Viability and effectiveness of teletherapy for pre-school children with special needs

Telemedicine is proving valuable in the delivery of health care services. W ith increased competition in telecommunication markets and lower costs, the possibility of providing affordable teletherapy services for the 21(st) ce ntury is now a goal that can be achieved. Recognition that parent training is a vital component of successful treatment programmes makes the use of te letherapy from clinic to home an ideal medium of sharing skills with carers . Commercially available products were selected on the basis of cost effect iveness, user friendliness and audio-visual quality. Parents reported incre ased knowledge and confidence in developing their child's communication ski lls and teletherapy was demonstrated to be an effective, reliable and excit ing addition to a new era of therapy provision.