Telehealth Services at the BAC
Therapy from the comfort and safety of your home!
In an effort to do our part in limiting the spread of COVID-19, The Boston Ability Center is thrilled to provide pediatric occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language therapy, and feeding therapy via telehealth! We promise - this won't be just another Zoom session! Our clinicians have tricks up their sleeve to virtually engage children of all ages and abilities, from infants, to preschool, to middle school and beyond! This unique form of service delivery allows your child to continue working towards their therapy goals from safety and comfort of home, with an added benefit of therapy within your child's natural environment for optimal home carryover. Evaluations and weekly sessions are now available via this platform to those in Massachusetts.
Curious how OT, PT, Speech and Language, and/or Feeding Therapy services delivered via telehealth may be beneficial to you and your child? Check out the information below for the many ways telehealth can help!
occupational therapy
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In-home," face to face implementation of an individualized treatment program based on your child's specific areas of need, which may include: fine motor, visual motor, gross motor, self-care (e.g. dressing, eating), self-regulation, and/or sensory processing activities and strategies
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Activities designed specifically around materials available in your home for increased carryover
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Child and family education, problem-solving, and implementation of home programing
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Tours throughout your house to provide education on and recommendations for environmental modifications to assist with every day success
PHYSICAL THERAPY
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Education on how you can use objects throughout your home to exercise
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Instructions on how to set up and perform exercises and stretches with supervision while you do them with your child, including real-time feedback
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Education regarding typical development, equipment, bracing, and home exercise programs
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Assessment of positioning in adaptive equipment you have at home
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Education on breathing exercises to improve pulmonary health for more sedentary individuals or those with compromised lung health
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Education on behavioral strategies and reward systems that might need to be used at home to implement PT home exercise programs
speech and language
therapy
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Explanation of home programs and assistance for parents in finding realistic ways to target therapy goals within their own home
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Modeling and education for parents on providing prompts to help their children produce targeted speech sounds
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Observation of play interactions between parents and their children with the provision of ideas on how to expand the play or layer other therapy goals into that play (ex. expanding language, using phrases that will include target speech sounds, following directions, etc.).
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Facilitation of play and/or dialogue between children and their siblings or other family members to target social pragmatic skills
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Determination of progress or continued areas of difficulty and adjustments to home programs as needed
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Provision of activities via screen sharing that will keep children engaged and motivated to work on targeted skills during their telehealth session
feeding therapy
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Education on seating and environmental modifications to assist with mealtime success
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Education on preparatory postural control and stability exercises
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Face to face virtual treatment and education on language to use and pretend food play ideas.
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Assistance with implementation of home programing
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Sessions during family mealtimes to help with the successful implementation of treatment strategies
See what families are saying...
It's no secret that we live in challenging times — or that this past year has been incredibly difficult in many ways for parents of young children and has led to record-high rates of parental burnout due to the ever-changing guidelines that keep businesses and schools open. Fortunately, your child's regular therapy appointment can remain consistent due to the addition of Boston Ability Center's pediatric visits by telehealth.
If you've been thinking about therapy for your child or need to schedule your next appointment with us, consider that we offer most of our services from a distance for those who wish to remain in their own homes while accessing the same level of care provided at our center. Read through the following information to learn about how our teletherapy services go beyond simple virtual meetings. We strive to keep your children engaged, focused, and excited about learning new skills.
Therapy From the Comfort and Safety of Your Home!
In an effort to do our part in limiting the spread of COVID-19, The Boston Ability Center is thrilled to provide pediatric occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language therapy, and feeding therapy via telehealth! We promise - this won't be just another Zoom session! Our clinicians have tricks up their sleeve to virtually engage children of all ages and abilities, from infants, to preschool, to middle school and beyond! This unique form of service delivery allows your child to continue working towards their therapy goals from the safety and comfort of home, with an added benefit of therapy within your child's natural environment for optimal home carryover. Evaluations and weekly sessions are now available via this platform to those in Massachusetts.
Curious how OT, PT, Speech and Language, and/or Feeding Therapy services delivered via telehealth may be beneficial to you and your child? Check out the information below for the many ways telehealth can help!
Frequently Asked Questions About Our Telehealth Services
If you consider telehealth for your child's therapy, you may wonder if these services are as effective as in-person appointments. Consider the following FAQs and get in touch with us if you have any questions about our physical, occupational, speech, or feeding therapy telehealth services.
How Can Telehealth Benefit My Child?
Several recent studies verify the benefits of seeing a telehealth pediatrician as well as the inclusion of other telehealth services for children. Though in-person contact is often preferable when working with pediatric patients, parents often view telehealth services as providing positive, consistent interaction that helps their children maintain their skills and gain new ones.
How Does Telehealth Work for Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy?
Children who have had past in-person appointments with us can easily step into the same routine at home with both OT and PT. Though speech therapy may be the simplest of our services to adapt to telehealth services, it is absolutely possible to transition OT and PT activities to teletherapy as well.
How Old Does My Child Have To Be To Participate in a Telehealth Appointment?
We treat pediatric patients from infancy well into their teenage years, and we are able to provide the same level of care for these patients through teletherapy services. Your child's therapy may take place with items you find around your homes, such as crayons, action figures, balls, and even your child's favorite toys.
Younger feeding therapy patients may feel more comfortable and willing to eat when sitting in their usual chair at their table at home. If siblings are willing to participate and do not distract the child from therapy, they can be included in the appointment. It can be beneficial for some pediatric therapy patients to practice communication or motor skills with another person.
Are There Advantages to Teletherapy Over In-Person Therapy?
Absolutely! Though in-person appointments are often preferred, sometimes logistics, distance, and time constraints make it impossible to drive to the clinic. Don't worry that your child is receiving a subpar version of their usual therapy or that they are not gaining anything by working virtually. Teletherapy can provide unique advantages that are important to the growth of your child and the maintenance of their progress overall:
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Telehealth appointments can take into account your child's personal space at home and utilize parts of their daily routine.
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When working virtually, your child's therapist can use your child's favorite items and toys to work on speech, motor skills, and social skills at a comfortable pace for your child.
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Within a telehealth session, your child has the opportunity to translate the skills learned in the clinic into a different context.
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Telehealth appointments can involve parents and siblings who may not have had the chance to participate in the child's therapy due to scheduling differences.
How Can My Child Be Evaluated During a Telehealth Appointment?
Evaluating a child with specific concerns related to speech development, gross motor skills, and occupational therapy may be easier than you think. Researchers and clinicians have developed several ways to assess children virtually due to the pandemic. The evolving nature of communication has lent itself to the advent of virtual evaluation as well — for example, we use video calls to communicate now more often than we did five years ago.
Visiting a telehealth doctor for kids for evaluation is becoming more mainstream and can have advantages for certain conditions. Virtual autism evaluations, for example, can be especially valuable for the clinician as they allow a window into the child's world as opposed to the more structured and potentially stressful nature of the first clinic-based evaluation appointment.
Contact Us To Schedule Your Appointment
Telehealth is a great option for pediatric patients as well as their parents who are unable to come to the clinic in person. We understand that you may have more questions about your child's individual therapy sessions or concerns about scheduling your child's initial evaluation through telehealth. Get in touch with us today at 781-239-0100, or send us an email to get started. We look forward to working with you and expanding your child's care to wherever you are!
