We see you, parents juggling work, family responsibilities, and social relationships. And when you live in a regional area, there are also the unique challenges of accessing specialised support when you're hours from the nearest town, struggling to find time between different commitments.
Technology has transformed how childrenconnect and learn. Digital platforms now bridge distances, bringing supportdirectly into family homes across Australia.
For families in regional and remote areas,healthcare can feel frustratingly out of reach. Long drives, packed schedules,and limited local services shouldn't stand between your child and the supportthey need.
Telekids – telehealth for kids – can help with that.
Understanding Telekids
Telekids is our online telehealth service designed to meet families where they are – literally and figuratively. Our program provides essential speech pathology and occupational therapy that adapts to your family’s unique circumstances. Ensuring your child and family receive the help they need, regardless of where you live.
We want children everywhere to benefit from accessible, high-quality therapy supports.
Telekids helps overcome some common barriers to care. It offers:
● Convenient online sessions fromhome or even school
● Immediate access withoutlengthy waitlists
● Professional, personalisedsupport tailored to your child’s needs.
Speech therapy - supporting communication and development
Speech therapy (or Speech Pathologist)isn’t just about talking. It’s also about building connections.
Our speech pathologists help your child build communication skills so they can form meaningful relationships and enjoy healthy social interactions.
Learning to communicate can be quite complex. Apart from speaking, your child also needs other skills such as listening, reading facial expressions and body language, interpreting non-verbal gestures and empathising with others.
We address all the elements of effective communication, including providing support through alternative and augmentative communication where needed.
Occupational therapy – empowering everyday skills
Our occupational therapists help your child to engage in everyday activities and develop independence. We focus on helping your child participate in the activities of everyday life such as:
● Playing meaningfully with toys
● Going to and participating at school
● Self-care (such as feeding, dressing and toileting)
● Social interactions including building connections and friendships with others
● Fine motor skills (such as writing, cutting and manipulating small objects)
● Gross motor skills (such asriding a bicycle and playing on playground equipment)
These activities require developing fineand gross motor skills, supporting attention span and concentration skills,play and social skills and self-regulation.
We also have experience supporting childrenwith a wide range of abilities and disabilities, including:
● Autism
● Cerebral palsy
● Intellectual disability
● ADHD
● Social and emotionaldifficulties
● Trauma responses
● Behavioural difficulties.
What’s needed for telehealth sessions?
Here are a few items you’ll need for eachsession:
● A laptop, desktop, or tablet(If this is a barrier to your child accessing support however, please let usknow and we can support you to access a device)
● A camera, microphone, andspeakers (most modern laptops and tablets have these built-in)
● A headset or headphones(recommended for school sessions)
● A stable internet connection
● A quiet, comfortable locationfor the session
If you book a telehealth appointment andtechnology presents challenges for you, we can help you explore other options.For some families with limited internet, we are able to provide consults overthe phone.
How can we help?
If you live in rural or regional Australia and would like to enrol your child in our Telekids program, please complete our enrolment form.
Disclaimer
All information is general and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice.
References
International Journal ofTelerehabilitation, The efficacy of telehealth-delivered speech and languageintervention for primary school-age children: a systematic review, https://telerehab.pitt.edu/ojs/Telerehab/article/view/6219,[Accessed 24 September 2024]
