Information about Speech Therapists and Speech-Language Pathology.

What is a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist? A Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) is a person trained to evaluate and treat children with communicative disorders. These disorders may include difficulties with speech, receptive language, verbal or written expressive language or phonemic awareness disorders that impact a child’s overall ability understand others , communicate effectively and/or read at age level.

What training is required for a Speech Pathologist? At COLLABORATIVE FUNCTION, a Speech-Language Pathologist must have a Master’s Degree in Communicative Disorders/Speech-Language Pathology, a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP), national certification by The American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and licensure by the state of Florida.

How do I know if my child needs Speech Therapy? If you suspect that your child may be experiencing difficulty with some aspect of his/her communicative abilities, or if a teacher has referred your child for a speech screen, call our office in downtown Orlando to schedule a screening. A speech screen is a quick, inexpensive procedure that will determine whether there is a need for any further evaluation.

What is a speech screen? A speech screen is short standardized procedure done with children between ages two and six years-old, to determine whether the child needs to have a full evaluation. To the child, the screen may seem like a pleasant chat with a fun adult, but the speech therapist is actually assessing specific developmental communication skills. At the end of the screen, the speech therapist will consult with you about the results. If the results of the screen suggest that further evaluation is recommended, you will be advised to contact your child’s pediatrician for a prescription to have a full Speech Evaluation administered by a Speech-Language Pathologist.

Why do I need to consult a pediatrician? It is possible that there may be underlying physiological issues associated with a child’s communication delays. The pediatrician can confirm or rule any of these other causes and give you a prescription for a full Speech Evaluation and any other treatments that are necessary.

What is a Speech Evaluation? A full Speech Evaluation is considerably more thorough than a screen. In addition to measuring a child’s communication skills in all relevant areas, the evaluation determines any delays in each communicative area and is compared to what skills should be obtained by a certain age. A Speech Therapy Plan of Care is developed to achieve those skills.

What does the Speech-Language Pathologist do during the therapy sessions with my child? While it may look to the parent that the child is receiving a tutoring session, the Speech-Language Pathologist is trained to use a variety of methods and strategies to help the child achieve the specific goals set out in the Speech Therapy Plan of Care. The SLP also trains the parent on techniques to help the child at home.

How often and how long does a child meet with the speech therapist? The amount time a child spends with a therapist is determined by what is necessary to achieve to goals set forth in the speech therapy plan of care . The child needs to have an evaluation in order to answer this question accurately.

How much do you charge? There are different charges for different procedures. Please note that, in most cases, the fee for speech therapy services is covered by Medicaid or insurance. Please call our office for details specific to your situation.

Do you accept insurance? Collaborative Function is a provider for several insurance organizations, including Medicaid. In most cases Collaborative Function is able to bill your insurance directly. However, as our provider list changes from time to time, we ask that you call our office for the most current provider list. We would be happy to check your child’s eligibility under your plan for you.