General Questions
Speech and Language Questions
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FAQ'S
General Questions
- Does Florida Speech accept insurance?
Yes, we accept select insurance programs and/or
plans. Please contact us to discuss any specific
questions or to find out if your insurance program
or plan is able to be accepted.
- Does Florida Speech accept Medicaid?
Yes, we accept Medicaid, Med-Waiver, and MediPass
- Do you offer financial assistance or a
sliding fee scale? Yes we offer financial
assistance to certain clients. Please contact
us to discuss our normal rates and fees, or to
see if you qualify for a reduced rate or fee schedule.
- Do I need a referral to receive speech
or language therapy? In some cases, with
Medicaid clients for example, you may need a physician's
referral or prescription to receive therapy. Private-pay
clients do not require a physician's referral
or prescription, but our therapists may ask for
one to keep on file.
- What ages does Florida Speech see? We see
clients of all ages.
- What days and/or hours do you work?
Because we treat clients in their natural environments
and with a family-centered approach, our hours
are typically flexible. Our therapists typically
work Monday-Friday, from 8:00-5:00, but some evening
or weekend appointments may be approved. Please
contact us to discuss a therapy schedule or if
you must request a special time, such as an evening
or weekend.
- When do you require payment for therapy
services? We typically require payment
for services when the service is provided. However,
please contact us if you require a different payment
schedule due to financial restrictions. We will
do our best to accommodate your request.
- Can your therapists co-treat with therapists
of other disciplines, like Occupational Therapists,
or Audiologists? Yes! We are able to co-treat
with therapists of any other discipline, including
but not limited to: Occupational Therapists, Physical
Therapists, Massage Therapists, Behavior Analysts/Therapists,
Audiologists, Psychologists, Neuro-Psychologists,
Ear-Nose-and-Throat physicians, and many more.
Also, if you feel that your child requires additional
therapy services, such as occupational therapy,
we would be happy to refer you to several excellent
professionals of the above mentioned disciplines.
- What is 'Natural Environment' therapy?
Natural environment therapy refers to speech and
language therapy services being given in the client's
natural communication environments; whether it
be his or her home, school, after school care
facility, or adult workshops. We are proud to
offer natural environment therapy services for
several reasons, the top reasons being: we significantly
reduce the client's need to learn to generalize,
or carryover skills learned in treatment to his
or her natural communication environments because
the skills are being taught in those environments;
and because we want to make receiving speech and
language therapy services from our practice a
positive, hassle-free experience...no more rush-hour
traffic trying to get children to after-school
therapy and then home to make dinner! Please feel
free to contact Florida
Speech to further
discuss our natural enviornment therapy services,
or if you have any questions specific to your
child or family needs.
- Do you accept credit cards?
Yes, we accept credit cards for private payment
of services at our Waterford Lakes office location.
We currently accept Mastercard and Visa.
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Speech and Language Questions
- Will my insurance cover my child's speech
and language therapy? Some insurance companies
do cover or reimburse payment for speech and language
therapy services. Each client should check with
his or her own company and review their policy
coverage and restrictions to confirm. Please feel
free to contact us regarding questions about your
specific policy's coverage benefits.
- What causes speech and language disorders
or delays? Each speech and language disorder
or delay is unique and can be caused by a variety
of factors. It is important to have suspected
speech and language problems evaluated by a licensed
speech-language pathologist. After a full evaluation,
a reason or possible cause, for the disorder or
delay can be discussed.
- How often will my child have to be seen
for speech therapy? Each case is different,
but for the most part, clients are seen twice
a week for 30-45 minute sessions. More involved
children, like children with autism or Down Syndrome,
may require more sessions per week, or 60 minute
sessions.
- How do I know if my child needs to have
his speech and language skills evaluated?
Typically physicians or teachers will notice a
delay or disorder in a child's communication skills.
They can recommend that your child be evaluated.
Parents may also notice a delay in communication
skills, and should discuss their concerns with
their child's doctor and teacher, or contact a
speech-language pathologist for an evaluation.
Parents may also notice behavior problems arising
from school-aged children because the children
are frustrated with their communication problems,
but aren't sure of how to express their problems
to adults. In any case, if you are concerned about
your child's speech and language development and/or
use, please contact us to schedule an appointment.
- My child is only two years old, but isn't
communicating like other two-year-olds.
Should I wait for him to "grow out of it"?
No, please contact us for an appointment
to evaluate your child's communication skills
immediately. Typically, if children are showing
a delay in communication skills at this young
of an age, treatment is quick, as early intervention
works very fast and effectively. It is always
better to be safe than sorry! Your child now could
be lacking only some comprehension of basic language
concepts, but if not treated now, could develop
into academic, social, communication, and behavioral
difficulties down the road.
- My child was dismissed from speech therapy
at his school. I feel that he still
needs treatment, what can I do and why was he
dismissed at school? Remember that school
districts operate under separate guidelines than
private practitioners. For a child to receive
speech and language therapy in the schools it
must prove to be "educationally relevant" and
must focus on educational goals and objectives.
Your child may have been dismissed because they
had reached a higher functioning communication
level, and it was no longer "educationally relevant"
for them to be seen at school. If you feel that
your child still needs speech and language services,
you have the right to pursue private treatment
from a speech-language pathologist in a private
practice setting.
- What is the difference between a 'screening'
and an'evaluation'?
A screening is a very brief, overall glimpse at
an individual's communication skills. It skims
over all areas of speech and language, including
articulation, fluency, voice, grammar, vocabulary,
conversational skills, and language memory.
Screenings usually take only 15-20 minutes to
conduct, and are relatively inexpensive procedures.
Screenings only indicate whether further, in-depth
testing is warranted in any specific communication
area(s). On the other hand, a comprehensive evaluation
is a lengthy, in-depth and detailed look at an
individuals communication skills. Evaluations
typically take an hour or more to administer,
and are more costly. Comprehensive speech and
language evaluations give specific, detailed results
of all areas tested, and result in more adequate
and appropriate results. Upon completion of a
comprehensive evaluation the parent or client
receives a written report of the results, including
professional recommendations.
- How will I know if my child has delayed
speech and/or language skills?
Please see our Speech
and Language Developmental Milestones
chart.
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