Teenagers

Online Speech Therapy For Teenagers

Online speech therapy for teenagers is speech therapy by video that a teenager joins on their own, from home, with headphones on. At Online Speech Therapy every session is with the same clinician, Dr Lauren Crumlish (PhD), Certified Practising Speech Pathologist, who works with teenagers up to 18 directly rather than through a parent.

Goals set with the teenager, not around them
The teenager works with Dr Lauren directly
Sessions by video, Australia wide, up to age 18

Apply Now See fees

A teenage boy with curly hair and braces, in a denim shirt with white headphones around his neck, smiles at the camera while holding a pair of glasses.

The short answer

Can a teenager have speech therapy online?

Yes. Online speech therapy for teens, also called telehealth speech therapy for teenagers, works the way it does for an adult: talking, listening, reading and practising together on a call, with no adult needed in the room. For many teenagers, video is the way they would choose, not a second best.

Online Speech Therapy is an online service: every session is by video. Dr Lauren assesses the teenager, sets the goals with them, runs each session and decides when to move on. A parent can ask at the start how they will be kept informed.

A teenage girl in a grey T-shirt sits at a desk in front of a computer screen and looks up to talk to someone beside her.

On Video

What Teenagers Work On With Dr Lauren By Video

Teenagers come to speech therapy for different reasons, and most of that work is talk, reading and practice, which suits a video call. Dr Lauren works with teenagers on:

Speech clarity and lisps, practised in the words and sentences they actually use
Stuttering, worked on with the teenager directly
The language demands of high school: following lessons, explaining ideas, organising writing
Reading and spelling, where the language skills underneath are part of the difficulty
Social communication: conversation in class, with friends and in group chats

Speech Therapy A Teenager Will Turn Up For

Why many teenagers prefer sessions by video

A teenager doing speech therapy by video does not sit in a waiting room, does not leave school early for an appointment, and does not have to explain to friends where they are going. They join from their own room, in their own headphones, and close the laptop when the session ends. For a teenager who is self-conscious about how they talk, that privacy can be the difference between going and refusing to go.

Communication difficulties can also become more noticeable in high school, as the social and academic demands grow, according to school education guidance for parents. So some teenagers come to speech therapy for the first time in high school, and some come back to it after a break.

How a session runs when the teenager is on their own

A session with a teenager is between the teenager and Dr Lauren. The teenager joins the video call from a quiet room, ideally with headphones and a microphone so the session stays private and the sound is clear. Dr Lauren runs the session: the practice, the feedback and the decisions about what comes next. How online sessions work from start to finish is set out in full on a page of its own, and what you need at home for a session has the equipment list. Every teenager starts with an assessment by video.

What does the parent hear about after a session?

A parent's part changes as a child gets older. With a teenager, the parent's job is mostly practical: arranging the time, making sure there is a quiet room and a working connection, and backing the practice between sessions without taking it over. With a teenager, it is worth agreeing at the start what a parent hears after sessions, and having the teenager in that conversation, so nobody is surprised.

Consent and confidentiality for teenagers

For a teenager, it helps to ask before therapy starts what stays between the teenager and Dr Lauren and what is shared with a parent. For decisions about a young person's personal information, Australian privacy guidance from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner treats capacity as a matter of maturity, judged case by case, and allows it to be presumed from 15 where it cannot be assessed.

Fitting sessions around school and exams

Sessions by video take no travel time, so a session is only as long as the call. Session times are agreed with each family when a place is offered, and depend on Dr Lauren's availability. Sessions are set in Australian Eastern Standard Time all year, so a family in another time zone, or where daylight saving moves the clock, should check what that means for them.

What the research says, and when in-person is better

Research on video therapy with teenagers is thinner than for younger children, and the trials are small. In one 2012 Australian trial, three teenagers aged 13 to 16 had stuttering treatment entirely by webcam (Carey and colleagues). The wider evidence is set out on what the research on online speech therapy shows. Some needs are better met in the same room; the guide to when online speech therapy suits a child, and when it does not lists them.

The pages for each kind of work

How each kind of work runs by video has a page of its own: speech sounds and lisps, stuttering, language, literacy and dyslexia and social communication.

Getting Started

How Online Speech Therapy For A Teenager Starts

Every teenager starts the same way, with Dr Lauren in charge from the assessment on.

Apply

A parent applies, and the teenager can help fill in the application. Our team reviews every application.
Assessment by video

Dr Lauren assesses the teenager by video, then explains what she found and what she recommends.
Sessions with Dr Lauren

The teenager joins each 45 minute session from home. Dr Lauren runs the session and adjusts the plan as the teenager progresses.
Between sessions

Short practice the teenager can do alone, with the parent's support where it helps.

Fees

What A Teenager's Sessions Cost

Every teenager starts with an initial assessment. For stuttering or speech clarity it is usually the Short Assessment ($590). For language, literacy or social communication it is usually the Mid-Length Assessment ($890), or the Long Assessment ($1,290) when both language and literacy need looking at.

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. Self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants are welcome; Online Speech Therapy is not a registered NDIS provider. See fees in full

A teenage girl in a red hoodie sits on her bed with a laptop on her knees while her mother sits beside her and watches.

Questions Parents Ask

What Parents And Teenagers Ask

Can a teenager have speech therapy without a parent in the room?

Yes. At Online Speech Therapy, Dr Lauren works with teenagers directly, so a teenager usually joins sessions on their own. A parent arranges the time and the room, and can ask at the start how they will be kept informed.

Is it too late for speech therapy in high school?

No. Teenagers up to 18 can work with a speech pathologist, and a video call suits many teenagers better than a clinic visit: they join from their own room, on their own timetable, without a parent driving them across town. What therapy can achieve depends on the teenager and the difficulty, which is why every teenager starts with an assessment. Nobody can promise a result before that.

What if my teenager does not want speech therapy?

Plenty of teenagers are reluctant at first. Many are more willing when they can do it privately from their own room, without missing school or being seen going to appointments. Involve your teenager in the decision and in the application, and let them read this page.

Do teenagers need a referral for online speech therapy?

No referral is needed to apply. A doctor's referral is needed to claim a Medicare rebate, so ask your GP before the assessment if you want to claim. The guide to Medicare, the NDIS and private health for video sessions explains the referral.

Can online speech therapy work with my teenager's school?

What Dr Lauren shares with a school, if anything, is decided with the family and the teenager. Nothing is sent to a school without the family's agreement.

What does my teenager need for an online session?

A laptop or tablet with a camera, a steady internet connection, headphones with a microphone and a room where they will not be overheard. The technology and set-up page has the full list.