Telepractice for bilingual and multilingual people with aphasia: a scoping review

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background/aims The field of speech-language pathology/therapy (SLP/T) has evolved in the last decade, especially when it comes to technological advances for online and remote clinical services. However, the transition to a telepractice service model did not occur at a similar pace for every clinician. Considering the range of clients served and the disparities in clinician experience and training with remote service delivery, it is necessary to implement a telepractice model that is sensitive to the cultural and linguistic needs of individuals with bilingual or multilingual aphasia. This scoping review of the literature (a) identifies the intervention protocols utilized via telepractice and (b) describes their components using the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification system (RTSS) framework in order to make literature-based recommendations regarding best practice in speech-language pathology telepractice services. Methods/procedures A systematic scoping review was conducted in January 2023 following frameworks described by Arksey and O’Malley (2007) and Tricco et al. (2018). A literature search was conducted for articles published in English that addressed telepractice services for multilingual people with aphasia (MPWA) in the field of speech-language pathology/therapy. Results/outcomes A total of 11 full-text studies were assessed for eligibility. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, five articles were included in this scoping review. The key factors that enabled successful telepractice sessions were described including, the technological platform used and the specific modalities of the interventions delivered. The Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System (RTSS) was used to describe the targets and ingredients of the interventions in the selected studies. In addition, the limitations and challenges of each study were summarized. This scoping review has demonstrated a need for expanding telepractice services for MPWA. There is a scarcity of studies addressing remote intervention, and those that do exist use mostly non-randomized designs such as single case or survey, which limits the generalizability of the results as well as their comparability and replication. Conclusions This scoping review examines the current existing literature on telepractice in MPWA. The paucity of studies included in this scoping review, indicates a need for future research in this area of telepractice for MPWA. This indicates a need for professional development and training to emphasize the cultural, linguistic, and digital skills of both clinicians and MPWA. Technological advances should be made available and accessible to diverse MPWA worldwide through improvements in digital equity.