Pediatric Telehealth in Maryland: Bringing Therapy to Families Across Rural Maryland

Finding the right pediatric therapist can be challenging for any family. For families living in rural Maryland, on the Eastern Shore, in Western Maryland, or in smaller communities throughout the state, that challenge can be even greater.

You may find a therapist who is a great fit for your child—only to discover that the office is an hour or more away.

Or perhaps the closest provider has a long waiting list, does not offer the specialty your child needs, or requires your family to make a lengthy drive every week.

Telehealth can change that.

At Express Yourself Pediatric Therapy (EYT), we believe where a child lives should not prevent them from having access to high-quality, individualized support.

In addition to our Maryland location in Kensington, EYT offers telehealth services for families throughout Maryland when appropriate for the child, service, and provider.

What Is Pediatric Telehealth?

Telehealth allows a child and family to meet with a therapist remotely using secure video technology.

Instead of traveling to a clinic, your child can participate in therapy from home.

Depending on your child's age, goals, and individual needs, telehealth may involve direct interaction between the child and therapist, parent coaching, activities completed together, or a combination of approaches.

For many children, being in their own home can actually provide therapists with valuable opportunities to work on skills where they naturally occur.

Telehealth Can Be Especially Helpful for Rural Maryland Families

Maryland may be a relatively small state geographically, but access to pediatric specialists varies significantly from one community to another.

The State of Maryland currently recognizes 18 jurisdictions as rural: Allegany, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, St. Mary's, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, and Worcester counties.

Rural Maryland families may experience challenges related to transportation, geographic distance, and availability of healthcare providers. Telehealth can help bridge some of that gap.

For parents, this can mean less time driving and more opportunities to find a provider whose expertise fits their child.

Telehealth for Children on Maryland's Eastern Shore

Maryland's Eastern Shore includes some of the state's most rural communities.

All nine Eastern Shore counties—Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester—are considered rural by the State of Maryland.

Families looking for pediatric telehealth may live in or near communities such as:

Easton, Cambridge, Denton, Centreville, Chestertown, Rock Hall, Galena, Betterton, Millington, Greensboro, Ridgely, Federalsburg, Preston, Hurlock, Secretary, East New Market, Vienna, Trappe, St. Michaels, Oxford, Tilghman Island, Queenstown, Sudlersville, Church Hill, Grasonville, Stevensville, Chester, Elkton, North East, Rising Sun, Chesapeake City, Perryville, Port Deposit, Princess Anne, Crisfield, Deal Island, Westover, Salisbury, Fruitland, Delmar, Hebron, Sharptown, Mardela Springs, Pittsville, Willards, Berlin, Snow Hill, Pocomoke City, Ocean Pines, Bishopville, Stockton, Newark, and surrounding Eastern Shore communities.

The Eastern Shore includes expansive rural areas, farming communities, waterfront towns, and communities separated by significant driving distances.

For a family whose closest specialized pediatric provider might be far from home, online therapy can create another option.

Telehealth for Families in Western Maryland

Western Maryland includes Garrett, Allegany, and Washington counties, with many families living in mountainous or rural communities where specialized pediatric providers may be farther away.

EYT telehealth may be an option for families in communities such as:

Oakland, Deep Creek Lake, Mountain Lake Park, Accident, Grantsville, Friendsville, McHenry, Kitzmiller, Deer Park, Loch Lynn Heights, Frostburg, Cumberland, LaVale, Cresaptown, Lonaconing, Midland, Westernport, Barton, Mount Savage, Flintstone, Oldtown, Hancock, Clear Spring, Williamsport, Boonsboro, Smithsburg, Sharpsburg, Keedysville, Hagerstown, Funkstown, and surrounding Western Maryland communities.

Families should not necessarily have to drive from Garrett County to Frederick, Montgomery County, or the Baltimore-Washington area every week simply to access a therapist with the expertise their child needs.

Telehealth can help bring that expertise to the family.

Telehealth in Southern Maryland

Southern Maryland also includes large rural and semi-rural areas.

Maryland identifies Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's counties as rural jurisdictions.

Families throughout Southern Maryland may be searching for pediatric services in areas including:

Leonardtown, Lexington Park, California, Hollywood, Mechanicsville, Charlotte Hall, Great Mills, Valley Lee, Ridge, Piney Point, Tall Timbers, Callaway, Chaptico, Bushwood, Coltons Point, Avenue, Loveville, Morganza, Newburg, Cobb Island, La Plata, Hughesville, Port Tobacco, Indian Head, Nanjemoy, Bryans Road, White Plains, Waldorf, Prince Frederick, Huntingtown, Dunkirk, Chesapeake Beach, North Beach, Lusby, Solomons, St. Leonard, Owings, Sunderland, Barstow, Broomes Island, and surrounding Southern Maryland communities.

Telehealth can be particularly convenient when families would otherwise need to travel toward Bethesda, Silver Spring, Rockville, Washington, D.C., or another metropolitan area for specialized services.

Telehealth in North-Central and Rural Central Maryland

Rural Maryland is not limited to areas far from Washington or Baltimore.

The state's rural designation also includes Frederick, Carroll, and Harford counties.

Families may live in smaller communities such as:

Thurmont, Emmitsburg, Walkersville, Woodsboro, Libertytown, New Market, Middletown, Myersville, Burkittsville, Brunswick, Jefferson, Point of Rocks, Union Bridge, Taneytown, Manchester, Hampstead, New Windsor, Sykesville, Westminster, Finksburg, Lineboro, White Hall, Street, Pylesville, Jarrettsville, Darlington, Whiteford, Churchville, Havre de Grace, Aberdeen, Bel Air, and surrounding communities.

Even when a family lives within driving distance of a larger city, weekly travel can still be difficult when therapy needs to fit around school, work, siblings, extracurricular activities, and other appointments.

What Can Pediatric Telehealth Address?

Telehealth is not appropriate for every child or every goal, but it can work extremely well for many pediatric needs.

Depending on the individual child and available EYT services, online sessions may support areas such as:

• Speech sound development

• Receptive language

• Expressive language

• Vocabulary development

• Grammar and sentence formulation

• Narrative language and storytelling

• Social communication

• Executive functioning

• Organization and planning

• Following directions

• Problem solving

• Self-advocacy

• AAC support and caregiver training

• Parent coaching

• Home carryover of therapy strategies

Older children and teenagers can be especially successful with telehealth because many of the skills they are practicing—language formulation, organization, executive functioning, conversation, problem solving, and self-advocacy—translate naturally to an online environment.

Telehealth Can Make Parent Coaching Easier, Too

One of the biggest benefits of providing therapy in a child's natural environment is the opportunity to involve caregivers.

Parents do not have to remember every strategy discussed at the end of an appointment.

Instead, a therapist may be able to observe what is happening at home and coach caregivers in real time.

For younger children in particular, this can be extremely valuable.

A therapist can help parents identify opportunities to support communication during activities that are already part of their day, such as:

• Getting dressed

• Eating meals

• Playing with favorite toys

• Reading books

• Bath time

• Getting ready for school

• Playing with siblings

• Completing homework

• Preparing for bedtime

Rather than making therapy one more activity to fit into the day, strategies can become part of everyday family routines.

Your Child Doesn't Have to Sit in Front of a Computer for an Entire Session

Parents sometimes picture telehealth as a child sitting still at a computer while a therapist talks to them.

That is not how pediatric telehealth has to look.

A good telehealth session should be interactive.

Children may play games, move around the room, find objects in their house, read books, tell stories, complete challenges, draw, build something, practice conversations, or work through real homework and organizational tasks.

For younger children, the therapist may spend more of the session coaching a caregiver while the child plays naturally.

The approach should be individualized to the child.

Telehealth Can Expand Your Choices

One of the most meaningful advantages of telehealth is that families are no longer limited only to providers located within a few miles of their home.

This can be particularly important for children who need a therapist with experience in a particular area.

A family living in Oakland, Cumberland, Easton, Cambridge, Chestertown, Princess Anne, Crisfield, Snow Hill, Pocomoke City, Leonardtown, or another smaller Maryland community may have very different local options than a family living near Bethesda or Silver Spring.

Telehealth can make geography less important.

Instead of asking:

“Who is the closest therapist?”

families may have more opportunity to ask:

“Who is the right therapist for my child?”

Neuroaffirming and Strengths-Based Pediatric Therapy

At Express Yourself Pediatric Therapy, we do not believe that therapy should be about making every child look, behave, communicate, or play the same way.

Our approach is individualized, play-based, collaborative, and strengths-focused.

We want children to develop skills that improve their ability to communicate, advocate for themselves, build relationships, participate in everyday activities, and feel successful in their lives.

Telehealth does not change that philosophy.

In some cases, seeing a child in their natural home environment can give therapists an even better understanding of the child's strengths, interests, communication style, and everyday challenges.

Pediatric Telehealth Across Maryland

EYT's Maryland practice is based in Kensington, near Silver Spring, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Rockville, North Bethesda, Potomac, and Montgomery County.

Through telehealth, however, appropriate services may be available to families living much farther away.

Families searching for pediatric telehealth services in Maryland may be located throughout:

Garrett County
Allegany County
Washington County
Frederick County
Carroll County
Harford County
Cecil County
Kent County
Queen Anne's County
Caroline County
Talbot County
Dorchester County
Wicomico County
Somerset County
Worcester County
Calvert County
Charles County
St. Mary's County
Montgomery County
and other Maryland communities.

Whether your family lives near Kensington and Silver Spring or hours away on the Eastern Shore, in Western Maryland, or in Southern Maryland, location does not necessarily have to be the deciding factor in choosing support for your child.

Is Telehealth Right for My Child?

That depends on your child's age, needs, goals, learning style, and the type of therapy being considered.

Some children thrive online.

Others benefit more from in-person sessions.

Some families find that a combination of telehealth, parent coaching, and in-person services works best.

The first step is simply talking with a provider about your concerns and determining what type of support makes sense for your child.

Looking for Online Pediatric Therapy in Maryland?

If you have been searching for:

“pediatric telehealth Maryland”
“online speech therapy Maryland”
“speech therapy near me”
“virtual speech therapy for kids”
“telehealth speech therapy Eastern Shore Maryland”
“online speech therapy Western Maryland”
“pediatric teletherapy rural Maryland”
“online executive functioning therapy Maryland”
or “pediatric therapist Maryland telehealth,”

Express Yourself Pediatric Therapy would be happy to talk with you about whether telehealth may be an appropriate option for your child.

Our goal is simple:

Help children access the right support—not just the closest support.

Express Yourself Pediatric Therapy provides pediatric services from our Kensington, Maryland location and offers telehealth services throughout Maryland when appropriate and based on provider availability, licensure, insurance requirements, and the individual needs of the child.

Families throughout Kensington, Silver Spring, Bethesda, Rockville, Montgomery County, Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, the Eastern Shore, and rural communities across Maryland are welcome to contact EYT to learn more.