Questions:

Does my child need speech therapy?

 

Many parents have a 'good gut' when it comes to observing if their child is developing their communication skills at a typical rate of development. A good way to check is to download one or both of the following checklists:

link to speech sounds ages 3-7
link to developmental norms

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How do I get started with speech therapy at AnetSpeech?

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Start with a free consultation by phone or video to share your concerns. It's easy to request this appointment at my online calendar.

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Can my child get speech therapy at school and at AnetSpeech?

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Absolutely! If your child has an IEP at school for speech therapy, which is considered a special education service, they can continue to receive what the school provides. We are happy to collaborate with your busy school therapist. We will usually conduct our own evaluation to obtain an up-to-date picture of your child's communication strengths and weaknesses. School therapy eligibility is based on academic impact, which means mild to moderate speech issues often do not qualify. Our private services can qualify these milder issues, and our sessions are one-on-one with your child.

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Will my insurance cover speech therapy?

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The short answer: possibly. Every insurance plan is unique to you and your insurance carrier. Even two people who have a big name insurance carrier will have plans with coverage that can differ.

 

AnetSpeech is considered an out-of-network provider. Some insurance plans do cover out-of-network virtual speech therapy. Some carriers do not cover developmental diagnoses such as language delay or articulation delay, some do. Insurance carriers also make their decisions based on medical necessity when covering the cost of evaluations and therapy.

 

The best way to know is complete the intake paperwork, upload your insurance card and have us complete a courtesy check of your covered services. We will then provide you with a statement detailing the estimated out-of-pocket expenses.

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Due to deductibles and coverage limitations, some families find it less expensive to pay out-of-pocket for speech therapy. In these cases AnetSpeech offers a prompt pay discount for payment at time of service.

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What documents do I need before the first visit (evaluation)?

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Physician prescription faxed to: 253-275-5636

Fill out and complete my online Intake Form

Secure upload of Insurance Card

Secure upload of any previous Evaluations (audiology, speech-language, other)

Method of Payment on file

Deposit of $40 to confirm appointment

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**secure upload of Responsible Payor's identification card

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What are your fees?

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Daycare screenings are $20. Evaluations are typically $250 with the prompt pay discount for private out-of-pocket clients. Prompt pay rates for therapy sessions are $80 per session. The insurance rate is greater and will be listed on the statement you receive after a courtesy check of your insurance coverage.

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What kind of speech therapy is provided at AnetSpeech?

My specialty is in Speech Sound Disorders, an umbrella term that includes:

Articulation Delay

Phonological Disorder

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS)

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I also am well-equipped and love treating the following:

Language Delay (Late Talkers)

Stuttering (All Ages)

 

What do I need for teletherapy?

The ideal teletherapy session occurs on a tablet device, because of the interactive annotation features I can incorporate for the client. However, most laptops, desktops, and even phones allow the client to see the shared digital material and allow us both to see and hear each other well.

 

I use a HIPAA-compliant version of Zoom, so you will need to download the free Zoom app to your device. 

 

Essentially, your device must have: a wifi connection, a camera, and a microphone. An optional headset with attached mic is often useful for the client.

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Do you have a waitlist?

I currently do not have a waitlist. That being said, my available openings are slim so new clients will need to be flexible so we continue to have no waitlist. While I can usually fit in an evaluation within a week or two of our consultation, the first weekly therapy session may be booked 2-4 weeks after the evaluation.

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How long will my child need speech therapy?

The length of therapy will depend on a number of factors, such as how mild or severe the impairment is, if there are other co-occurring impairment, how intense the treatment plan, and how faithful the family is with homework. Weekly therapy sessions are required, although some treatment plans may recommend more than once a week. Treatment plans are for three to six months, at which time a reevaluation or progress assessment will guide whether further treatment or discharge is recommended.

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What does speech therapy at AnetSpeech look like?

 

Therapy sessions may look a bit different for the three main types of communication delays/deficits I treat, but all of session types include a genuine connection with the client and his/her family and client-led input.

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Speech Sound Disorders:

Fun and hard work is how I characterize my teletherapy sessions. The fun part is the quick reinforcer game activities and the hard work is the high number of practices for speech sound mastery. Child-led, high-interest game breaks could be earning a ticket to fly on a unicorn, collect the most pirate parrots, or a simple snakes and ladders game. The focus is always on a quick brain/game break, then back to empowering work on speech sounds.

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Late Talkers:

For young children aged three to five, the model of therapy I use is the parent-coaching model. Through patient, loving discussion and modeling, I empower parents to increase the language-rich exposures in their home. Parents are guided in using the toys and items already at home and the home routines the child already engages in to model language in a way that increases their child's imitation and communication skills.

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Stuttering:

Because stuttering not only impacts speech itself but also the whole person's emotional and mental outlook on stuttering. The therapy techniques I use were taught to me by an adult SLP who stutters. Our sessions will focus on client-led choices regarding reducing stuttering frequency and/or frustration. Some sessions will be talking through mental and emotional aspects of stuttering, while other sessions we will introduce and practice in a stress-free environment techniques that help reduce the dysfluency during speaking.

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