I recently read an article that indicated that if you want to write more, you need to write more! While this seems obvious, the article went on to say that the more you do something, the easier it gets.  I’ve been wanting to update my blog more frequently, but was having difficulty getting started. So, I’ve now added writing  time to my calendar in the hopes that it will encourage me to add to my blog.

As I’venoted before, I am passionate about telepractice. It is a service delivery model that could potentially change and improve the way SLPs provide services, making it easier for us to work at the top of our licenses.  Technology can be used to improve and enhance what we do every day.

We have to ask ourselves, is it a good use of our time to drill our clients? We know that many of our clients require many, many repetitions in order to improve their communication skills, but you don’t need to be an SLP to provide the drill.  Wouldn’t  it better to allow a SLPA, a family member,  or maybe even a computer,  to do this work?  I can hear you all gasping at this last question! A computer doing the drill work? How is that even possible?  With the advancement in Artificial Intelligence (AI) we could easily move in this direction. Please be clear that I am not advocating for replacing SLPs! I believe strongly, that, no matter how advanced AI becomes, there will always be a need for “live” SLPs in all settings.  Language is far too complex for AI to take over all that we do and to understand the nuances and subtleties of language. Plus, it’s difficult for a computer to use appropriate affect and intonation!

For many of my colleagues who have large caseloads in school, think about what your workload could look like if, for instance, you could teach a young student with an articulation disorder how to say his/her sound(s) in single syllable words, then allow them to sit at a computer to practice sound production and have the computer monitor and reward correct productions. You would then touch base, in person, with the student every couple of weeks to train new sounds and to ensure carryover. This would leave you more time to work with students who need more direct instruction, who have more complex language issues and to work on carryover for the students with more significant communication difficulties.

The shortage of SLPs is not getting much better, our caseloads are growing, our workloads are increasing, why not look at unique ways to improve our workloads.  Why not use technology to assist us? Think about it! Are there better technology solutions that will make our lives easier??