Preparing For Your Appointment

"A Typical Visit to Our Clinic"

1. Intake: Start by calling our office staff to complete an intake over the phone.

• We do not require a doctor referral.
• You will be asked to provide information about your child, such as date of birth, your concerns, and whether your child has had any other evaluations or therapy.
• An assessment can then be booked with the clinician that best meets your needs.
• Our office staff will mail or email an intake package to you. Please fill out all forms and bring them with you to your first appointment. (Link to Intake Package)

2. Assessment: The next step is an in-clinic assessment.

• If you have a recent previous assessment, your clinician can use this information and your appointment will require less time.
• What you should bring:
  • Your completed forms.
  • Reports from other sources (e.g. report cards, previous assessment reports, previous treatment goals or progress notes, hearing test results, medical test results).
  • Contact information for other involved professionals.
  • You may also want to pack things your child likes to play with and a snack.
• Plan to be at the clinic for 1-3 hours.
• During the assessment, the clinician will start by talking to the parents to get background information while the child plays in the room.
• Next, the clinician will play with and/or talk to your child, observe the child interacting with parent, and may complete standardized testing.
• The clinician will then analyze the results.
• Finally, assessment findings and recommendations are discussed with parents. Parents are given time to ask questions.
• A brief written report containing the findings and recommendations is provided to the parents to take home.
• Parents have the option of requesting a more in depth written report that can be shared with other professionals or schools at an additional charge.
• Recommendations may include: monitoring, referral to other professionals, and/or therapy.

3. Therapy: If therapy is recommended, parents may sign up with one of our therapists for regular therapy sessions.

• The clinician will let you know if you should book with a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) or a Communicative Disorders Assistant (CDA).
• Frequency and length of the therapy appointment depends on the child's needs and abilities.
• Most children will come once a week for ½ hour to ¾ hour.
• An individualized therapy plan will be developed for your child. This plan will contain specific goals for your child and will be updated regularly as goals are mastered and/or needs change.
• A typical therapy session includes structured activities, games, play, and conversation. Parents and/or siblings may also be involved where appropriate.
• Parents and siblings may observe in the room or through a one-way window or video.
• Your child's goals will be tracked by the therapist during the session to determine if goals have been met. Following the therapy session, your therapist will analyze the data collected during the session and determine the next steps for your child's upcoming session.
• Goals and treatment methods are developed with the principles of evidence-based practice.
• At the end of each session, the therapist will discuss your child's performance with you and give suggestions for ways to help your child practice at home during the week. Often, therapists will provide parents with specific materials to support home practice, such as worksheets, games, or crafts.