2010; Grogan-Johnson et al., 2013).
Neurodivergent people and caregiver training (Vismara et al., 2013; Parmanto et al., 2013).
Fluency disorders (Carey et al., 2010; Bridgman et al., 2014).
Neurogenic communication disorders (Turkstra et al., 2011; Rietdijk et al., 2012).
Clinical supervision and professional development (Carlin et al., 2013).

Reference list:

Bridgman, K., Block, S., Onslow, M., O'Brian, S., & Jones, M. (2014). Webcam preschool stuttering treatment: Outcomes and experiences from a clinical trial. Paper presented at the 10th Oxford Dysfluency Conference, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Carey, B., O'Brian, S., Onslow, M., Block, S., Jones, M., & Packman, A. (2010). Randomized controlled non-inferiority trial of a telehealth treatment for chronic stuttering: The Camperdown Program. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 45(1), 108–120. https://doi.org/10.3109/13682820902763944

Carlin, C. H., Boarman, K., Carlin, E. L., & Inselmann, K. (2013). The use of e-supervision to support speech–language pathology graduate students during teaching practica. International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 5(2), 21–31. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijt.2013.6128

Grogan-Johnson, S., Schmidt, A. M., Rowan, L., & Taylor, J. (2013). A comparison of speech sound intervention delivered by telepractice and side-by-side service delivery models. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 34(3), 210–220. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525740112465699

Parmanto, B., Pulantara, I. W., Schutte, J. L., Saptono, A., & McCue, M. P. (2013). An integrated telehealth system for remote administration of an adult autism assessment. Telemedicine journal and e-health, 19(2), 88-94.

Rietdijk, R., Togher, L., & Power, E. (2012). Supporting family members of people with traumatic brain injury using telehealth: A systematic review. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 44(10), 913–921. https://doi.org/10.2340/16501977-1060

Turkstra, L. S., Quinn-Padron, M., Johnson, J. E., Workinger, M. S., & Antoniotti, N. (2011). In-person versus telehealth assessment of discourse ability in adults with traumatic brain injury. The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 27(6), 424–432. https://doi.org/10.1097/HTR.0b013e318223560f

Vismara, L. A., McCormick, C. E., Young, G. S., Nadhan, A., & Monlux, K. (2013). Preliminary findings of a telehealth approach to parent training in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(12), 2953–2969. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1841-8

Waite, M. C., Theodoros, D. G., Russell, T. G., & Cahill, L. M. (2010). Internet-based telehealth assessment of language using the CELF-4. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 41(4), 445–458. https://doi.org/10.1044/0161-1461(2009/09-0051)

Let's Connect

If you would like to find out more about how I can support you or your loved one, please get in touch. I would be happy to talk through your goals and options.

Phone: 0435 983 700

Email: lizzie@alignalliedhealth.com.au

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