In the current climate, there may be barriers to attending your child’s therapy session in the Centre for reasons such as being unwell or in quarantine. Would you like to avoid cancellation fees and keep the continuity of therapy going? Your child’s appointment can be carried out via telehealth. The prospect of an online session for your little one can be daunting but hear us out! There are a number of advantages to a telehealth session, and they often go a lot smoother than you expect.
Here are just some of the ways your therapist can support you via these platforms:
● You can inform your therapist and celebrate progress or successes experienced at home.
● Discussion regarding current challenges you may be experiencing at home and provision of new strategies to try. This can occur out of ‘ear shot’ of your child so they can’t hear the discussion about them – children are very sensitive and attuned to what adults are saying about them
● Dietetic review or discussing meal plans with your child’s Lively Eaters dietitian.
● Review previous goals and set new goals for the upcoming period.
● Provide video footage of a typical mealtime for the therapist to review and provide feedback on changes or challenges they can observe within the home setting. A picture tells a thousand words.
This may be a good opportunity to have the time (a full session!) to discuss the above matters with your child’s therapist one on one.
If your child is able to engage in therapy via telehealth:
● Cooking sessions: Your therapist will plan the recipe ahead of time, send it to you so you can be prepared with the ingredients to cook together on screen!
● Oral motor exercises: These can be fun via telehealth! Children tend to enjoy watching themselves in the video and this can be motivating to get some practice in.
Many children enjoy engaging in telehealth sessions from the comfort of their own home. For some, they feel more relaxed and enjoy the opportunity to share some of their home life with their therapist.
Setting up your space for Telehealth:
– Choose a quiet, private space: A quiet space, away from the distractions of tv and toys. Let the rest of the family know when the session will be happening, this may mean setting siblings up with activities. Don’t worry, we love visits from the rest of the family, and understand it may be tricky to keep other little ones engaged whilst the session goes ahead.
– Lighting: It is best to have a light source in front of you so your therapist can see you well. Facing a window or having a lamp on in front of you will do the job.
– Get the camera angle right: If we are cooking together, it is best if the camera is a little further away so we can see your faces as well as your bench top!
– Check your microphone settings before the session starts.
– It is best if you use a computer/laptop/tablet rather than a mobile phone for telehealth sessions, particularly if your little one is involved.
Planning ahead for telehealth can make a big difference!
If you would like further information regarding telehealth or phone call appointments, please call the Centre on (08) 7226 6395 or email info@livelyeaters.com.au
