FAQ & Resources

FAQs

Why Connect?

At Connect, we truly love what we do. We will be honest with you along the way, and we will give our full effort to helping your child meet the goals we collectively set for them. We are parents ourselves, and we know that nothing is more important than helping our kids become the best versions of themselves!

Do you take insurance?

Yes! We accept and are in-network preferred providers with Blue Cross Blue Shield, ALL Kids, Medicaid, and Tricare. We also offer private pay options. Once we receive your child’s insurance information, we will verify benefits. However, we always recommend checking with your insurance provider personally, before beginning treatment to see what your specific plan benefits are for speech therapy services.

What do I do first?

Step one-give us a call! We can discuss your concerns and decide if an evaluation is needed. During your initial phone consultation, we will walk you through all the steps in preparing for your child's evaluation. We will obtain your insurance information to verify benefits and get a referral if needed, and then schedule the assessment. Once the evaluation is completed, your therapist will create a treatment plan to address your child’s areas of need.

What is my role in speech therapy as the parent/caregiver?

As a parent or caregiver, you play an integral role in your child’s therapy! We see our clients for a limited time each week, so continuing therapy activities at home plays a huge role in your child’s progress. We train the parent/caregiver in how to do exercises or recommended activities and send parent handouts/homework after each therapy session.

Could I just wait and see if my child catches up?

It is common to hear people suggest that you can just “wait and see” if your child is experiencing delays in areas such as speech or language. However, recent research by Singleton (2018) shows that the “wait and see” approach for children’s speech and language is outdated and a risky way to navigate atypical developmental patterns in children’s speech and language. They explain that a wait and see approach not only delays much needed early intervention services, but that in fact most late-talkers do not catch up to their same-aged peers in all areas of development (e.g. social skills, school readiness, academic achievements, etc.). There is no harm in receiving an initial assessment from an SLP.

How do I know if my child needs speech therapy?

What if your child was tested at school, but did not qualify for services? What if your pediatrician mentioned possibly seeing a speech therapist for some communication concerns? There are several universal milestones children will reach as they grow. Below is a list of possible reasons a child could benefit from speech therapy:

• Others have difficulty understanding his/her speech  

• Not using true words by 16 months

• No two-word meaningful phrases/using less than 50 words by 2 years

• Leaves sounds out of words

• Screams and/or gestures to communicate  

• Becomes frustrated when others don’t understand him/her  

• Does not point to pictures when named  

• Does not talk during pretend play such as saying, “beep-beep”

• Has trouble following directions  

• Has difficulty putting words together to form simple sentences

• Does not understand basic concepts such as opposites or location words  

• Has difficulty asking and answering questions  