Frequently Asked Questions

A speech-language pathologist (SLP) is a highly-trained professional who evaluates and treats children and adults who have difficulty with speech or language. Although people often think of speech and language as the same thing, the terms actually have very different meanings. If your child has trouble with speech, he/she struggles with the “how-to” of talking—the coordination of the muscles and movements necessary to produce speech. If your child has trouble with language, he/she struggles with understanding what he/she hears or sees. Your child may struggle to find the right words and/or organize those words in a meaningful way to communicate a message or hold a conversation. An SLP also evaluates and treats children and adults who have difficulty swallowing food or liquid. An SLP will help identify what part of the swallowing process is making it difficult for your child to eat (e.g., chewing, manipulating food with the tongue, coordinating mouth and throat structures and muscles, breathing appropriately while eating).
-By Susie S. Loraine, M.A., CCC-SLP

Speech and language difficulties are more common than one might think. A parent’s/guardian’s instincts regarding their child’s developmental milestones should always be validated. Early intervention is a key factor in long term success with children having speech and/or language difficulties. Booking an initial assessment will allow the clinician to narrow in on what areas of language or what specific articulation errors are occurring.

During the initial appointment, parents will be asked to complete a consent form and a background information questionnaire asking detailed questions regarding your child’s family history, health, developmental stages, education, and overall concerns and goals you may have for their development. Preferably, the questionnaire will be filled out during the assessment time when your child will be with the testing clinician. However, if your child does not easily separate, parents are then asked to sit quietly in the evaluation room to assist in comforting your child.  After the evaluation, your speech pathologist (SLP) will debrief the session and discuss any observational findings the clinician may have encountered. A formal written report containing standardized test results, percentile ranks, and age- equivalent levels will be generated within a 2-week time frame. Finally, a meeting will be held to discuss the test results and potential plan of care for your child. Please feel free to bring any referrals or previous reports along with you to the first session.

Therapy is different for every child. It will include directly working with your child, along with strategies to put in place at home to help progress your child’s speech and language skills. You and your child may receive homework to complete between sessions. Completing these activities are imperative to assisting your child in their therapy carrying over the strategies learned in the therapy setting, to all other environmental settings.

Communicating Above Barriers focuses on setting goals based on the individual’s needs.

No.

Yes! We do accept various insurances. Please contact us so we can let you know if we accept your insurance company.

No,

Currently, we are only doing home and school visits.

With us, you have your own dedicated SLP to answer all of your questions and provide individualized recommendations. We get to the root cause of your concerns.

Expected prognosis is individualized for each client. Judgement is based upon formal and informal evaluations, observations, interactions, and data tallies. The number of sessions and duration of therapy will be based on these factors.