
I know that my DC needs speech therapy and we're in the process of having her needs evaluated while also needing to make decisions about preschool. We're working solely with private physicians and health insurance so far and are at a total loss in understanding what lies ahead in terms of funding her speech therapy needs. Do most preschool kids attend speech therapy at a clinic or do their therapists come to their preschools? Does the cost and/or insurance coverage vary depending on which model you implement? We have not applied to any preschools with inhouse therapists (like NCRC), so our choices right now are preschools where we'll need to arrange all supplemental services, or enrolling her at a great daycare where we'll be able to get the services she needs onsite. We can't imagine carting her all over town for therapy sessions, so the latter option seems like a no-brainer. Before I rule-out our preschool options, however, I'd love to hear from anyone who can help me understand how all of this works. TIA |
lots of preschools have arrangements with therapists who will see your dc on site. temple sinai, eg, has both an ot and a speech therapist who come in and see kids at the preschool during the school day.
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It depends on your health insurance company-- some require you to use one of their preferred providers, some don't, etc. You should call and ask. My DD has speech therapy through her preschool and our insurer covers some but not all of the costs.... |
and for what it's worth the therapist comes to her class, gets her, and brings her to another room for the 2x/week 1/2 hours speech therapy sessions-- which she LOVES. She thinks they are special fun games. |
We pay $105 per hour at the therapist office. Many good pediatric SP in DC area are not participating in insurance plans. After our deductible, about 40% of the cost is covered. In Fairfax county, my daughter received Speech Therapy in preschool, and the county paid for it. SHe received 1 hour per week. In elementary school, my son received speech therapy as a part of his IEP, but it was group therapy and nowhere near what he needed. So, we had to look for private therapy. |
Can someone recommend a good speech therapist in NW DC or Bethesda/Chevy Chase? |
Are you in the District? If so, send her to Bridges (http://bridgespcs.org/index.php?page=about). They can write ST into her IEP which will be delivered on site, and won't cost you a dime. That's what we did with our DC, although we still supplement through a private ST as well since our insurance covers that. The point is that you can get twice the services that way - not a small consideration when early intervention makes such a profound impact. The more services you can get now, the sooner your child can "normalize." |
Language Experience on Wisconson...across from Saks
My son is 3 and has been going since september They are fantastic! |
Hi - A couple of things to note - you are eligible by law no matter where your live to get a FREE evaluation and speech therapy for your child through the county (or the city). In DC you go through the CARE office (not sure in Va. or Md. where you start for the pre-school years). Your pediatrician should have this info. Its probably a good idea to get a speech eval. done privately too if the problem is significant (my child's was) We heard crazy stories about DC speech services (this was four years ago) - so opted for private speech therapy - we are still at it. Huge improvement! Our insurance covers about 75 percent after deductible is paid. I can't speak for other preschools, but although NCRC has a speech therapist on staff - they do not provide one-on-one speech therapy -SLP is there a resource for all the children. I am pretty sure that most schools follow that model - I don't know of any that actually provide you the service as part of tuition (or even if you were willling to pay). Private therapists often will come to the school if you want them to (often at a higher rate) - most schools with young kids will accomodate. As the kids get older, some schools prefer you do services after school (if private school). In public, kids generally get pulled out during the day for one-on-one speech therapy. Oh, one more thing - even if your child attends private preschool and your child gets speech services through the county - they often will accomodate by coming to your home or school for speech sessions. I hope this helps. SOrry if any of this is unclear.... |
At Bridges they contract out the services, so there are always providers on hand (ST/OT/etc.) but they are not on the school staff. They are paid for by the District of Columbia, because the children who get them are entitled to them by law, the contract of which is specified in their IEPs. Happily, the Bridges Administration chooses the service providers (instead of taking whatever DC has to offer) and uses DC special education fund$ to pay for it. Everybody wins (school, high quality therapists, and children) - especially the children. |
Hi PP here, I was speaking about private preschools because that is what the OP mentioned, NCRC is a private preschool. Bridges a PUBLIC charter school. Big difference here is the public will provide one on one for free - private will not, even with an SLP on staff, based on my knowledge. As I said, by law, if you go public they have to give you speech therapy if you qualify. Bridges is fantastic - and a charter - so they have a lot more autonomy than other DCPS preschools do regarding services , as the poster here says. Another one to check out is Two Rivers (which goes beyond the early childhood years) - also a PCS - so you need to enter the lottery to apply. Apps must be submitted by March 30. Thanks for clarification - big difference in what you will pay out of pocket private v. public services. |
OP here. Thank you all for the helpful info!
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