Speech Therapy In Your Own Backyard- Literally!
Synapse Pediatric Therapy has always provided services in homes - until this past March, when we transitioned to doing therapy exclusively online.
And for MOST kids, it has worked. MOST kids are still making wonderful progress. However, when I had a heart-to-heart with my team last month, it became clear that some kids were struggling with teletherapy and would benefit more from in-person services.
But, how to do this SAFELY? Honestly, I was tempted to keep services all online. No risk for my SLPs, clients, or their families. When I surveyed my clients’ parents, however, there were a few families who were BEYOND ready to begin meeting in person again.
So, over the last two weeks, with careful consideration of state and CDC guidelines, as well as the input of our staff and other local SLPs, we began a handful of in-person sessions in the Evanston, IL area. Here are some of the guidelines we have put in place:
Outdoor sessions are preferred, and indoor sessions will be limited to 30 minutes.
At the beginning of the session, the SLP will take the temperature of anyone that the SLP will be within 6 ft of during the session and may have screening questions for your family. The SLP will also communicate with you if she has been in contact with anyone with COVID-19 or if she has left IL in the last 14 days and asks that your family does the same.
The SLP and client will wash their hands at the beginning and end of the session.
The SLP will wear a mask during all sessions, both indoor and outdoor. If an adult is involved in the session or closer than 6 ft, he/she will wear a mask. If possible, we ask that your child also wear a mask or face shield during sessions. If your child is not able to wear a mask, a face shield will also be worn by the SLP if the session is inside.
The SLP will use materials in the home as much as possible and sanitize any items brought into the home after each session.
The SLP will try to maintain social distancing as much as possible during the session.
We will continue to offer teletherapy in the long term, but for the children and families who prefer in-person therapy, we are so excited to be seeing you, safely, in your backyard, side yard, on your porch, in your front yard, or basically any outdoor space where we can socially distance!
If you are wondering how we do it, and what our plans are for wintertime in Chicago (!) stay tuned for our next post, where Marissa, one of our SLPs, will be answering some frequently asked questions about in-person services with COVID precautions.
If you’re curious if in-person speech therapy could make a difference for your child, we’d love to talk with you. You can schedule a phone consultation here.
