Language, Online

Online Language Therapy for Children

Language therapy can be done by video for most school-age children, because the work is talking, listening, looking at pictures and planning what to say, all of which travel through a screen. Dr Lauren Crumlish (PhD), Certified Practising Speech Pathologist, builds each session around stories, pictures and your child's own schoolwork on a shared screen, after an assessment that shows her which language skills to work on first.

Picture books, stories and schoolwork on a shared screen
For school-age children whose understanding, words or sentences lag behind
Every session by video, with the child's own schoolwork to hand

Apply Now See fees

A girl and her mother sit together on a couch reading a picture book, the girl pointing at the page.

The short answer

Can language therapy be done online? Yes, for most school-age children

Language therapy for a school-age child can be done online because almost everything used for language work can be seen and heard on a video call. A picture book held up to the camera, a picture scene on a shared screen, a story plan drawn together and the child's own talking all come through clearly. Nothing needs to be handled by the clinician in the room.

What changes online is where the materials come from and who is watching. A child's real schoolwork is on the table beside them, and a parent can see exactly what Dr Lauren asks for and how.

A close view of an open picture book with a finger pointing at a lion on the page, as it would be held up to a camera.

On Video

What Language Therapy Looks Like on a Shared Screen

Online language therapy uses materials that work as well through a camera as across a table. Dr Lauren chooses them for each child's goals; these are the kinds of things a session can draw on.

A picture book turned to the camera, to talk about what is happening, why, and what might happen next
A busy picture scene on the shared screen for describing, asking and answering questions
A story planner built together on screen: who, where, what went wrong, what they did, how it ended
The child's own schoolwork: a class reading text, a writing task, the words for this term's topic
New words mapped on screen by meaning, sound and use

How Online Language Therapy Works With Dr Lauren

Who online language therapy is for

This page is for children at school whose understanding, vocabulary, sentences or storytelling lag behind other children their age. Parents often call this a speech delay or a language delay. A two or three year old who is not talking much yet needs a different model, set out on online speech therapy for toddlers and late talkers. Teenagers have a page of their own. If you are not sure where your child fits, the online speech and language assessment is where every family starts, and how online speech therapy works walks through a session.

What is developmental language disorder, and what changes online?

On a call, developmental language disorder (DLD) tends to show in the talk itself: a child who answers a different question from the one asked, loses the thread of a story halfway through, or reaches for a word and settles on "that thing". Speech Pathology Australia's fact sheet describes DLD as lifelong, estimates it affects about 1 in 14 people, and is clear that parenting does not cause it. Speech pathologists are the professionals who assess and diagnose it.

For a child with DLD, going online changes the room, not the goals. The goals come from the assessment and are the same ones Dr Lauren would set in person: the words, sentence patterns, understanding and storytelling that matter most for this child at school and at home.

What does Dr Lauren do in an online language session?

Dr Lauren leads the therapy. She assesses the child's language first, decides which goals come first, runs each session with the child at the screen, measures progress against those goals and decides when to move on or change the plan.

School-age children work with her directly. A younger child usually has a parent within reach, and Dr Lauren shows the family the short practice for the week step by step. The family's part is that guided practice, not the therapy itself, and setting up the call, for which technology and set-up has the checklist. How practice fits into a week is set out in the guide to home practice between online sessions.

How is school brought into online sessions?

School comes into an online session through the child's own work. Because the child is at home, this term's reading, a writing task or the words for a class topic can be used in the session. The language practised with Dr Lauren is then the language the child meets in class.

The family decides what the school is told. Parents can pass the goals from the assessment on to the class teacher, so the same words and supports are used in class. Language and reading are closely linked; if reading or spelling is the main worry, see online literacy support.

Is online language therapy as effective as therapy in person?

For primary school children, the research suggests language therapy by video can work as well as in person, but the evidence is limited. A 2017 systematic review of seven studies with children aged 4 to 12 found similar gains by telehealth and in person on five of six measures. The authors called the evidence limited but promising, and most of the studies were about speech sounds rather than language. The full picture, by condition and age, is on the page does online speech therapy work?

When is in-person help the better choice?

If your child's hearing has not been checked, ask your GP to arrange a hearing test with an audiologist first; it can happen before or alongside online therapy. In-person help is the better start when a child cannot take part in a video call even with an adult beside them. The full list is in the guide is online speech therapy right for my child?

Step by Step

How It Starts, Step by Step

Online Speech Therapy is an online service: every session is by video.

Apply

Tell us about your child in the application. Our team will review your application.
Assessment by video

Every family starts with an assessment of the child's understanding, vocabulary, sentences and storytelling.
Sessions led by Dr Lauren

Each session is 45 minutes of therapy by video, with the child at the screen.
Between sessions

A short, guided practice task for the week, shown step by step.

Fees

What Language Sessions By Video Cost

The Mid-Length Assessment ($890) is usually the one for a school-age child's language. The Long Assessment ($1,290) covers both language and literacy, for a child whose reading and spelling are also a worry.

Therapy

Therapy Session

One hour of service: 45 minutes of therapy by video, and 15 minutes of preparation and notes

$193

Every family starts with an assessment

$590

Short Assessment

Usually for late talkers, stuttering and speech clarity
$890

Mid-Length Assessment

Usually for school-age language, literacy or social communication
$1,290

Long Assessment

Usually for both language and literacy in a school-age child

Medicare rebates are available with a doctor's referral, and private health may apply. Online Speech Therapy is not NDIS registered: self-managed and plan-managed participants are welcome, and NDIA-managed funding cannot be used. See fees in full

A girl in a green jumper sits at a table arranging cards printed with letters and short words.

Questions Parents Ask

Questions About Language Work On A Video Call

Can language therapy be done online?

Yes. Language therapy for a school-age child can be done by video because the work is talking, listening, pictures, stories and schoolwork, all of which can be seen and heard on a call. Dr Lauren Crumlish leads every session herself.

Is online language therapy as effective as therapy in person?

A 2017 systematic review of seven studies with children aged 4 to 12 found similar gains by telehealth and in person on five of six measures, and called the evidence limited but promising. Most of those studies were about speech sounds, so the evidence for language work specifically is thinner.

What is developmental language disorder?

DLD is a lasting difficulty with spoken language: understanding what is said, finding words and putting sentences and stories together. Speech Pathology Australia estimates about 1 in 14 people have it and says parenting does not cause it. On a video call it shows in the conversation itself, which is why it can be assessed and worked on online.

Does my child need a diagnosis before starting?

No diagnosis is needed to apply. The assessment is the first step, and it shows which parts of language are hard for your child. Speech pathologists are the professionals who assess and diagnose developmental language disorder.

Does my child need to be good with computers?

No. Your child needs to see and hear the screen and talk. A parent sets up the call, and the technology and set-up page has a checklist for the device, internet and room.

Is this the same as tutoring?

No. Language therapy works on the spoken language underneath schoolwork: understanding, vocabulary, sentences and telling a story. It is led by a speech pathologist, not a tutor.