FAQ & Resources
DOES MY CHILD NEED SPEECH THERAPY?
Not all children develop skills at the same rate. We understand that it may be difficult to know if your child is meeting developmental milestones with each age. Your child may need speech therapy if others have difficulty understanding what they say, if your child becomes frustrated when they are not understood, if they aren’t speaking as clearly or saying as many words as their peers, if they are having academic difficulty, or if they are not confidently communicating in a variety of social situations. If you are unsure if your child needs a speech evaluation, we can always start with a complimentary screening. A screening will take about 15 minutes to complete and will tell us if a full speech and language evaluation is needed. You can schedule a screening by calling us at 804-672-8588.
How long does an evaluation take?
The length of the evaluation varies from 30-90 minutes depending on the type of evaluation and the age of the child. Following the evaluation appointment, you will receive a comprehensive evaluation report. If therapy is recommended, you will also receive a plan of care with the recommended frequency of therapy and recommended treatment goals that will be targeted in therapy sessions. Goals are always developed with child and family preferences in mind and are modified as needed during the course of treatment.
WHERE IS SPEECH CONNECTIONS LOCATED?
Speech Connections provides speech therapy at our conveniently located clinic close to the corner of Staples Mill Road and Parham Road. We are close to I95, I64, and I295 in Richmond, Virginia. We are easily accessible from Richmond, Chester, Williamsburg, Tappahannock, Mechanicsville, Ashland, Colonial Heights; and, the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, Goochland, and Louisa.
Since we know you are busy, we offer services in several preschools in the area. You can call us to see if we go to your child’s school.
HOW OFTEN WILL MY CHILD NEED SPEECH THERAPY?
Our recommendations for how often a child comes to speech therapy depends on the communication difficulty being treated, the severity, as well as the treatment methods being used. Typically, children come to Speech Connections once or twice a week for individual 30 or 45 minute sessions.
WHAT AGES DO YOU SERVE?
WILL MY INSURANCE COMPANY PAY FOR SPEECH THERAPY?
Some insurance plans will cover therapy, while others do not. It is best to call the number on the back of your insurance card and ask about your benefits for speech therapy. Every insurance plan is different, and some plans may reimburse a certain number of visits. We are in-network providers for some Anthem PPO® and Aetna® insurances. We also accept Cigna insurance. If we are in-network with your insurance, our team will take care of billing your insurance for each visit.
If you would like to submit to an insurance provider for out-of-network reimbursement, we can provide you with a billing statement (or “superbill”) with correct procedure and diagnosis codes. Please check with your specific plan to obtain additional information about reimbursement.
We can also provide information on grants that assist with covering the cost of speech therapy.
HOW AND WHEN DO I MAKE PAYMENT?
We require payment at the time of service. We accept cash, check, and credit card. We use a HIPAA-compliant payment system called IvyPay which allows credit cards to be securely kept on file for convenience.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Autism Society of Central Virginia
Autism Society of Central Virginia is celebrating over 40 years of non-profit services, advocacy, and support to children, youth, and adults with autism, their families and the professionals who serve them. We are a local affiliate of the national Autism Society, founded in 1965.
Teach Me To Talk
Helping parents teach toddlers to understand and use language.
asha.org
The ASHA website provides information for parents regarding child development norms, research, and resources for children and adult communication disorders.
apraxia-kids.org
Provides information and support to families of children with apraxia.
The Stuttering Foundation of America
Free online resources, services and support to those who stutter.
shav.org
The professional association for speech-language pathologists and audiologists in the state of Virginia.
Prentke Romich Company
PRC provides information and support for assistive technology and augmentative communication.
Know Different
The go-to resources for special needs families in Richmond, VA.
Tobii Dynavox
Communication apps, speech generating devices, eye trackers and eye gaze-enabled devices for individuals with disabilities and special needs who require AAC.