Viability and effectiveness of teletherapy for pre-school children with special needs.

Telemedicine is proving valuable in the delivery of health care services. With increased competition in telecommunication markets and lower costs, the possibility of providing affordable teletherapy services for the 21st century is now a goal that can be achieved. Recognition that parent training is a vital component of successful treatment programmes makes the use of teletherapy from clinic to home an ideal medium of sharing skills with carers. Commercially available products were selected on the basis of cost effectiveness, user friendliness and audio-visual quality. Parents reported increased knowledge and confidence in developing their child's communication skills and teletherapy was demonstrated to be an effective, reliable and exciting addition to a new era of therapy provision.