Frequently Asked Questions
1. When should I be concerned about my child's communication development?
2. My two-year-old child appears delayed in speech-language development, but my pediatrician says he/she is probably just a late talker and will talk within the year. Should I do something now, or wait?
3. My child has a history of frequent ear infections. Could this affect his/her speech or language development?
4. What can I do at home to help my younger child's speech-language development?
5. How do I make an appointment for an evaluation?
6. Can my child start therapy immediately without doing an evaluation?
7. What happens during an Evaluation?
8. What happens in a therapy session?
9. How long is a therapy session?
10. Can I observe therapy sessions?
11. How do I cancel a session?
12 .Will my insurance cover the cost of therapy?
13 . How do I make payment?
14. Is the office closed on holidays?
15. What if I need to terminate therapy?
16. What are the charges?
When should I be concerned about my child's communication development?
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This depends on what you are noticing in the home . In addition to the “red flags” on the first page of this website, some general guidelines include:
• First Words by 12-15 months
• Frequent Two-Word Combinations Heard by 21-24 months
• Frequent Three-Word Combinations Heard by 36 months
• Intelligible speech in conversation 90% of the time by age 4 years
• Grammatically complete sentences most of the time by kindergarten age
My two-year-old child appears delayed in speech-language development, but my pediatrician says he/she is probably just a late talker and will talk within the year. Should I do something now, or wait?
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While it is true children show some variation in when they achieve early language milestones, it also is true that a skilled speech-language pathologist can usually identify children who are more at risk for persistent delays, or who are showing signs of more deviant speech language development (sometimes associated with other developmental disorders, such as autism). The earlier these children are identified, the sooner they can take advantage of intensive early intervention programs, often at no cost to families. Thus, it is better to rule out a more serious problem at a young age.
My child has a history of frequent ear infections. Could this affect his/her speech or language development?
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While there is no direct causal link between chronic ear infections and speech/language delay, children are generally thought to be more at risk for developing communication impairments with this medical history, and should be closely monitored.
What can I do at home to help my younger child's speech-language development?
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Generally speaking, understanding your child's current communication level (preverbal, single word communicator, phrase or sentence level communicator, etc.) is very important in terms of what to model at home. Try not to overuse questions to get your young child to talk, but rather model comments about events as they are unfolding. Try to avoid rapid and lengthy speaking turns, and encourage turn-taking. Praise your child's efforts to communicate using all possible means: gestures, pointing, gaze, and verbal attempts.
How do I make an appointment for an evaluation?
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To make an appointment, please call the office at 540-446-2654. You will be asked to provide personal and insurance information (if applicable). At the same time, feel free to download our Intake Form, and Case History fill it out and bring it with you to the evaluation.
Can my child start therapy immediately without doing an evaluation?
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An assessment allows the speech-language pathologist to identify and describe your child’s strengths and weaknesses, compare him or her to other children of their age, and determine what would be the best approach to prepare the individualized treatment plan. However, if you have had a professional speech and language evaluation within the last year, you may call the office to make an appointment for a consultation in order for the speech therapist to meet with you, your child, and to review reports provided. At that time, we will determine whether additional testing is needed, and what course of treatment is recommended.
What happens during an Evaluation?
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Prior to the evaluation, parents complete the intake forms which provide information regarding their concerns, the child's medical, developmental, and educational history, as well as the review of our policies. These forms can be found on the website under Forms, or will be given to you at the time of the appointment. If filling out at the appointment, please arrive an extra 20 minutes early to complete the paperwork. If the child is receiving other services and/or school related services, please bring a copy of the reports and/or IEP (individual education plan).
During the evaluation, Your child's medical, developmental, and educational history is carefully reviewed. Parents are interviewed regarding their concerns and the child's history. This information helps the Speech-Language Pathologist identify areas to evaluate more closely. A variety of methods, including formal and informal tests, observation, parent/caregiver interview, and play-based activities will be used to evaluate your child's speech, language, cognition, and voice. Selection of testing methods is based on your child's individual needs.
Following the evaluation, Initial results of the evaluation and recommendations will be reviewed with you. A written report detailing evaluation results and recommendations will be mailed to your home and to faxed and/or mailed to your child's physician (if requested).
What happens in a therapy session?
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Speech-language treatment plans and goals are implemented based upon your child's individual needs. This may include, but not limited to play based therapy, ABA, or the use of a multimodality approach to address the treatment goals.
How long is a therapy session?
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We offer 30-minute therapy sessions. We respect your time as well as our own, and therefore, expect to start and end therapy at the designated scheduled times. The clinician will brief the parent and recommend homework if appropriate the last few minutes of the session.
Can I observe therapy sessions?
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Most children perform best when working separately from parents. Parents will be invited to sit in for part or whole sessions only when appropriate.
What are the charges?
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Please call our office for the fee schedule.
How do I make payment?
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**Copays and/or due payments will be collected prior to the evaluation and/or therapy sessions.
We accept checks, cash, debit cards, as well as Visa, MasterCard and Discover.
The billing specialist is also here to support our families, as well as create payment options in order to make therapy possible for all families.
What are the Attendance policies?
*CANCELLATIONS:
Cancellations must be made with 24 hours notice or a “cancellation fee” of $25.00 will be charged. We understand that due to illness or other unexpected events it may be necessary for you to occasionally cancel a therapy appointment. You can leave a message if you reach voicemail. We appreciate two weeks notice of vacation plans. Make up sessions are encouraged.
*NO SHOWS:
Two uncancelled appointments may result in discontinuation of services for your child, and they will be removed from the therapy schedule. PLEASE CALL if you cannot come to therapy.
*LATENESS:
Children arriving late for an appointment will be treated for the remainder of the scheduled treatment time.
*THERAPIST CANCELLATIONS:
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Your child’s therapist will notify you as soon as possible if your appointment must be cancelled. If possible, we will make every attempt to schedule a make up session.
What if a session needs to be cancelled?
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Please call our office if you need to cancel a session at 540-446-2654. Cancellations must be made with 24 hours notice or a “cancellation fee” of $25.00 will be charged. We understand that due to illness or other unexpected events it may be necessary for you to occasionally cancel a therapy appointment. Cancellations for a client’s illness must be made by 9 am the day of their appointment. You can leave a message if you reach voicemail. We appreciate two weeks notice of vacation plans. Make up sessions are encouraged.
NO SHOWS: Two uncancelled appointments may result in discontinuation of services for your child, and they will be removed from the therapy schedule. PLEASE CALL if you cannot come to therapy.
LATENESS: Children arriving late for an appointment will be treated for the remainder of the scheduled treatment time.
THERAPIST CANCELLATIONS: Your child’s therapist will notify you as soon as possible if your appointment must be cancelled. If possible, we will make every attempt to schedule a make up session.
Is the office closed on holidays?
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The following dates Fox Speech Therapy will be closed
2011
November 23rd - 25th -- Thanksgiving
December 26th - Dec 30th -- Winter Break
2012
February 20th -- Presidents Day
April 6th -- Good Friday
May 28th -- Memorial Day
July 4th -- Independence Day
September 3rd -- Labor Day
November 21st - 23rd -- Thanksgiving
December 24th - 25th -- Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
December 31st and January 1st -- News Years Eve and Day
**In cases of inclement weather please call the office**
PLEASE NOTE: Fox Speech Therapy reserves the right to change this schedule or close the office as needed with or without prior notification.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact:
Michael Fox, M.Ed
At 540-446-2654
or by email: michael@foxspeechtherapy.com
Will my insurance cover the cost of therapy?
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Unfortunately, very few insurance companies reimburse parents for speech therapy to treat "developmental articulation disorders" or "developmental language disorders," limiting coverage to rehabilitative speech therapy (e.g. due to traumatic brain injury, surgery, or to treat congenitally related speech problems, such as cleft palate). Children with a diagnosis of autism are occasionally covered for limited services. All clients using insurance benefits are asked to contact their carrier directly regarding their benefits. It is the responsibility of the child’s parents to contact the insurance carrier and to understand their own benefits. Our billing specialist is happy to submit claims to insurance carriers for their review and determination of benefits. However, we are responsible for collecting your deductible amounts, co-payments, co-insurance payments or the cost of denied claims.
If you are planning to utilize your insurance benefits, we strongly recommend you contact your carrier and ask the following questions:
Do I have speech therapy benefits available under my plan?
Will an assessment be a covered benefit?
What is included in my benefits for speech therapy?
What is excluded from my benefits for speech therapy?
Do I have developmental delay coverage for speech therapy?
Do I have a limited number of visits per calendar year or per insurance benefit year?
If I have a limited number of visits, are they combined with other therapies such as physical or occupational therapy?
What if I need to terminate therapy?
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If you need to terminate therapy, for any reason, please give us two sessions notice so that we can wrap up therapy and complete final counseling with you.
If your termination is due to financial concerns, please consult with the billing specialist as they are here to support our families, and create payment options in order to continue the needed services.
