How to Find a Pediatric Speech Therapist
If you or your physician have concerns about your child’s communication, seeking out further assessment from a speech-language pathologist (SLP) is the next step in addressing these concerns. But where do you start? And how do you know if the SLP is a good fit? This post will help to guide you through this process.
Think about your specific concerns.
Speech-language pathologists (sometimes referred to as speech therapists) are trained to assess and treat a broad range of diagnoses and disorders. While this means most have familiarity and experience with more common communication problems, certain areas of concern may require a more specialized approach that not every SLP has experience with. For example while all SLPs receive training related to fluency, if you are concerned about stuttering finding an SLP who specializes in fluency will likely be more effective and a better choice for treating your child. Some settings may also have different resources for what your child may need. For example, a large medical clinic is more likely to have access to specialized equipment than an individual private therapist.
Consider the setting.
In the United States, pediatric patients can receive speech language therapy in a number of different settings. Each setting has pros and cons and vary depending on cost, location, parent involvement, resources, interdisciplinary collaboration, and frequency and duration of services.
Community Services - Children who qualify based upon impairment can receive no cost services through their state’s Early Intervention program (from ages 0-3) and through their local school district once the child turns 3. Services are provided through a legal agreement between the state supported agency and the family (an Individualized Family Service Plan - IFSP or Individualized Education Program - IEP). Early Intervention services often occur within the home and may focus on parent training. In some states, services may be provided by someone other than an SLP. School services occur at school and may occur in a group or individual format. Goals focus on supporting access to the academic curriculum.
Medical Services - Children can also receive services through medical settings such as hospital outpatient centers or clinics. These are typically paid for in part or in full by insurance. Most clinics will require a referral from a doctor, though some may allow you to self-refer. Medically based services may be within the health institution that your child receives medical care through, meaning all your providers can easily communicate and coordinate care. Some clinics can have long waitlists or shortened plans of care.
Private Services - Families can also seek out private services within their community or via teletherapy. Private services may be paid for by the family or by insurance depending on the clinic. Characteristics of these services can vary greatly depending on the individual or clinic providing them.
Finding Speech Language Pathology Services.
Finding a provider depends on which setting you are looking for services in. For Early Intervention services, your state should have a website detailing how these services are provided and how to request these. Doing a quick web search for “your state early intervention" should yield results for the specific program and contact information. For school services, you will need to make a request in writing to the school for an assessment to be completed. For medical setting based services, your child’s pediatrician should make a referral.
To find a private provider, web searches may yield mixed results. One way to search is to utilize the American Speech-Language Hearing Association’s ProFind website which allows you to search for a certified provider in your area.
Identify provider qualifications.
A speech-language pathologist is required to be licensed in the state they practice in (and in the case of teletherapy must also be licensed in the state their patient is in). Most will also be credentialed nationally by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) signified by “CCC-SLP” in their credentials. Many providers will also list information about their education, previous training and employment, and years of experience on their website.
Determine if you have a good fit.
Therapy is most successful if everyone (patient, family, and provider) are all on the same page. Particularly in private settings, it is important to ensure your provider will meet the needs of your family. Questions you may want to consider include:
Are therapy services offered at times that work with our family’s schedule?
What goals do I have for my child and do they align with the goals targeted in therapy? Is therapy addressing the concerns I have for my child?
How is the family included? Do sessions involve parent training, education, or homework to support carryover?
Does the provider focus on research based treatment methods?
Given the breadth of speech-language pathology, an SLP cannot be an expert at everything falling within the scope of practice. A provider who claims to treat everything may raise a red flag.
If you do not feel as though a provider is a fit for your family, it is appropriate to discontinue services and find a new provider at any point in care.
Low-cost options for therapy.
While apps and online services may tout success with treating communication disorders, there is insufficient evidence to support these claims at this time. If your child needs supports beyond those offered by community services, other options are available. Graduate school programs that offer speech-language pathology training (sometimes called communication sciences and disorders) often have free or low-cost clinics provided by students who are supervised by a licensed professional. Additionally, some clinics offer sliding scale pricing to meet the needs of families who may not otherwise be able to access these services.
About the Author
Brynn Schor, MS, CCC-SLP, CBIS is a speech language pathologist providing therapy in the Bay Area Peninsula and across California. She is the founder of Peninsula Specialty Speech Therapy, based in Menlo Park, California. She specializes in assessment and treatment of cognitive communication disorders and executive function coaching for pediatric patients. Consultations are available worldwide.
