Even in-person instruction in social communication can sound vague and abstract to students. Teaching Social Communication Skills Competency in Teletherapy and in-person can be a concrete and relatable for students with social communication needs. As you step into social communication in teletherapy, you're going to run into these problems:
Wondering if it's even "social communication" if it's screen-to-screen rather than person-to-person.
Forgetting to address social communication in all available virtual modes (i.e., the chat box).
Lacking "go-to" materials suitable for the teletherapy environment.
How do I know? These are the exact problems I encountered when I first entered telepractice. The learning curve was slow and steep simply because of the lack of training I had available to me. Good news: You can gather concrete social communication tools in the virtual environment faster than I did!
Social Communication Skills Telepractice Advocacy
If you're wondering how screen-to-screen can be considered part of an SLP's scope, think about the increase in availability and use of smartphones over the past several years. Did you know video chat apps were used by teens long before the teletherapy model of learning became a primary avenue of education? In 2012, Pew Research Center said that 37% of internet teens (ages 12-17) were participating in video chat....and that statistic has only increased.
Additionally, the social media platforms have expanded with 85% of teens using YouTube, 72% using Instagram, 69% using SnapChat, 51% using Facebook, and 34% using Twitter, according to Pew Research Center's 2018 survey. ASHA's Leader Live has weighed in with a few articles on this very subject:
The overall conclusion from reading through the references and statistics is that whether or not teens are engaging in virtual academics, they most certainly are engaging in screen-to-screen socialization. Having students in teletherapy gives Tele-SLPs a unique opportunity to teach live social communication in the virtual environment.
Bottom line: You'll want to make certain that your social skills goals for teletherapy address competency in all the modes available for communication in the virtual environment.
Video/Camera
Audio/Microphone
Chat Box
Reactions
Polling
Video/Camera Skills Competency
Connection (turning on and off)
Self-orientation in the camera box
Situational appropriateness with environment in view
Audio/Microphone Skills Competency
Connection (turning on and off)
Response time
Planning for potential audio delays
Situational appropriateness with background conversations and noise
Chat Box Skills Competency
Ability to locate
Response time
Situational appropriateness
Keeping to conversation topic
Determining differences in private vs. public chats
Appropriate use of emojis
Reactions Skills Competency
Ability to locate
Response time
Situational appropriateness
Keeping reactions positive
Polling Skills Competency
Ability to locate
Response time
Situational appropriateness
Determining secret vs. open polls
Want to know how to assess these areas in Teletherapy? I've created an informal Conversation Evaluation Google Sheets™ assessment specifically for teletherapy that will make taking data on all these areas a breeze and inform your next steps for treatment. With this resource you’ll have concrete social skills competencies to assess then treat in Teletherapy. No more vague “get together and have a conversation“ sessions!
With confidence,
Angela C. Hancock, MSP, CCC-SLP
Spread the Word on Pinterest!
