Frequently Asked Questions

An SLP works with children to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, cognitive-communication, and feeding/swallowing disorders.

• Reading (letters, letter sounds, sounding out words, spelling)
• Receptive and Expressive Language (how children understand and produce language)
• Speech Sound Disorders (how children sound when they speak)
• Stuttering (repeating part/whole words or phrases or words feeling “stuck”)

• Therapy for babies who might have difficulty latching or transitioning to open cups or solids
• Therapy for children who gag, choke, or vomit during meals
• Therapy for children who struggle with chewing and/or swallowing liquids or solids

Speech therapy should be fun and not stressful for a child. When children come to therapy it is because there is a skill they need to work on. Work can be hard so we make sure to incorporate as much play and fun into our sessions as possible. Research shows children learn best through play! We get creative, we might get messy, we do our work, and we reach our goals.

During the initial evaluation, we will discuss your child’s medical history and your concerns about your child’s development. We always involve the child in these discussions and talk with the child, not about the child, when age-appropriate. Following these discussions, we will discuss you and your child’s goals for speech therapy. Formal and informal assessments will be completed to determine your child’s need and medical necessity for therapy services. This appointment will take approximately two hours. 

After the initial evaluation, we will recommend a frequency of visits based on your child’s needs. Sessions are scheduled for 45-60 minutes based on the child’s needs, therapist availability, and family availability. Most children are seen 1-2 times per week but some are seen every other week. We also provide a home exercise program which are activities that can be completed at home to continue practicing skills focused on during therapy.

Yes, we provide confidential and HIPAA compliant telehealth services via Simple Practice. Children are evaluated for their ability to successfully and effectively participate in speech therapy sessions via telehealth (live online therapy sessions). Parents must be able to assist younger children with their therapy sessions and be able to provide their own computer or tablet for sessions. Children must reside in Iowa to qualify for services.

The initial evaluation costs $200 and individual therapy sessions range from $77 for a 45 minute session to $103 for a 60 minute session.

Therapy sessions are paid for at the time of each session by the parent or caregiver. 

We are not an in-network provider with any insurance companies. Many insurance companies will reimburse you for a certain amount billed to you each session. We are able to provide you a monthly receipt called a Superbill which you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. Superbills can also be used to turn into Health Savings Accounts for reimbursement. When talking with your insurance company we encourage to ask the following questions: 

• Is speech therapy covered by my insurance plan? (We can provide specific billing codes if necessary)
• How many speech therapy sessions per year does my plan cover?
• How much money will my insurance plan reimburse me for each therapy session?
• If I submit a Superbill, will my insurance reimburse me?
• Do I have a deductible? If so, has it been met?

• Children and caregivers have more control and collaboration over the goals they want to focus on because the goals do not have to be approved by an insurance company. Insurance companies many times deny speech therapy goals for many different reasons. Goals will always be medically necessary
• Time during the therapy session can be spent educating the family on how to carryover therapeutic activities in the home and community allowing for valuable collaboration between therapist, child, and family. 
• The family is always aware of their financial responsibility for services rather than dealing with co-pays and deductibles.
• The number of speech therapy sessions are not limited by the insurance company ensuring a child receives the amount of therapy necessary and will not experience a gap in services. 
• By not billing insurance companies, our business saves a substantial amount of time which is then focused on creating treatment plans and therapeutic activities for the children we treat. 
• Families can write off the cost of speech therapy services on their taxes since they are an out of pocket medical expense.