What can I expect from speech therapy?

In this post I will get down to the nitty gritty of what happens when you realize your child would benefit from speech therapy. Most of this information applies to any therapy (occupational, physical, ABA, counseling, etc) This might be boring, but I hope it is informational!

There are a few different ways you can find a speech therapist. It is often the child's pediatrician who first recommends a speech therapy evaluation. If you have concerns, but your doctor has not mentioned speech therapy you can still request an evaluation! Doctors typically have a relationship with a certain speech therapy company and they will refer you to that company. While it is perfectly acceptable to go with that company, you can choose whatever speech therapist you would like. This is true for almost all specialists your doctor refers to. For speech therapy, there are a few things to consider. Does the therapist have a clinic or will they come to your house? What do they specialize in? Does the therapist have openings that work for my schedule?

To find a speech therapist that takes your insurance, go to the insurance website to search for in-network therapists. Unfortunately, being in-network does not guarantee your therapy will be paid for. Children have to meet certain qualifications in order to be covered by insurance. This varies by company. Some will only cover therapy if the disorder is a result of an injury or condition (head injury, down syndrome). Make sure you call your insurance company to clarify.

Except for those with Medicaid, you do not have to see a provider that takes your insurance. You can chose to pay out of pocket, which is sometimes cheaper than the copay (although it does not go toward your deductible). You also have the choice of submitting your own claims to the insurance company to request reimbursement for seeing an out-of-network provider.

Once you have found a speech therapist, here is what to expect:

1. Initial evaluation: Most evaluations last 1-2 hours. An initial evaluation usually consists of some type of standardized testing and a parent interview. The goal of the initial evaluation is usually twofold: to get standardized scores to qualify for therapy (if using insurance) and to determine therapy goals. The therapist will write up an evaluation report that summarizes the evaluation and has a few measurable goals. Here is an example of a goal: Amy Grace will answer "wh" questions after reading a passage with 90% accuracy. 

2. Scheduling: After the evaluation, the therapist will schedule the regular speech sessions. These sessions are usually for once or twice a week and last between 30 minutes to 1 hour. It is best if sessions are spaced out during the week rather than back to back days.

3. Sessions: Many parents ask whether they should participate in the sessions. Every child is different, but for the most part I think it is beneficial for parents to be active participants in the therapy session. Let the therapist guide the session, but your presence and participation will help you know how to work on skills during the week. The therapist is only with your child for 30 minutes to an hour, so home practice is the key to success!

4. Discharge: When the child meets all their goals and is using age appropriate speech and language skills, the child will be discharged from therapy. Yay! During the initial evaluation, I am often asked "so how long will this take?". It is very hard to predict how long it will take for a child to master new skills. Speech is HARD!! It takes lots of practice, and it is affected by many complicating factors. The best advice I can give is to practice at home to speed up progress. 

I hope this has helped clear up some of the confusion when starting speech and language therapy for your child. Please let me know if you have any more questions!