A Comparative Study of Parental Opinions on In-Clinic Speech Therapy and Telepractice

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted speech and language therapy practices in Thailand, preventing patients from receiving in-person therapy sessions at clinics. To address prolonged gaps between therapy sessions, speech therapists adopted telepractice as an alternative.

Objective: To compare parental opinions between in-clinic speech therapy and telepractice.

Methods: Researchers distributed an electronic questionnaire to 78 parents via online speech therapy platforms. The questionnaire comprised 3 sections: patient information (4 items), parent information (6 items), and parental opinions on in-clinic speech therapy versus telepractice (15 items). In the patient and parent information sections, parents selected options corresponding to their situation. In the section on parental opinions, parents rated their views using a Likert scale.

Results: Parents demonstrated significantly higher levels of satisfaction with in-clinic speech therapy compared to telepractice across 12 topics (P < .05), whereas no statistically significant differences were observed in 3 topics (P > .05). Topics where in-clinic therapy was rated more positively included pretherapy processes, therapy procedures, posttherapy processes, therapy outcomes, and factors related to location and therapy materials.

Conclusions: Parents provided more positive feedback for in-clinic speech therapy than telepractice. Despite the critical role telepractice played during the COVID-19 pandemic, parents still believe in-clinic therapy is more effective. As the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic decreases, it is likely that the use of telepractice will decline in favor of in-clinic therapy.