Pediatric speech therapy

Why does my child need pediatric speech therapy?

Communication and nutrition are important to your child’s development and well-being. There are several types of delays or disorders an infant, child or adolescent may have that require the help of a speech pathologist.

• Feeding or swallowing - Also called dysphagia, these disorders might affect an infant’s ability to suck as needed for breast or bottle feeding, or a child’s ability to pick food up and close her lips around it. Speech pathologists with special skills can help diagnose and manage these problems so that your child can get proper nutrition.
• Articulation - Your child might not be able to produce sounds correctly so that others understand. A speech pathologist can work with your child on articulation of difficult sounds.
• Fluency - The speech pathologist helps a child who stutters, stops, or spends a long time on certain sounds when speaking.
• Voice - Also called resonance, this is an unusual pitch or quality to your child’s voice that a pathologist can help your child or adolescent learn to control.

Some children also need help with language skills, such as use of words or composing sentences. For example, your child with Down syndrome usually understands much more of what he hears than he shows by words when he speaks. Your child could benefit from speech therapy to improve his spoken vocabulary, grammar and use of language.

What happens during a pediatric speech evaluation appointment?

If your child has a disorder related to speaking or using the facial and throat muscles to swallow or chew, the speech pathologist first assesses the cause and severity of the problem. Our speech pathologists are specialists in caring for children and adolescents, so they can assess your child’s issues in relation to typical development and skills for children their age.

• Evaluation - First, your child’s speech pathologist will carefully asses your child’s current abilities and challenges, using your child’s medical history and specialized testing. Your child may have video fluoroscopy or cine imaging to examine the anatomy and function of swallowing or the palate. If these tests are required, you will receive instructions about how to prepare your child for the visit.
• Treatment - For most speaking disorders, your child’s speech pathologist uses age-appropriate techniques to teach your child to make certain sounds or to overcome problems such as pauses and stuttering. Your child’s speech pathologist might teach your child alternative ways to communicate, such as sign language symbols, to overcome problems with being understood by others.

What happens after the pediatric speech evaluation appointment?

The evaluation results will state if your child could benefit from occupational (OT), physical (PT), and/or speech therapy.

• In about 1 week request a copy of the report through the MyChart patient portal
• We will send the report to the doctor that referred your child to therapy and the insurance company, if required.

If therapy is recommended:

1. Request for insurance approval - Most insurance companies require approval for therapy. We will submit the evaluation results and therapy recommendations to your insurance for approval. This process can take anywhere from 1 day to 30 days. This is not a guarantee and there are sometimes circumstances that can lengthen or shorten the wait.
2. Insurance approveal received - Once the approval or denial for therapy has been received, we will contact you. If therapy was approved we will schedule your child’s next therapy visit.
3. Scheduling - Availability of scheduling at each location will depend on the treating therapists schedule and recommendations.

• Consistent schedule (ie: same day and/or time each week for the time frame of the approval)
• Session to session:
  • We often have a wait list for therapy in some disciplines for certain times of the day.
  • If your preferred time is not available, we will place your child on a wait list. Please check in often with the front desk for an update on your preferred time if your child is placed on the waiting list.

If you have not heard from us in 2 weeks, we recommend that you call us for an update on your insurance approval and/or scheduling. We want to make sure we are answering your questions as we work through this process together.