Experiences of a pediatric speech-language teletherapy practical at a South African university training site during COVID-19: an exploratory qualitative study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Students and clinical educators have had to adapt to emergency telepractice during the COVID-19 pandemic without much preparation. We sought the experiences of clinical educators and students (n = 11) regarding a pediatric teletherapy practical at a university speech-language therapy clinic in South Africa, a Global South context, via qualitative surveys and a reflective focus group. Findings highlight several challenges experienced when engaging in telepractice, including allocating clients for telepractice, preparing for telepractice sessions, managing caregiver involvement in telepractice, promoting connection with clients online, and adapting supervision style for telepractice. We discuss several implications and considerations for student teletherapy practicals going forward.