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www.privateairny.com Private Air | Summer 2020 52 REMOTE TELEPRACTICE TECHNOLOGY SPARKING SPEECH TELETHERAPY SURGE By: Merilee Kern, MBA Telepractice speech therapy for families and students blazing an exciting new trail in telehealth; Expert reveals how a novel online approach is ushering in a new era by bridging gaps in standard speech therapy while improving and accelerating results for families, schools and districts at-large (and also creating new lane of opportunity for therapists). BUSINESS F or those looking toward industries poised to lead the growth charge over the next five-to-ten years, one need look no further than telehealth and telemedicine. ese global markets are expected to exceed $185 million from 2019 through 2026, according to the new Advanced Report on Telehealth and Telemedicine Market Analysis Forecast. Yet another new report, "Telemedicine Market 2019," actually forecasts global industry growth to reach a staggering $78.82 billion during the period 2018-2022. ese and a litany of other research endeavors veritably assure that telehealth will become a dominant force, reinventing health care at large in years to come. For students from K-12 through college-level requiring speech therapy in particular, remote access to professional services and practitioners will clearly become more ubiquitous. In fact, "the demand for speech-language therapists is already outpacing the supply in some cities," says Licensed Speech Pathologist Orna Kempler- Azulay, president of Abington Speech Pathology Services, Inc. She's helping spearhead the speech teletherapy charge in America and beyond with her ground-breaking service platform, RemoteSpeech.com. Underscoring telehealth's viability for expanding access to quality and effective treatment for both children and adults worldwide, the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) has gone on record to substantiate that, "Telepractice is considered an appropriate model of service delivery for audiologists and speech-language pathologists." Additionally, a "Speech Telepractice" report not only touts improved access to care that telehealth facilitates, but also engagement and the residual effect benefits of remote care. It cites, "e web-based technology engenders highly personalized and engaging activities, such that clients' interactions with these high interest tasks often continue well beyond the therapy sessions." For students, these advancements easing accessibility, bolstering treatment protocols and expediting results can't usher in soon enough amid the extreme hardships many children with voice, speech or language issues suffer. Not the least of which is getting bullied or even shunned by friends and family members. In light of the nearly one in twelve U.S. children ages three to seventeen reportedly suffering from some kind of communication disorder, below Azulay outlines key ways remote speech teletherapy benefits students, including and beyond bridging the availability gap: Eradicates barriers to access. For many, career and other schedule demands, transportation challenges and other obstacles make it difficult––if not impossible––for families with students to participate in on-site speech therapy programs, whether at the school, in clinics or other treatment locales. For those living in rural and remote areas, these problems can be further exacerbated, rendering treatment options an impossibility. is also applies to people who must relocate internationally, including members of the military, business executives and government officials who desire to

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