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JCPSLP Volume 14, Number 3 2012 143
connecting with other families over videoconference. Some
parents commented that it was difficult for them to attend
sessions at a local studio and would have preferred a
home-based service. They reported that it took some time
to feel confident using specific strategies for telepractice
communication, for example, introducing themselves to
engage the voice activated picture display, where the
person talking is the person seen by all participants,
and muting microphones to maintain the picture on the
speaker rather than have the picture display changed by
background noises.
2. Videoconferencing using
web-based software
Alterations to the telepractice model were made based on
parent feedback from the videoconferencing method
described above. This second parent group used web-
based conferencing. Many conferencing programs are
available, and for this group Sightspeed Business (2004–
2009) was chosen. Sightspeed Business provided the
capacity to connect multiple sites and share files and
computer desktops while connected. As the conferencing
program was web-based, all families could participate at
home, provided they had access to a computer and
adequate upload/download speed.
In this It Takes Two to Talk group four families enrolled at
RIDBC Teleschool combined with four metropolitan families.
The metropolitan families attended group sessions at the
RIDBC campus in Sydney. The remote families connected
to the group using Sightspeed Business. By sharing
the presenter’s desktop, PowerPoint slides and video
clips could be viewed simultaneously by all participants.
Three technology solutions for
telepractice service delivery
1. Videoconferencing using ISDN
The first It Takes Two to Talk group made use of
videoconferencing facilities with an ISDN (Integrated
Services Digital Network) connection. Individual and group
sessions were held at local videoconferencing studios. For
the group sessions a virtual bridge, which is a private
network that is created to connect specific
videoconferencing sites, was used to connect the four
families and the presenter.
In order to share PowerPoint slides and videos with
the families during the group sessions the presenter used
a document camera. The document camera connects
simultaneously to the videoconferencing equipment and a
computer. It allows information presented on the computer
to be viewed by the group participants via the television
monitor at their conference site. A key component of the
It Takes Two to Talk program involves individual sessions,
where the parent is filmed interacting with their child. This
video is then played back to the parent during the session
to analyse the interactions. It was still possible to provide
immediate feedback in the individual session by recording
the session occurring at the parent’s site, and then
replaying it to the parent for discussion. In this method, the
individual session was captured using a VHS recorder.
At the end of the course parents were asked to complete
a questionnaire about their experience. Parents were
satisfied with the technology used and thought that it
provided very high-quality audio and video. Parents also
reported how much they enjoyed the group sessions and
Delivering the
It Takes Two to
Talk program by
telepractice