Are you taking new referrals?

Yes, we are taking new referrals. We are currently taking initial consultations and creating a waitlist. Feel free to fill out our contact form and we will do our best to reach out when services are available.

What does the intake process look like for new referrals?

A free 20 minute video or phone call is available to discuss your current needs. If you have any recent assessment, other therapy, or IEP documents you would like to share with your therapist you can upload them to our secure server.

If our services will work well with you, we will schedule an initial assessment session. After the assessment session you will receive a phone call and recommendations for therapy duration and frequency.

Do you take insurance?

No. PAL Speech Therapy is private pay only, and does not currently bill insurance*. We hope to in the future. Superbills will be provided.

*We are an Early Start 0-3 provider for the FNRC. All sessions provided through Early Start cost the family nothing. See https://www.farnorthernrc.org/clients/early-start/ for more information.

What is a superbill?

A superbill is a detailed receipt that includes services provided and their costs. Some insurance companies will reimburse clients for therapy when they are provided superbills. There is no guarantee that your insurance will reimburse you for services, but if they do they typically will require a superbill from your therapist.

What is the difference between school and private based speech therapy?

School based speech therapy is based on educational need. An initial assessment is conducted and therapy services recommend if data meetings state driven eligibility guidelines. There must be an impact on a child’s education, and schools must follow the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) principle in the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA), which allows children to gain as much access to general education peers as possible while making progress on their goals. (This may be why a child with a mild articulation impairment may not qualify for school based services).

Private speech therapy is based on an area of need to improve overall quality of life. An initial assessment is conducted and need is determined based on clinical judgement along with standardized scores. Since the therapy environment is not removing them from opportunities to gain curriculum knowledge (not missing school), LRE is not applicable.

If a child’s speech and language impairment is not impacting their education, but is interfering with their quality of life, they may receive private speech therapy and not school based speech therapy. If a child’s speech impairment impacts both, they may receive both. If a child only shows a need at school they may only qualify at school.

How long will it take for me/my child to see progress?

PAL Speech Therapy believes in individualized treatment plans, and progress is dependent on a variety of factors. Upon initial intake our service options will be discussed. Every 6 months a progress report will be reviewed and your therapist will discuss with you options to reduce or increase services as needed.

I don’t know what to expect for my child’s age. Where can I learn more about developmental milestones?

The American Speech Language Hearing Association is a good place to start to reviewing information about communication, feeding, and swallowing milestones.