Speech pathologist aids kids through use of online program

Technology has changed ways in which people work, play and think. When it comes to speech pathology, Paradise-based therapist Marsha Steinberger and her clients embrace this concept.

Steinberger is a licensed speech pathologist who uses PresenceLearning, an online program tailored to children in need of speech therapy services. PresenceLearning allows Steinberger to work with kindergarten through 12th-grade classes in Nevada and California or on a one-on-one basis via a video teleconference equipped with interactive features.

Steinberger, who has been a speech pathologist for more than 20 years, said the "telepractice" is something she embraced from the start.

"It's nice being a therapist for a long time and seeing this new medium," Steinberger said. "Children loved computers and the animation. They immediately just stay focused."

The PresenceLearning program allows pathologists to interact with the children not only through video chat but by playing educational games. Students follow Steinberger's instructions of moving objects in playground or beach settings and repeat words or sounds. Steinberger said interacting with the children through teleconference has various advantages.

"It's in real time, and being on a large screen, they can see me close up," Steinberger said. "They're really responsive. I'm seeing really enthusiastic children and a really fast success rate."

Clay Whitehead, co-founder of PresenceLearning, believes the program's success stems from children's engagement and parents' involvement.

"PresenceLearning was developed for a new and exciting approach to speech therapy," Whitehead said. "It's a new way to get (parents) involved. We're delivering education to these kids who grew up with iPods and computers. (PresenceLearning) is very much the same experience."

Steinberger said having parents watch their child interact one-on-one with the pathologist allows them to work with her students at home and see the progress first hand. One difference between working in the classroom and providing a more intimate therapy session, Steinberger said, is the child's attention span.

"With four or six children in a school environment, there are a lot more distractions," Steinberger said. "Here, they have to stay focused. It offers more (opportunity for) learning and more attention."

The program also allows Steinberger to interact with other speech pathologists using PresenceLearning, providing a forum in which they exchange ideas and success stories.

But adapting to the online program has its challenges.

"I've run the gamut of experience, from charter schools to virtual academies," Steinberger said. "For me, not being raised with this online, it's a learning curve."

It's a curve Steinberger has adapted to and utilized for about a year. She has found ways to use the program to its potential, such as by bringing together students from Nevada and California into one session via video teleconference. Offering these services, she said, allows students who don't have access to nearby speech clinics or opportunities in school to get the necessary therapy .

Online or in person, Steinberger's goal remains the same.

"My whole career is helping these children find their voice," Steinberger said. "All of them want to say something, and they all want to be heard. I can facilitate that for them."

For more information, email marsha
steinberger@presencelearning.com or call 818-808-9418.

Contact Paradise/Downton View reporter Lisa Carter at lcarter@viewnews.com or 383-4686.