Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Does your child struggle to communicate their wants and needs? Does it seem that your child doesn’t understand common directions or the names of their favorite things? Is your child’s speech difficult to understand? If so, your child may benefit from speech and language therapy. Review our "Resources" page to learn more about how to know whether or not your child may need speech therapy. You can also review our list of speech and language milestones on our "Resources" page to see if your child's speech and language skills are developing age-appropriately. We offer free 30-minute consultations with a speech-language pathologist to discuss your concerns and help you determine if your child would benefit from a comprehensive speech and language evaluation.
At this time, Thrive Pediatric Therapy is considered out-of-network with insurance. Many health insurance plans offer out-of-network benefits for individuals who are interested in seeing an out-of-network provider. Families are required to pay Thrive Pediatric Therapy for each session in full at the time of service. Following each session, you will be provided with a superbill that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. Your insurance company will reimburse you directly.
A recent speech and language evaluation is required prior to beginning therapy services. If your child has never been evaluated or has been evaluated over six months ago, your therapist will complete a comprehensive speech and language evaluation prior to beginning services. If your child has been evaluated within the last six months, the therapist will review the evaluation report and determine whether or not a new evaluation is warranted. Please review our "Services" page for detailed information regarding evaluations, as well as our Getting Started timeline of all the necessary steps required to begin speech and language therapy services for your child.

School-based speech therapy is geared toward supporting your child in an academic environment, whereas private speech therapy supports your child’s success in the home environment and everyday life. Perhaps the biggest difference between school-based therapy and private therapy is the ways in which children qualify for services. A child can begin receiving private speech therapy services at any time, if an evaluation shows that any aspect of the child’s communication development is impacted or below age expectations. To qualify for school-based speech therapy services, the evaluation must prove that the child’s communication needs are impacting the child’s ability to access the educational curriculum. It is important for parents to understand that a child can demonstrate deficits in communication and still not be eligible for school-based services. Private speech therapy services can be initiated prior to the child progressing to the more severe level that is often required to qualify for school services. 

An article published by Marigold Pediatric Therapies states, “One benefit of private speech-language services is that services can be recommended before the impairment has progressed to the more severe level that is often required to qualify for school services.  Accessing private services earlier (instead of waiting until the concerns are significant as may be necessary at school) can reduce the social-emotional impact of communication difficulties and may reduce the overall time required to remediate the concerns.”

In a school setting, children often receive group speech therapy sessions with other children, and these services take place during academic instruction time. At Thrive Pediatric Therapy, children will receive one-on-one individual speech therapy sessions, which means that 100% of the session is devoted to your child. Our services are provided at a time that is convenient for the child and their family, which means that they will not be missing valuable academic instruction time.

One of the many benefits of private speech therapy services is the continuous interaction with your child’s speech-language pathologist (SLP). If you would like to sit in during your child’s speech therapy sessions, you are more than welcome to. Following each speech therapy session, your SLP will educate you regarding your child’s progress and give you specific tips and guidance to help you support the growth of your child’s speech and language skills in the home environment. You will never be left wondering, "What is my child working on in speech therapy?" or "What can I do to help my child at home?" More carryover into the home environment = faster results! The caseload size of a private SLP also tends to be significantly smaller than the caseload size of a public school SLP, which means more time for your child. 

Many children receive private speech therapy in addition to school-based therapy. Private speech therapy is an excellent supplement to school-based therapy, and it often leads to faster results. If your child was evaluated for school-based speech therapy and did not qualify for services, private therapy is a great option for you. If your child already receives school-based speech therapy and you are interested in beginning private therapy, please contact us to schedule a comprehensive speech and language evaluation. At Thrive Pediatric Therapy, we believe that collaboration with other professionals involved in your child’s care plays a crucial role in maximizing your child’s success in speech and language therapy. Our SLPs are more than happy to communicate with your child’s school SLP to discuss treatment goals and provide continuity of care. 

The frequency and duration of speech therapy sessions for each child vary depending on the child’s individual needs. The majority of sessions are 30 minutes long. Many children receive speech therapy services once weekly, while others receive services twice weekly or twice monthly. The frequency and duration of your child’s speech and language therapy services will be discussed following your child’s evaluation.
During your complimentary, 30-minute consultation, you and your child will meet with a speech-language pathologist to discuss your child’s speech and language skills and review your concerns. This is an excellent opportunity for you to meet with a speech-language pathologist, see our office space, and have your questions answered. The free consultation is NOT a comprehensive speech and language evaluation. Based on the concerns that are addressed during the consultation, your speech-language pathologist will help you determine whether or not an evaluation is warranted.
Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets, or PROMPT, is a method for improving speech sound production skills in individuals with motor speech disorders. This tactile-kinesthetic approach to speech therapy involves manually guiding the individual’s articulators (e.g., lips, tongue, cheeks) to shape and support speech sound production.
Yes! Collaboration with other professionals involved in your child’s care plays a crucial role in maximizing your child’s success in speech and language therapy. This collaboration will help your child’s speech-language pathologist learn more about ways to support your child’s unique needs that exist outside of the therapy room, including academic and sensory needs.
Absolutely! Parents are encouraged to sit in and be active participants in their child’s speech therapy sessions. Parent involvement helps to support carryover of skills into the home environment. Both during and after speech therapy sessions, your speech-language pathologist will provide you with tips for supporting your child’s speech and language development in the home environment, so that your child’s skills can continue to improve long after they have left their speech therapy session.
At Thrive Pediatric Therapy, we provide services that are convenient for your family. Speech and language therapy services can take place in our beautiful office (located at 1000 Haddonfield-Berlin Road, Suite 120, in Voorhees, NJ), at your child’s preschool/daycare center (with permission from the facility), or in the comfort of your own home via in-person services or teletherapy services. If you are unable to make it to our office or prefer to remain socially distant, we provide teletherapy services that take place over a computer, tablet, or smartphone.