Enhancing language development in low-income communities through pre-recorded therapy videos: equipping speech-language therapy students with digital intervention skills

The digital transformation of healthcare and education has intensified the need for digitally literate speech-language pathologists (SLPs), particularly in resource-limited contexts where access to traditional services is constrained. While synchronous teletherapy has expanded service delivery options, it remains largely inaccessible in many low-income communities due to infrastructural and contextual barriers. This study explored how South African SLP students reflected on the development of digital intervention competencies through creating asynchronous therapy and caregiver-training videos, and how they perceived the accessibility, sustainability and professional relevance of these tools. Grounded in an interpretivist paradigm, the study analysed reflective reports from 39 third-year speech-language pathology students using Reflexive Thematic Analysis informed by experiential learning and socio-constructivist theory. The video projects were completed as part of an academic service-learning practical in early childhood centres serving low-income communities. Four overarching themes were constructed: development of digital intervention skills, application of digital tools in clinical practice, accessibility and sustainability in low-resource contexts and expansion of professional identity. The findings indicate that experiential engagement with digital content creation fostered technical competence, creative confidence, critical reflection and heightened awareness of equity in service delivery. Embedding digital intervention tasks within undergraduate clinical education may support the preparation of future SLPs for equitable, contextually responsive and sustainable practice.