Home Speech Therapy Services
Individualized Evaluations
A speech therapy evaluation includes the assessment of your child's communication skills, including language comprehension and expression, speech sound production, voice, fluency, and/or social skills. To maximize our time together, we will select our primary areas of focus during our initial phone consult. Assessments are 60-90 minutes long, depending on your child's needs. A formal evaluation report is available following our session, as well as a customized treatment plan and home program recommendations.
Intensive Treatment Sessions
Intensive therapy sessions are longer than standard visits at 60 minutes in length. These extended sessions allow additional time to target the goals in your child's treatment plan, complete additional caregiver education, or assess new concerns. Intensive sessions may be planned on a 6 month treatment cycle like standard sessions, or they may be desired for a more specific duration (for example, over spring break or during summer vacation.) Please inquire for more details on this service.
AAC Funding Applications
An AAC (Alternative/Augmentative Communication) evaluation consists of multiple components. First, a comprehensive evaluation is completed to determine your child's current skills. Next, we "trial" AAC device(s) or program(s) over a the course of multiple weeks during therapy sessions. This extended trial period allows us to determine exactly what your child's needs are from a communication system, as well as to fully assess their response to the new system(s.) Following the trial, an individualized recommendation will be made and a funding application completed, if applicable.
Telehealth Services
Blue Sage Pediatric Speech & Language Therapy provides Telehealth services throughout the state of Texas. Services are provided through the HIPAA-compliant practice portal. Telehealth pricing is the same as in-person services. At our initial evaluation, we will make sure that your child's needs are appropriate for telehealth. If you have questions about Telehealth as a service delivery model or are curious what telehealth sessions would look like for your child, please give me a call!
Treatment Sessions
Following our evaluation, I will recommend a treatment plan to target the areas of difficulties that we identified. Speech therapy sessions are typically scheduled 1-2x per week for 6 month treatment cycles. Frequency recommendations are made based on the family's needs. Therapy sessions are 30 minutes in length and are individualized to your child's communication goals. Family participation is encouraged, and home program recommendations will be provided for additional practice time between therapy sessions.
Parent Coaching
At Blue Sage, I believe that family members are the most important part of a child's team. Parent coaching, education, and home programming is included in all assessments and treatment sessions to empower families to take an active role in their child's communication journey. Home program recommendations are made at each session, and "homework" activities can be sent to you through the practice portal. Parent coaching is also offered as a standalone service.
Benefits of Private Pay Speech Therapy
Blue Sage Pediatric Speech & Language Therapy is currently private pay only. We believe that private pay offers several benefits that can be advantageous for your child:
No Insurance Restrictions
Many insurance plans limit the number of sessions, the types of therapy covered, or the therapists they approve. With private pay, there are no restrictions or limitations. This means you get the frequency and intensity of therapy your child needs.
Faster Access
Waiting for doctor's orders and insurance approval can often cause delays in starting therapy. With private pay, there’s no waiting. Therapy can begin as soon as you're ready! I am often able to schedule new clients within 1 week, and therapy sessions can begin immediately following the evaluation.
Continuity of Care
If your insurance provider or coverage changes, your child's therapy may be interrupted or reduced. With private pay, you don't have to worry about changes in insurance coverage affecting your child’s progress.
Personalized Care
Insurance companies may require therapists to follow specific assessment or treatment protocols, which may or may not be appropriate for your child. Insurance companies may also require standardized assessment scores below a certain threshold in order to qualify, and may deny further coverage for children who they believe aren't making adequate progress. Private pay allows us to be flexible in our evaluations and treatment sessions, and allows us to determine what progress looks like for your child.
Control and Transparency
You know exactly what you're paying for, with no hidden fees or surprise costs. This transparency allows for better financial planning. You will always know what to expect. We will complete a "Good Faith Estimate" together, which plans out the anticipated costs for the next treatment cycle. Absolutely no unexpected bills or fees!
Options for Payment
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Credit/debit card via our HIPAA-compliant patient portal; automatic payments available​ for your convenience
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Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) accepted
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Cash / check
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Superbills provided upon your request to utilize your out-of-network coverage (if applicable to your plan)