Vacation and losing spot at OT/ ST- how do you manage?

[Anonymous]

After 4 years of intense interventions (ABA/OT/ST/ shadows/ special ed preschool etc) with 2 kids with special needs, we have decided that we are going to take the kids on a 3-week vacation camping with the grandparents. They've made great progress with their own situations and at this point are both very stable and will continue with their weekly therapies/ special needs schools on our return.

Our challenge is that our OT/ST practice says that if we miss 2 weeks in a row they will give our coveted after school time slot to another family. We will at that point be placed at the bottom of the wait list for an after school slot. I am really reluctant to do this because it took more than 4 months to get this slot in the first place.

We will have never missed more than 1 week of therapies before for vacation and all of our absences have been due to illness.

Is this type of policy typical?

How do others manage longer vacations?

[Anonymous]

I refuse to be held hostage by asshole therapists.

[Anonymous]

Can you just pay to keep the slot? Seems like it would be worth it

[Anonymous]

Can you talk to them ahead of time? It seems like this policy is designed for families who repeatedly cancel at the last minute or otherwise show that they aren't committed to it. A planned vacation where you plan to come back is different.

[Anonymous]

That is absurd you are not allowed a 3 week vacation after 4 years of intensive services. The vacation will be great for the kids. I'd offer to pay to hold the slot or find another provider. Ours is so flexible. We change times if we need to, days, cancel same day, add days... she's so flexible, especially if she has time available. We've been with her for 4 years.

[Anonymous]

So, you are missing 3 weeks and the rule is if you miss two in a row you give up the spot? Can you miss 1, pay for 1 that you don't go to, miss the next one and go the week you get back. Kind of look at it like you would with a daycare or caretaker situation. You pay for the service/care even if you can't go. Small price to pay to keep the coveted spot.

[Anonymous]

Let me guess is it the pediatric development center?? They have that policy which I think is absurd. We stopped going there.

[Anonymous]

Just pay for the slots.

[Anonymous]

Did you clarify that it's two missed appointments without providing 24 hour notice of cancellation? That's the policy of the practice we go to. As long as we provide prior notification (at least 24 hours), it's not a problem for us to miss consecutive sessions. If their policy is to just drop your slot no matter you giving prior notice, I'd find a different practice. They're assholes.

[Anonymous]

This is Exceptional Children's Center in Springfield. We have really liked them. But over 3 weeks we would miss a total of 6 appointments, so I am not sure I can afford to pay out of pocket for all of those sessions.

It just seems like if I let them know in advance, then they could use those spots for evaluations or makeups for other kids.

I may need to shop around for a practice with more flexible policies about this. I feel like we aren't getting any consideration for the length of our relationship and how good we are about making sure reimbursements are all taken care of quickly/ accurately.

But I guess they have a waitlist so they don't need to worry about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is Exceptional Children's Center in Springfield. We have really liked them. But over 3 weeks we would miss a total of 6 appointments, so I am not sure I can afford to pay out of pocket for all of those sessions.

It just seems like if I let them know in advance, then they could use those spots for evaluations or makeups for other kids.

I may need to shop around for a practice with more flexible policies about this. I feel like we aren't getting any consideration for the length of our relationship and how good we are about making sure reimbursements are all taken care of quickly/ accurately.

But I guess they have a waitlist so they don't need to worry about that.

Exactly. And they can probalby replace you with someone who doesn't use insurance at all, and would be even more low maintenance. It sucks.

[Anonymous]

Totally sucks!

[Anonymous]

we've had OT/ST at Exceptional be out two weeks in a row and they are OK when they do it. However, when our child has been sick for two weeks in a row and we have had to cancel well ahead of time, they created a fuss.

[Anonymous]

OP. did you talk to the clinical director Allyson?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is Exceptional Children's Center in Springfield. We have really liked them. But over 3 weeks we would miss a total of 6 appointments, so I am not sure I can afford to pay out of pocket for all of those sessions.

It just seems like if I let them know in advance, then they could use those spots for evaluations or makeups for other kids.

I may need to shop around for a practice with more flexible policies about this. I feel like we aren't getting any consideration for the length of our relationship and how good we are about making sure reimbursements are all taken care of quickly/ accurately.

But I guess they have a waitlist so they don't need to worry about that.

12:11 here. This is exactly what our practice did. Before we got our coveted spot, we jumped at the chance to take temporarily take over someone else's spot. We're at Children's Therapy Center in Springfield. You might think about them.