The Efficacy of Telepractice Intervention for Children & Adolescents with Speech, Language & Hearing Impairments: a Meta-Analysis

Objectives: Telepractice is the remote delivery of speech and language services via telecommunication systems. No meta-analysis has investigated the topic of treating children and adolescents with speech, language and hearing impairments via telepractice using a direct comparison of telepractice with face-to-face-service delivery. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to estimate the efficacy of telepractice in the treatment of speech, language & hearing impairments in children and adolescents. Methods: 10 studies which met the inclusive criteria were selected from 9 electronic databases (Academic Search Complete, PsycINFO, Eric, PubMed, CINAHL PLUS, Google Scholar, RISS, DBpia, Kyobo Scholar). A systematic review of literature was carried out using meta-analysis (Comprehensive Meta-Analysis version 2). Effect sizes were calculated using Hedges' g. Results: The analysis of the difference of mean effect sizes between telepractice and FTF intervention according to disorder types reveal that the intervention effect of FTF intervention was significantly larger than that of telepractice in speech sound disorders. Whereas in hearing impairments and ASD, there was no significant difference between the intervention effect of telepractice and that of FTF intervention. Also, the analysis of the difference of mean effect sizes according to treatment types reveal that there was no significant difference in the intervention effects of telepractice and FTF intervention in indirect treatment. Conclusion: When selecting a treatment method between telepractice and FTF intervention, the results of this meta-analysis suggests that the characteristics of participants such as age, type of speech-language disorders, severity of disorders and cognitive ability including attention should be considered comprehensively.