Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How does therapy work?

This is how therapy works. Therapy begins with a Parent Interview and an Assessment. The Assessment will be different for different cases, ages and/or needs. The Assessment will find out information on the child’s strengths and needs. The Assessment results, combined with the Parent Interview, will suggest treatment goals. Treatment goals can be many things. In general, a treatment goal is often to teach a valuable skill that would benefit a child’s quality of life. It can be teaching a child to understand words, communicate with others, play with others, etc. Parents discuss these and other goals with the therapist and decide on a set of goals to focus on for treatment. Treatment generally uses specialized strategies and techniques to teach these important skills and abilities to the child. In Parent Training, homework is given and the parent is taught how to help their child. Clinical information is collected during every treatment session to document the child’s progress. With consistent practice, treatment gains are made and the child becomes better able to show skills and abilities they did not previously have. Once the child has attained the treatment goals, other goals are selected and taught, or the child may be discharged. Parents are asked to continue practicing skills with their children to maintain and expand therapeutic gains.

How do I know if the therapy is working?

There are two ways we know treatments are working: (i) Qualitative outcomes and (ii) Quantitative outcomes.

(i) Qualitative outcomes generally rely on changes most people can perceive with their own senses. For example, a friend you haven’t seen in a month tells you that they can see a change in your child. Or you may notice that your child is starting to use her words to play with her friends at the playground, whereas this was not the case previously.

(ii) Quantitative outcomes rely on objective measures such as the number of words a child says during a session, the number of questions they aswer correctly, the number of instructions they can follow correctly, etc.

* It is important to realize that treatment and development are both working at the same time. Treatment outcome is the result of the treatment’s ability to stimulate a child’s ability to learn, plus the child’s own ability to develop. In general, treatment is useful because without treatment, many children do not naturally develop the skills needed to catch up or keep up with their age-peers.

In general, when a treatment works, you will see it and hear it with your own senses.

How long will therapy go on for?

Our job as therapists is for you to get your results as soon as possible. This will depend on many things: a child’s natural ability to learn, a therapist’s skill and experience, the therapist’s ability to make the therapy fun and engaging for your child, the amount of practice the child and her family engages in at home, etc.

What can I do to make therapy go faster?

In general, children learn faster when they practice more. Your therapist will teach you how to help your child practice at home and in other settings so that therapy gains and outcomes can be developed, maintained and expanded.

Parent Training is an incredibly valuable tool in this regard.

Do you take insurance, and how does that work?

Speech Therapy Services do accept private insurance. ABA Services do not accept insurance at this moment. This may change in the future. Please check with your insurance provider before seeking services.