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MAKING A REFERRAL TO SPEECH GEEK
When should I refer a child or an adult for an evaluation?
Are you a parent or an early childhood professional looking for answers? Are you a family member of a stroke survivor seeking help? Who do I refer for speech evaluations? What problems symptoms should trigger a referral if I suspect a problem? These are the questions I hope to answer by providing you with the following referral guidelines, as developed by the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA).
Areas of concern that can be addressed by an SLP include speech, language, voice, fluency (stuttering), cognitive-communication, and swallowing. Within each category below, you'll find the following useful topics: (1) most common etiologies, (2) related terms, (3) potential consequences, and (4) behaviors that should trigger a referral to a speech-language pathologist. Referral guidelines are available as PDF documents, which requires Adobe Acrobat.
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What do I do next?
What should I do if I suspect my child has developmental delay? If you think your child may be delayed, you should take them to their primary care provider, or to a developmental and behavioral pediatrician or pediatric neurologist. An alternative to seeing a specialist is to work through your local school system (see below). If your child seems to be losing ground—in other words, starts to not be able to do things they could do in the past—you should have them seen right away. If your child is developmentally delayed, the sooner you get a diagnosis, the sooner you can begin appropriate treatment and the better the progress your child can make. If you are concerned about your child's development, check out First Signs, a website with information and resources for early identification and intervention for children with developmental delays and disorders. Explore the many resources for parents available on the site. |
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What can the school system do for my child? Ask your school system in writing for an evaluation of your child, even if your child is a baby, toddler or preschooler. They are required to provide it, at no cost to you. The purpose of an evaluation is to find out why your child is not meeting their developmental milestones or not doing well in school. A team of professionals will work with you to evaluate your child. If they do not find a problem, you can ask the school system to pay for an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE). There are strict rules about this, so you may not get it. You can also have your child tested again privately, and pay for it yourself. But check with your school district first to make sure they will accept the private test results. By law, the school system must consider the results of the second evaluation when deciding if your child can get special services. |
How do I schedule an appointment?
| 1. | Obtain a referral from your physician for Speech services. For most efficient scheduling, ask your doctor to fax a prescription for an evaluation and treatment as needed to our fax # 865-381-1275. |
| 2. | Call the Speech Geek office to schedule an appointment. Please have your insurance information ready. |
| 3. | Arrive on time for your appointment. Your first visit will include an evaluation and the start of your treatment plan. Please have the following at the time of your first appointment |
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What about Billing and Insurance?
Prior to your first appointment, every effort will be made to verify your therapy benefits and a form detailing your particular benefits will be filed in your chart. You will receive a monthly statement itemizing any personal responsibility you may have, along with an itemization of any activity from your insurance company. Many insurance plans have limits on therapy services, either dollar limits or visit limits. I strongly suggest you ask your insurance company about these limits. I will help you track those limits as best I can; however, the patient’s responsibility to not exceed them. Please call anytime during our office hours with your billing questions. We are always happy to assist you!
What services are available for children and adults with disabilities in southwestern Virginia?
Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia |
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Provides services for families of young children from birth to age 3 years with special needs. It helps families find the easiest ways to make sure their child gets the services that are needed to grow and develop to the best of his or her ability. Services are offered in settings where children with a full range of abilities live, learn and play. |
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Head Start & Early Head Start |
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A child development program for preschool children, infants, toddlers and their families. Several Head Start Centers are located throughout southwestern Virginia. |
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Child Find |
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| The Child Find program identifies children between the ages of 3 and 5 years with special educational needs. Educational needs are determined through parent interview and child evaluation. Areas evaluated may include, but are not limited to: vision, hearing, speech and language, motor, cognitive and adaptive development. Referral of children thought to have disabilities may be made by parents, guardians, physicians, professionals in private practice, public agencies, and others. Referrals should be made directly to the Director of Student Services and Special Education in your county school system. | ||
| Office of Mental Retardation | |
| The Office of Mental Retardation Services (OMR) is dedicated to joining in partnership with all available state and local resources toward the development of communities (community providers and training centers) that support and affirm all persons with Mental Retardation and their families as participating and contributing members. | |
Wanda Earp, Community Resource Consultant |
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Online: http://www.dmhmrsas.virginia.gov/OMR-default.htm |
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Find a Certified Speech-Language Pathologist
Search for a Licensed Speech Therapist or Audiologist by Zip Code |
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Online: http://www.asha.org/proserv/ |
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