LET'S TALK!

Virtual vs. In-Person 

I get it.  This is your baby we are talking about here.  You want what is best for them.  I have worked virtually for over three years now, both in groups and with individuals, so I have basically seen it all.  Let me assure you that 1-to-1 is NOT the same as 1-to-25!

Yes, your child may have not had the best online school experience before.  There are so many distractions, background noises from the other students, and the teacher can’t address everything at one time.  

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Yes, it may seem obvious, but I've had a lot of parents tell me that their child didn't do well working online with their teacher or working in groups with others.  Here are some of the biggest differences:

• Your child didn't have me - a veteran with 15+ years experience working with children, trained at the graduate level, a former teacher, and person who also grew up with a learning disability. Basically, I'm not your average teacher.

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• Because school is an all-day affair, virtual school had to mirror normal class. Classes were excessively long and painful  - our sessions simply won't be that long.

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• Virtual school requires your child to try harder and pay more attention to something they already were having a hard time with. The curriculum is very rigorous.  There are too many writing assignments for children who have syntax disorders.  Our sessions are designed to be at the level of instruction for your child to learn, i.e., they are going to be engaged because they know what's happening.

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• I keep our sessions flexible. If things aren't going well, then we take a break and play a game (one designed to target the same goals simultaneously and surreptitiously we're working on, and most kids don't even notice, or they don't care because it's fun). Teachers don't have that luxury.  If your child doesn’t appear awake when we meet first thing in the morning, I will find a fun game to wake them up and get them going. 

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• No distracting distractions!  I am well aware that so many online children do NOT like to turn their cameras or mics on.  The most some will participate in groups is via chat.  I truly believe this is because of fear of being judged by their peers.  With a one-on-one setting, I won't have to tell Johnny to turn his camera on. I won't have to tell Rosie to stop playing around.  I won't have to tell anyone anything because there won't be anyone else.  Less time lost makes for more engaged students.

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• I'm fun. Period. Nine times out of ten, (I'm proud to say) kids are asking when they're going to see me again.   Way more often than not, several parents have requested that I remain their child's therapist throughout the years.
   

• Digital Perks. I saved the best for last. Virtual services are not the same as in-person. In some ways, they're better. Think about all the tools I have at my disposal, not least of which is good-old screen-sharing (that's where I choose a window on my computer to share with you to see on your screen). How does this help? 

  • Take, for example, someone at the early stages of reading, when letter-size really matters. In real life, I can only encourage them to look more closely at the page (pretty weak) or find large print books. On the computer, I can zoom in 1000x to help them see the part I want them to see. For some kids, noticing the difference between "d" and "b" isn't going to happen unless it's as big as a billboard right in front of their eyes. I can drag a pointer or make a thick, red line run under the part of the word I want to show them. Not to mention, I can type/delete/copy/paste much faster on my computer than I can write on a hand-held whiteboard. This is only the start! I'm happy to give more examples. Just ask!
    
    
    Virtual vs. In-Person (Adults)
    ADULTS - ​You already know some of the perks:

• ​​​Cost savings. You won't have to drive anywhere, spend money on gas and time in the car, traveling back-and-forth. And, you probably won't be late.​

• Fewer cancelations. Minor illnesses, inclement weather, public health events, can't get in the way of therapy.​  

• Learning opportunities. Your family can view and learn from sessions, which is great, especially if there's something they can be doing to help.​

• Flexibility. Working virtually allows me to be nimble. Got a birthday party? Staying late at work? We can easily reschedule our session for another day and time when we're working online.​  One thing a lenient college professor once told me that I will never forget is, “I know that things happen!”
  
  How Do Virtual Sessions Work?
  Easier than you think​​.  Here's everything you'll need:

• a computer, tablet, or phone

• the internet

• an open mind (this one's optional)​

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​Here's how it works:

• I make an event on Google Calendar.

• You get an invite sent to your email.

• On the day of the session, you click on the link in your email; it automatically opens a browser window, and you click to join.​

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​If you have Gmail and/or Google Calendar, it'll automatically go to your calendar. You can bookmark the link as a shortcut if you want. GoogleMeet does work best with Chrome as your browser but it's not required. 

​​Still not sold on the idea? Check out this article written by an SLP who reviewed some of the research. CLICK HERE.