Hybrid Telepractice Delivery of EMT: Effects on Caregiver and Child Communication

Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels
Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels

What is the name of the article?

Hybrid Telepractice Delivery of Enhanced Milieu Teaching: Effects on Caregiver Implementation and Child Communication

What was the goal of this study?

To look at how using telehealth could help toddlers with language delays by teaching their caregivers to use EMT during virtual visits.

What did we find?

A combination of in-person and telehealth visits with caregivers and their toddlers increased EMT use during play and family routines. The benefits of the teaching lasted for up to 6 weeks after the visits were done.

What did we learn?

Using telehealth for some visits saved the families and researchers time and money. The telehealth visits were found to be just as helpful as in-person visits when reviewed by people who were not part of the study.

Why is this important?

Being able to use telehealth for this type of service will help health care professionals reach more children and families in more places.

Who are the authors of the study?

Emily D. Quinn,1 Ann P. Kaiser,2 and Jennifer Ledford2

Authors are from: 1. Oregon Health & Science University; 2. Vanderbilt University: Nashville, TN

Quinn, E. D., Kaiser, A. P., & Ledford, J. (2021). Hybrid telepractice delivery of enhanced milieu teaching: Effects on caregiver implementation and child communication. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 64(8), 3074-3099. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_JSLHR-20-00430

Key Words:

Telehealth (or Telepractice): having healthcare visits using video or phone meetings, instead of meeting in-person

EMT (Enhanced Milieu Teaching): a way to teach kids to talk by using their interests and actions as a chance to help them learn words and language