Telerehabilitation for Children and Youth With Developmental Disabilities and Their Families: A Systematic Review
Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics
Ogourtsova, T., Boychuck, Z., et al. (2023).
Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 43(2), 129-175.
This systematic review investigates the effects of telerehabilitation for mixed populations of children (e.g., children on the autism spectrum, children with cerebral palsy, or children with intellectual disability).
Canadian Institutes of Health Research; CHILD-BRIGHT (Canada)
From 2010 to May 21, 2020
Peer-reviewed articles
55 articles included in tele-treatment synthesis; 16 in tele-assessment synthesis
<div>Findings demonstrated good agreement between the results of speech-language pathology tele-assessment to face-to-face assessment for children with developmental disabilities.</div>
<div>Five studies investigated audiological assessment of hearing acuity via telepractice for children with speech, language, or hearing disorders. One study compared tele-assessment to face-to-face assessment and found agreement. Other studies indicated high parent and clinician satisfaction, time effectiveness, and improved costs with tele-assessment. Technological difficulty was reported as a challenge.</div>
<div>In studies investigating rehabilitation treatment including speech-language pathology services, telerehabilitation was found to be at least as effective as face-to-face intervention. The level of evidence to support findings was in the limited-to-low range, so further research is indicated.</div>
