Reducing Wait Times
Accessing speech therapy is associated with some of the longest wait times at KidsAbility, impeding early intervention crucial for achieving developmental milestones. Recognizing the urgency to tackle this issue head-on, Alyssa Polley, a Speech Language Pathologist proposed an innovative solution —piloting the use of group assessments.
Problem
Wait lists have been a persistent issue at KidsAbility, particularly when it comes to speech and language assessments. These lengthy wait times not only caused frustration but also acted as a bottleneck, preventing children from accessing the essential services they required. For a child who requires speech therapy, delays in receiving timely assessments and intervention can significantly impede their communication skills and hinder their overall development. Speech and language difficulties can affect a child’s ability to express themselves, understand others, and engage in social interactions.
These delays can further impact their academic progress, self-esteem, and emotional well-being. Recognizing the critical importance of early intervention for speech and language development, addressing the issue of long wait times became a pressing priority for KidsAbility. The implementation of group assessments aims to alleviate the strain on families and provide children with the timely support they need to reach their full potential.
The growing demand for children’s rehabilitation services has led to long wait times, even with clinicians working at full capacity. These delays create significant challenges for families eager to access timely support and intervention for their children.
Solution
Through our partnership with the KidsAbility Foundation, Alyssa joined our Bright Ideas research program and received a secondment to dedicate a portion of her time to this project. Alyssa worked closely with the Rocket crew to develop group play-based assessments for speech (an approach adopted in other provinces). Group play-based assessments was also a proven way to more quickly and effectively assess more children, and see them in a more natural context. With a model to adapt for the KidsAbility setting, and support from donors, the new approach was implemented.
Final Outcome
January 2025
In 2022, Alyssa’s pilot focused on using a ratio of one SLP to three or four two-year-old children awaiting SLP assessments. The pilot successfully allowed children to be directed to the most appropriate treatment more quickly. Following the pilot’s success, the initiative was expanded to all KidsAbility sites, using the same group assessment model. This method significantly increased efficiency and capacity without requiring additional clinical hours. From October 2023 to October 2024, we assessed 258 children in this model – in the time we would normally have seen less than 100. Furthermore, the success of this model put healthy pressure on our treatment model, leading to the development of increased group therapy options, multi-disciplinary groups, and new OT/SLP group assessments.
Benefits
Before the group assessments, families were waiting for up to two years for their child to get an assessment. Since making group assessments standard practice earlier this year, KidsAbility is now assessing over 3x more kids in the same amount of time. We know how stressful it is for families and children to be on a waiting list.
This solution helps reduce the stress on families, get children the support they need sooner, and improve quality of life. This clear, proven solution to an age-old problem has already cut the KidsAbility waitlist for speech and language assessment in half, and has the potential to do the same at Children’s Treatment Centres across Ontario and beyond.
Group assessments and treatments have significantly increased KidsAbility’s capacity to deliver timely and effective care. By tripling the number of children seen for assessment without adding clinical hours, the group model has drastically reduced wait times, with families reporting a decrease from over a year to as little as four months! Also, by assessing more children at once, we have achieved a referral-to-assessment ratio below one, significantly reducing our waitlist. This quicker access to support reduces family stress and allows children to start their developmental journeys sooner. Parents have highlighted these benefits through their positive feedback: ‘I feel that being around other kids made my child feel more comfortable and encouraged more natural interactions.’ The natural, play-based group setting provides a well-rounded understanding of the child’s abilities and therefore can help clinicians determine the best treatment options for each child.
Our Project Crew
Alyssa Polley
Speech Language Pathologist
Jessica Adams
Norma Williams
Paola Zimmer
