Can I stay with my child during their visit?

EVALUATIONS: Parents and therapists should discuss a plan for their participation during the evaluation.  Some children might require (or a therapist may request) that you remain in the room for the evaluation.  If needed, a parent can view portions of an evaluation through a one-way mirror.  Parents cannot participate in any evaluation activity that is conducted in a common room (gym)  when other children are present.

WEEKLY SESSIONS:  Most children go back, one to one, with the therapist while parents wait in their car or run errands nearby.  Parents can be a distraction during therapy and therapy may then be less effective.  We allot time for parent education and session review at the end of every session!  If you have questions or feel like you need more time to speak with your therapist, please let them know at the start of the session so that she can budget appropriate time.  Your therapist is likely to have another child on their schedule immediately after yours and may not be able to respond to emails, texts, or phone calls until later that day or the next day.

Some therapies require active parent participation or observation.  In this case, your child’s therapist will invite you to a private therapy room.  If you are observing therapy, you will remain in one room with the door closed to maintain your privacy and the privacy of others in the clinic.  Parents are not permitted in any shared treatment areas, like gyms and our kitchen, to protect the privacy of other patients. 

 Comfortable play clothes and socks that will allow them to slide, climb, swing, and crawl with ease.  Our therapy gym looks kind of like an indoor playground. It is super fun! Depending on the therapy goals, your child may end up playing on scooter boards, slides, swings, rock walls, and more. 

NO large meals before therapy. We don’t want full tummies becoming upset tummies while spinning, swinging, or crawling!  

BEFORE YOUR FIRST VISIT:  You will complete ‘new patient forms’ regarding your child’s medical and developmental history, their likes, dislikes, fears, strengths, challenges, allergies, and medications.

If you have questions above how to describe therapy to your child, ask the evaluating therapist beforehand!  We can give you tips for explaining it in a developmentally-appropriate way.

FIRST 1-2 VISITS:  In addition, your therapist will also want to get additional information from you directly such as detailed interests (activities, songs, toys, snacks) and past therapy experiences.  Clinic-based therapy is very play-based, and we want that play to be a fun experience tailored to your child’s interests!

If you prefer to talk out of ear shot from your child, let your therapist know so we can arrange an alternative.

ONGOING:  Talk to your therapist about your goals for therapy — Although therapists have the training and ability to evaluate children and determine where they are struggling and how we can go about helping with that,  it is YOU, the parent, who is the expert when it comes to your child. YOU are the one who is raising them and who sees the way their struggles affect them day in and day out. So YOU are the best to provide input to help guide and shape their treatment plan. Take some time to think about that before the first visit.

Your therapist will provide you with information on your child’s session, progress and home activities.  It’s critical for parents to carryover suggestions at home to help kids make faster and more meaningful progress in therapy.  Feel free to bring a notebook, folder or phone to take notes.  Your therapist may also send an email, text, video, written note, or call.  Be sure to document your preferences in your intake form. 

Do you want more or less info?  Do you want info presented in a different way (say video rather than email) or in a different place (like in a private space)?  Please let us know and we’d be happy to accommodate you!

Call EACH of your therapists to cancel and reschedule! We have a strict ‘No Sick Kids’ policy. If your child has a fever, flu, yellow or green discharge coming out the eyes or ears, or any other yucky or contagious symptoms, call the clinic to cancel or reschedule. We require at least 24 hours’ notice!!  It’s okay if your child is sick.  We understand if your child becomes ill, but it’s not okay to get other people sick if you could have prevented it. 

Your first bill will arrive the last week of the month.  For insurance patients, this may be 6-8 weeks (or longer), after your first visit.  Payment is due the 15th of the month after you receive your invoice.  Your invoice will include charges that are your responsibility for each visit after we receive payment from your insurance company or we receive an EOB stating the services were applied to your deductible, or not covered.  After the first statement, you should receive a statement monthly.

So, how do you make payments?  You have a few options:

1. A preferred payment method must be provided upon intake.  You may provide this information on your intake forms or call the clinic, if you prefer to provide it over the phone.  

2.  You will have the opportunity to call the office with an alternate payment method between the 1st and 14th of each month.

3.  Prior to the 15th, you may send a check or pay during your weekly visit.

3.  You may let your payment process automatically using your preferred payment method on-file.  These payments will be processed on or after the 15th.  The amount charged will be the amount of your most recent invoice only.

Billing problems:  If there is a problem with a claim, we will attempt, two times, to resolve the issue with your insurance carrier.  After our attempts to resolve the issue, you will be responsible for the payment and asked to resolve the issue with your Member Services department.  We will refund any resolved amounts to you.

Please Ask!  Ideally you + your child + the therapist are a unified team. Therapy is collaborative, so ASK QUESTIONS! It’s okay to ask why a therapist is doing a certain activity with your little one. (Do it nicely, please.) And it’s okay to ask for clarification on something the therapist has explained if they used too much jargon or talked too fast and you are totally lost. And it’s definitely okay to ask what you can do at home to support your child’s progress. We love that!