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because as a student clinician, I was in an environment where I could make mistakes and learn from them” (P2). For four students, a feeling of being unprepared was related more to the literacy aspect of the service rather than the telepractice aspect: “I felt that my assessment sessions could have been more direct had I known more about literacy skills and approaches to learning literacy. If I were to complete the placement again, I would [sic] I felt that telepractice was not as much of a barrier to providing literacy services as I had thought” ( P8) . “I felt completely lost in where to begin and felt I hadn’t covered literacy treatment delivery/supporting reading skills in depth within my degree. I wasn’t up to date with the then current evidence-based programs for literacy intervention” (P3) . Discussion In this study, we explored SLP student and recent graduates’ perceptions and experiences of preparedness, participation, and implementation of telepractice literacy services within university placements. While the sample size for this study was small, the data provide preliminary information around experiences of telepractice literacy placements including the competencies, skills, infrastructure and supports required, from the perspective of students and recent graduates. Findings identified that SLP students’ usual practices for literacy were modified in a telepractice environment, there was a heightened focus on communication skills for telepractice and SLP students’ preparedness was mostly facilitated by practical learning opportunities with peers and supervisors. In this discussion, we compare our findings to previous research and provide recommendations for educators and clinical supervisors working with SLP students in telepractice literacy placements. Our respondents indicated that their usual clinical practice for literacy was modified for telepractice. This was mostly due to issues accessing appropriate assessment tools and intervention resources for online delivery, and to individual client characteristics. In a recently published rapid review by Furlong et al. (2021), only two studies were identified that evaluated reading and spelling assessments via telepractice. In both studies, assessment materials were scanned and digitised for online use, with the test developers’ permission. Of these assessment tools, and those reported to be most used by Australian and New Zealand SLPs working in the literacy domain (Furlong & Serry, under review), few are available in digital format. Like our respondents, practising SLPs have similarly reported modifications to their assessment and intervention practices for literacy in a telepractice context during COVID-19 (Furlong & Serry, under review). The availability of intervention resources for telepractice, and an ability to select, adapt and create resources for online use, have been recognised in numerous studies as important considerations for SLPs and SLP students (Furlong & Serry, under review; Hines et al., 2015; Overby, 2018). Intervention resources and activities used in telepractice may need to be more interactive to keep clients engaged (Hines et al., 2015; Overby, 2018) with some SLP students perceiving that this is particularly important for younger children, who may be less able to attend in a telepractice environment (Overby, 2018). Supporting SLP students to determine clients’ suitability for telepractice is therefore an important

and school staff in a telepractice placement. This was sometimes perceived as challenging when student SLPs were not in the same physical space: “It was very difficult to contact teachers as we had to have email correspondence through only one person from the school—consequently, it was very difficult to determine if the literacy interventions were making positive impacts in the classroom ... additionally, considering the context of the service it was difficult to contact parents...” (P7) . While there was a heightened focus on communication skills in a telepractice environment, some respondents felt this environment made it easier to reflect on their communication as they had the opportunity to review the session recordings and adjust their practice accordingly: “...I was able to review my professional and interpersonal skills and found that I often gave longer/ complex instructions. As I became more aware, I was able to provide instructions that were direct, which resulted in better results from my clients” (P8) . Theme 3: Preparedness for telepractice literacy placements was mostly facilitated by practical learning opportunities with peers and supervisors Perceived preparedness for telepractice services was evenly split, with four respondents feeling unprepared to deliver telepractice and four feeling adequately prepared. Of those who felt adequately prepared, they described completion of workbooks prior to telepractice placements, access to information about different videoconferencing platforms, access to webinars about telepractice, and involvement in telepractice simulation clinics. They also described how their own experiences of learning online during workshops, tutorials and lectures helped them feel confident to work online. Those who were further through their degree and therefore had completed more clinical placements also appeared more confident in their clinical skills and less concerned about how these would translate to a telepractice environment, e.g., “I also felt that my clinical skills were at the level that providing therapy services via telepractice would not be exceeding challenging [sic]” (P8). Most respondents acknowledged the value of either rehearsing telepractice delivery with another student ( n = 2) or observing live or recorded sessions ( n = 5) of other SLPs or students delivering telepractice. One commented that it was challenging to have a supervisor without any telepractice experience: “My supervisor did not have any background in telepractice so it was really challenging for her to provide me with suggestions on what I could do during sessions” (P2). Learning opportunities and supports mentioned less frequently by respondents included being provided with journal articles to read about telepractice delivery, having a set timetable for the duration of the placement, having a supervisor to problem-solve with and having supervisors access sessions remotely. The presence of a supervisor in telepractice sessions meant student SLPs felt supported, particularly when they could “signal them in” (P7). Those who reported an open and positive relationship with their supervisor felt that placement was a safe place to trial new things and make mistakes: “Although telepractice was really challenging for me, I thoroughly enjoyed the process

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JCPSLP Volume 23, Number 3 2021

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