Every Parent’s Dream

What if I told you that you could see your doctor, but not have to physically go? What if I told you that you could just be in the comfort of your own home? What if I told you that it would be easy and effective? Would you believe me?

What is Telehealth?

Telehealth is as simple as receiving health information and services through modern technology. With the current situation our world is experiencing, Telehealth has become so popular, especially here, at Pediatric Therapy Associates!First off, let me introduce myself. Hi! I’m Nicole Bautista. I’m a co-teacher at a Montessori School and I’ve been teaching for almost two year now. I work with a lovely age group of children 2-4 years old.Now what does this have to do with Telehealth? Well! I’d like to say that I’ve had the privilege of working with children who, aside from school, seek therapy on a weekly basis for various reasons, whether it be occupational, physical, or even speech.As a teacher, I see therapists in action and it’s amazing how much children can progress within week’s or month’s time. As a teacher, I know these benefits of therapy and I’ve witnessed such positive impacts it has left on my own children.I’ve teamed up with a Speech Therapist, Ms. Cristina Gutierrez, here at Pediatric Therapy Associates who actively takes part in Telehealth, meets with her kiddos, and provides all sorts of help and information all just behind a computer screen!

Interview with Ms. Cristina

The Pros and Cons of Telehealth

The pros to Telehealth are the progression kiddos have made, the ability to mix things up and to go through activity by activity, and the different types of goals each child has.The cons would have to be the technical difficulties and trouble with WiFi connection since those are very unpredictable.

Gameplan and Preparation

My typical gameplan and how I prepare would be to review notes to see what we’re working on. Since I’m not physically able to play with them, what I do is I have a PDF document of YouTube videos that I can apply to certain goals. For example, I would have nursery rhymes and animal figures to work with animal sounds.

Benefits to the Therapist

Telehealth has benefited me by making me a better therapist. It has made my communication better amongst parents as well as my higher ups. It has made me more adaptable to change. Sometimes when you’re playing a video or with cards, the child may not be interested, so I have to be quick to change what we’re working on.

Benefits to Children

Silas is a child we are happy to work with at the clinic and is the highlight of this entire blog. He has made tremendous progress throughout the pandemic. It’s unbelievable! Every session, he progresses. His goals are based off a simple graphic textbook that doesn’t require too much verbal communication. Simple phrases like “I want” are said to jump-start some form of communication. His goals are also based off of sign language. Recently he has made speech productions and has been saying so many words. Every day is a different word, and each session, it’s clearer. I’m very happy! Every time I have a session with Silas, I get excited when he speaks.