A new therapy for autism invented by a Spokane mom is getting some national attention. Click here to see newscast

Children with speech disorders across the rural Palouse might not have immediate access to proper therapy services, but that’s about to change thanks to a federal grant and the advent of video technology.

During a presentation yesterday, Pullman Regional Hospital announced the soon-to-be reality of telespeech therapy paid for by a $280,468 grant from the Rural Development Program for Distance Learning and Telemedicine, a program within the United States Department of Agriculture. Telemedicine, as it’s called, eliminates the need for speech pathologists and patients to travel.

“Every minute (speech pathologists) spend in a car is a minute that they’re not spending working with a child, so we have to stop that,” said Brian Kasbar, a co-founder of the Spokane-based company Gemiini Systems.

Kasbar said video communication technologies in the medical field have proven successful recently. Gemiini teamed up with Pullman Regional Hospital and the Pullman School District to perform a pilot program using telespeech software.

“Before, you would have to put a flashcard in front of a child and say, ‘What is this?’” he said. “Now, instead of doing that on the table, you’ve got the screen.”

It’s traditional therapy gone virtual, he said.

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