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The aim of this evaluation was to explore practice educators’ and speech and language therapy (SLT) students’ experiences of a rapid response telehealth placement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to inform quality improvement. In March 2020, public health restrictions were imposed across Ireland in efforts to ‘flatten the curve’ in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All placements were cancelled. According to an Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapists survey in April 2020, 47% of SLTs were redeployed to swabbing and contact tracing roles, and many remain redeployed seven months later. This redeployment, along with strict public health measures in clinical sites, significantly reduced the availability of clinical placements. A rapid response was required to enable students to develop clinical competencies. Although telehealth has been used to deliver speech and language therapy in other countries, it had not been used routinely in service provision in Ireland. In this article, we outline how we built on existing partnerships with practice educators, both on- and off-site, to design a much-needed telehealth placement. We explored educators’ and students’ experiences using an online focus group and online survey respectively. The evaluations of practice educators were positive in that despite their initial apprehension, they reported that this placement provided valuable learning opportunities for students while also providing benefits for clients. They also reported some technological and sustainability challenges. The students also evaluated this placement positively with 83.3% of respondents rating the placement as ‘excellent ‘and 16.7% rating it as ‘good’. All stakeholders valued this learning experience.

A group approach to the management of dysphonia has been adopted in the Speech and Language Department of a Community Care Clinic. This paper outlines the rationale, format and results to-date. A group approach, where a supportive atmosphere exists has been found to facilitate change and is an effective means of working on such areas as relaxation, breathing and reduction of vocal abuse.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of minimal pair intervention in a school-aged child with consistent phonological disorder, using a multiple baseline single case study design. Method: The participant was a boy aged 8;11 who presented with a consistent phonological disorder. A multiple baseline single case study design was used to measure the effect of six sessions of minimal pair intervention for treating consistent phonological disorder. There was a two-week baseline period prior to the intervention phase. The outcome measures included measures of the severity of the speech sound disorder and speech intelligibility, which were taken pre-, immediately postintervention, and five months post-intervention. Other measures included the monitoring of the accuracy of production of the treated targets /ʃ/ and un-treated targets /ʤ/, /ʧ/, and /ɹ/ during intervention. Main results: There was an increase in accuracy in the production of treated and untreated target sounds post-intervention. There was a reduction in the severity of the speech sound disorder and an improvement in speech intelligibility post-intervention. These changes were maintained five months post-intervention. Conclusion: Minimal pair intervention, when provided over six sessions, can result in positive changes in the severity of speech sound disorder, accuracy of the target phonemes and speech intelligibility in a schoolaged child with consistent phonological disorder.