Telepractice in speech and language therapy and in stuttering management: a study on the perception and the acceptance by the FLI speech and language therapists in the Italian environment

The use of technology to provide speech therapy services is not a recent phenomenon and a considerable number of papers have examined various factors used to understand which ones favor the sustainability of telepractice and which ones represent a challenge. Some authors have suggested that the acceptance of telepractice by healthcare professionals is the key factor to ensure its spread. The objective of this study is to investigate the perception and acceptance of telepractice by speech therapists operating in Italy and to investigate its use on clients with stuttering. To achieve this objective, a survey was sent to the members of the Italian Federation of Speech and Language Therapists (Federazione Logopedisti Italiani, FLI). 33.8% of members took part in the questionnaire. The answers revealed a limited use of telepractice before 2020 alongside a positive perception regarding this modality. 31.2% of participants had never used telepractice and 90.8% of those who adopted it did so at the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 health emergency. The response regarding the technologies and platforms used and the level of satisfaction of the speech therapists were positive, although some critical issues emerged. It is possible to notice an improvement in the therapists’ attitude towards telepractice after the first sessions but there is a perception of less effectiveness of eye contact, non-verbal communication and the expression of emotions during the communicative exchange with clients who stutter.