Speech-language pathology services are important for all communities, but access to services can be difficult in remote areas. McGill students are learning to use technology for providing services to Aboriginal communities that do not have a resident speech-language pathologist. The Northern Project is a collaboration between the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay, the Montreal Children’s Hospital and the McGill School of Communication Sciences and Disorders (SCSD). The three agencies worked together to try a new way of delivering speech-language services to the northern Quebec Cree community of Chisasibi during the winter of 2014.
Adelina Feo, Director of Professional Services and Quality Assurance – Allied Health with the Cree Board of Health, contacted the Children’s Hospital and the SCSD to begin a preliminary trial of speech assessment via video conference, a method often referred to as telehealth. This provided a unique opportunity for recent SCSD graduate Emily Tredger to learn about telehealth as a part of her winter practicum placement. From Montreal, Tredger and speech-language pathologist Marie-Noel Malo of the Montreal Children’s Hospital assessed preschoolers with speech and language delays, including some children on the Autism spectrum. With the help of a technician and the video conferencing technology, parents could have their children assessed in their own community. These families were saved the effort of traveling to Montreal, a trip that normally requires a four hour plane ride or 18 hour drive.
Telehealth reduces travel time and expenses for families, but there were several limitations to the arrangement. Though the assessment results were valid, both Malo and Tredger found the set up to be difficult for a number of reasons. It was hard to manipulate test materials and manage the child’s behavior during the assessment. Perhaps more importantly, the clinicians and the parents felt the video conferencing was impersonal. The lack of direct contact left parents feeling as though the clinicians had not truly met their child. Despite this feedback, the Cree Health Board remains optimistic about incorporating the technology for follow-up with patients as a way to augment services rather than replace them.
A second element of the Northern Project took place during McGill’s March break. The team, consisting of Feo, Malo, Tredger and Kelly Root, Coordinator of Clinical Education at the SCSD, met in Chisasibi. During a week-long visit, they worked with health care professionals, daycare staff, and special needs educators in the community to evaluate their needs and provide information. They also explored novel ways to use pre-existing resources to help children with speech and language needs.
“[The community was] excited to have us there,” said Tredger, who enjoyed leading workshops on language development, and found brainstorming sessions with preschool educators particularly valuable. The Cree Board of Health later contracted her to compile a book of suggested therapy activities.
For Feo and the Cree Board of Health, the project was a success that created buzz about working in First Nations communities amongst S-LP students. Root called the partnership “mutually beneficial” and both groups hope to continue to collaborate in the coming years. This would provide additional support in the Cree Board of Health’s jurisdiction all while offering meaningful practical experience to future speech-language pathologists.
By increasing students’ experience in remote communities, their speech-language pathologist shortage may be alleviated, particularly if the experience is as positive as Tredger’s. When asked what she hopes to do with her newly awarded degree, she said that this placement further confirmed her interest in working in Aboriginal health.
Project Collaborators
- Caroline Allard, Cree Patient Services
- Katrine Doucet, S-LP, Montreal Children’s Hospital
- Anny Dubé, S-LP CBHSSJB
- Adelina Feo, erg. Director of Professional Services and Quality Assurance - Allied Health, Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay (CBHSSJB)
- Antoinette Ghanem, RUIS McGill Telehealth
- Marie-Noël Malo, S-LP, Montreal Children’s Hospital
- Cherubine Martin, Telehealth Technician, CBHSSJB
- Kelly Root, Coordinator of Clinical Education, McGill University, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders (SCSD)
- Emily Tredger, S-LP Intern, SCSD (Graduated Fall 2014)
