Frequently Asked Questions

Do you accept insurance reimbursement?
Unfortunately we do not.  We are an out of network insurance provider.

How do I submit for out of network speech therapy reimbursement?
You will be provided with an invoice to submit to your insurance company.  It will contain the necessary information including: diagnosis and treatment codes, session times, fees paid, description of services provided, as well as pertinent practice information (tax id, license number, etc). We will also provide you with assessment and therapy progress reports to submit to your insurance company along with the invoice.

What are your assessment fees?
Our assessments are varied and highly individualized.  Assessment fees are based on our hourly rates and are dependent on a number of factors (e.g., face to face time spent with the client, report writing time, etc).  Prior to assessment parents are asked to fill out detailed intake and referral forms for their child in order to determine which testing instruments need to be administered. Dependent on number of formal and informal tests.  Offer full evals, mini eval and/or screenings to make it affordable for everyone.

Do you conduct in home assessments and treatment?
Yes to in home services via TeleHealth.  In person if needed.

What are your hours of operation?
We try to accommodate all our busy customers by offering weekday afternoon and evening, as well as weekend hours.

How do I initiate assessment and/or therapy?
Please call us for a free consultation at  702.733.TALK (8255) or you may complete the appointment schedule online.  Once we determine that our services are right for your child, you will receive a password to download the appropriate forms and releases.

How long do your assessments typically last?
Full evaluation – 4-6 Formal / Tests 3-4 Hours
Mini evaluation- 1-2 Formal / Tests 1.5 to 2 Hours
Screening – 1 Hour

Testing may be split into 2 days as needed.
Assessment received in 4 weeks
 
Comprehensive assessments for younger children (infants, toddlers, preschoolers and early school age children) typically last between 2-3 hours and are performed during 1 visit. Comprehensive assessments for older school age children may last between 4-5 hours and are usually broken into 2 sessions over a period of several days. All assessments are highly individualized and are dependent on the client’s unique needs (e.g., is assessment needed to qualify the child for in district school therapy services, are parents seeking an independent evaluation to be used in a court case, etc)
Average therapy frequency varies based on individual needs.  Repetition is key to success. Consult with caregivers range 1X week, 1-2x month, 4x year.  Recommended carryover at home ranges from 2-5x weekly.
 
What can I expect as a result of my child’s speech language assessment?
Two weeks subsequent to the last assessment date you will receive a comprehensive speech language report detailing your child’s performance on administered formal and informal testing.  It will contain performance scores (if applicable), detailed descriptive summary of performance strengths and weaknesses, impressions, recommendations, referral for additional professional consultations (if needed), treatment goals and objectives as well as suggested remediation methods, techniques, and strategies.
 
If you perform the assessment, but we are unable to come to you for treatment, what options are available to us?
We offer comprehensive assessments and reassessments for out of state and out of county clients.  Our subsequent recommendations within the body of the report are very detailed, supported by the latest evidenced based research, and are very easy to follow.  Out of state comprehensive  re/assessments are often requested by parents due to the absence of qualified and highly trained professionals in their specific geographic area.  Such assessments are especially relevant for a select group of older internationally adopted OR functionally bilingual Russian speaking children with complex diagnoses/disabilities (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Mental Retardation, Genetic Disorders, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, etc), who attain limited success in therapeutic setting despite years and years of therapeutic intervention provision.

Other times we are asked to perform assessments with children who fail to qualify for intervention services within their state school system, due to limited assessment practices (therapist may administer select subtests from a general language test but does not assess the child’s social pragmatic skills, auditory processing skills, executive function, or critical thinking abilities), despite the child presenting with a number of profound linguistic, critical thinking, and social pragmatic deficits.

We perform the necessary testing based on presenting symptomology and then we’ll provide you with a comprehensive report detailing the subsequent requirements for treatment/referrals (if needed), which other therapists can then implement in the child’s home state/county.

What if another therapist conducted the assessment do I still have to repeat the evaluation process?
In most circumstances testing will only need to be repeated if it’s significantly outdated.  Typically if the assessment was done within the past year, and the results are still accurately representative of the child’s present performance, therapy may be initiated immediately.  However, there may be a number of instances when the clinician may suggest a reassessment.  Below are some examples:

· Testing report is outdated/not accurately representative of child’s present performance
· Testing instruments used were outdated/no longer relevant to the child’s present needs
· Testing was not comprehensive enough (child is scoring within normal limits on a specific test but still presents with significant deficits in other areas)

In such instances a partial/full reassessment may be recommended in the context of initial therapy sessions, in order to establish a baseline for intervention provision.

What is the average therapy frequency and duration?
Average therapy frequency is 1 time per week for a duration of 1 hour.  Select clients receive higher therapy frequency and lower therapy duration; still others come in on biweekly or monthly basis to maintain skill level/abilities.

What type of service delivery do you provide?
• Consult only
• Can be with Parents
• Caregivers 
• ABA team
• Home speech Therapist 

Vast majority of sessions are provided on individual basis.  Group sessions are subject to availability. Peer tutoring/coaching is often implemented when working on social language skills.

How long will my child attend speech therapy?
Since most patients have developmental delays, SWBE can not move quicker than typical develop.  We know that motor and speech language milestones and learning years are achieved from age 0-7.  Most clients with developmental delays have received therapy for 5 to 12 years.  For ultimate progress, families must be committed. 

Therapy duration is dependent on a number of factors:
· Type and level of impairment (clients with significant disabilities such as mental retardation or autism spectrum disorders receive ongoing support and treatment vs. clients with articulation disorders, who are in therapy for a short number of weeks/months)

· Presence of maintaining factors (e.g., psychiatric diagnosis, other structural/functional deficits)

· Existence of additional support services (is the child receiving school based therapy, resource room, reading recovery, etc)

· Parental involvement (supervision of homework, reinforcement of current skills)

· Client motivation

How do you determine when the child is ready to be discharged from therapy services?
Discharge can occur,  when all treatment goals have been mastered or when client does not follow through on recommendations.

Client progress is charted on an ongoing basis. Frequent reassessments of deficit areas are administered during the course of treatment.