Frequently Asked Questions
- What services does Raleigh Therapy Services, Inc. offer?
- Does my child need to be seen by a physician before my child can receive therapy services?
- My child received information at his/her childcare center about a free screening. What exactly is a screening?
- My child participated in a preschool wide screening, and I received information back stating that an evaluation has been recommended. Where do I go from here?
- What types of payment do you accept?
- Which insurance plans/companies do you work with?
- Will insurance cover my child’s visit?
- Do I have copay at the time of my child’s visit?
- How will I be involved in my child’s therapy services?
- How long is my child’s therapy visit?
- How will I stay in contact with my child’s therapist if my child is in a preschool/childcare facility?
- What ages do you serve?
- My child is not even two-years-old and I’m concerned that he/she is not meeting appropriate developmental milestones. Is it too soon to contact a therapist for my child?
- What is the typical treatment sequence?
- How long will my child need to be in therapy?
What services does Raleigh Therapy Services, Inc. offer?
We offer comprehensive evaluation and treatment in the following areas:
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Physical Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
We also offer bilingual therapists who can evaluate and treat Spanish speaking clients in the areas of speech therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.
Does my child need to be seen by a physician before my child can receive therapy services?
Our company will need a referral from your child’s physician in order to provide therapy services. We will be responsible for getting the referral from the physician. Please be aware that you may be required to take your child in for a well child visit before the physician will sign off on the evaluation/treatment order.
My child received information at his/her childcare center about a free screening. What exactly is a screening?
All of Raleigh Therapy Services, Inc. therapists believe that early identification and intervention is the most effective form of intervention. Therefore, we offer FREE center-wide screenings for speech and language skills, fine motor skills, and gross motor skills in our community. Screenings can only be conducted with written permission from a child’s parent/guardian. A screening is a series of tasks that a licensed therapist will ask your child to perform to determine if further assessment is needed. This will usually take 5-10 minutes. After the screening is conducted, a summary page of the therapist’s findings will be sent home. If it is recommended that the child needs further testing, the therapist will call the parent to discuss where to go next.
My child participated in a preschool wide screening, and I received information back stating that an evaluation has been recommended. Where do I go from here?
If you would like your child to receive a comprehensive evaluation, please call our office or the therapist who screened your child to set up an appointment. The therapist who screened your child will send home an initial information packet for you to fill out. Please fill it out as accurately and completely as possible. Once we receive the information packet back, we will then contact your child’s physician to obtain a physician’s order to evaluate your child. Then the therapist will return to your child’s preschool to conduct the evaluation. The therapeutic recommendations will be based off the standardized scores, informal assessment measures, parent/teacher report, client observation, and prior medical history. You will receive a written report summarizing the evaluation and its findings as well as proposed therapy goals. You can expect this report and individualized treatment plan within 5 business days after the evaluation has occurred.
What types of payment do you accept?
We are currently “in network” with BlueCross BlueShield, Medicaid, State Employees Health Plan, and NC Health Choice. We also accept cash and personal check.
Which insurance plans/companies do you work with?
We are “in network” with BlueCross BlueShield, State Employees Health Plan, NC Health Choice, and Medicaid. We are also providers with the Wake County and Johnston County Early Intervention Programs. Even if we are not “in network” with your insurance provider, it is a good idea for you to call your provider to see what therapy benefits they offer. They may still reimburse you for services. Please call our office to discuss payment options. We will be happy to assist you in anyway that we can.
Will insurance cover my child’s visit?
Your insurance is a contract between you and your insurance company. We are not a party to that contract. If you have questions regarding coverage please contact your insurance company. If you choose, we can assist you in finding your answer. We are here to help you in any way possible.
Do I have copay at the time of my child’s visit?
A copay is dependent on the type of insurance you have. If you have additional questions about a copay, please contact your insurance provider.
How will I be involved in my child’s therapy services?
We realize that your child’s success is of utmost importance to you as it is to us. We will work closely with families to facilitate age appropriate development in the natural setting. Our holistic intervention approach will consist of a family-centered framework where the family is involved with the child all the time. Raleigh Therapy Services strives to build partnerships with families, caregivers, teachers, and other professionals to ensure that your child is receiving the most optimal services in the least restrictive environment. We will work closely with the family to develop intervention plans that center around the child’s daily routines. Your therapist may provide you with home exercise programs, relevant parent handouts, and or suggestions to use at home. We will also work with classroom teachers and other members of the community involved with your child to provide them with appropriate information to help make your child successful in whatever environment he/she is in. We highly value parent input and strive to work as a team to create functional family and child outcomes so that we can help families increase the quality of life through the improvement of the child’s overall development.
How long is my child’s therapy visit?
On average, most speech therapy sessions last 30 to 45 minutes. Occupational and physical therapy sessions average 45 to 60 minutes. The length of the visit is dependent on the age of the client, severity of the delay/disorder, and the therapist’s recommendations. Your therapist will make a recommendation for the length of the sessions after the evaluation has been completed. If you have questions or concerns about the length of the visit, please feel free to discuss it with your therapist.
How will I stay in contact with my child’s therapist if my child is in a preschool/childcare facility?
We understand that is often difficult to feel “connected” when you are not able to be present during the therapy sessions if your child is in a preschool/childcare facility. Your child’s therapist will keep a communication notebook to serve as a therapy log. The therapist will write down brief notes after each session including goals targeted, activities completed, progress made, and suggested activities at home for carryover. Please feel free to write the therapist back or call the therapist if you would like to discuss your child’s progress. The therapist will also discuss your child’s goals and progress with the classroom teacher (if the therapist has permission to do so) and will gladly give suggestions of ways to implement goals in the classroom as well. Furthermore, periodic progress reports will be sent home so that you are aware of your child’s current progress and areas of need. Our therapists can also be available for parent/teacher conferences.
What ages do you serve?
Raleigh Therapy Services, Inc. specializes in early intervention and believes it is the most effective form of intervention. We strive to prepare children for academic, social, and personal success. Our goal is increase the child’s quality of life through the improvement of the child’s overall development. However, our therapists are highly qualified to treat clients of all ages from pediatric through geriatric. Our therapists have experience with delays/disorders across the lifespan. Our therapists are state licensed and nationally certified, and their experience is regularly reinforced through training, continuing education, and involvement within professional organizations.
My child is not even two-years-old and I’m concerned that he/she is not meeting appropriate developmental milestones. Is it too soon to contact a therapist for my child?
It is important to contact the appropriate therapist once concerns arise. We believe that no child is “too young.” Our therapists believe that early intervention is most effective form of intervention and is crucial for future academic, social, and personal success. The earlier the problem is identified, the earlier the skills can be targeted. Early therapeutic intervention helps stimulate normal development, reinforces a healthy self-concept, and promotes emotional maturation. Therapy for children and adolescents can increase independence, mobility, and social adjustment.
What is the typical treatment sequence?
A typical treatment sequence is as follows:
- 1. Free Screening to determine if further assessment is needed. If it is then ...
- 2. Parent fills out initial information packet and Raleigh Therapy Services obtains a physician’s order.
- 3. A therapist conducts a comprehensive evaluation that is comprised of standardized testing, informal assessment, parent/teacher report, a completed case history through parent interview, and client observation.
- 4. The therapist completes a written evaluation and proposes therapeutic recommendations (frequency, duration, etc.) as well as an individualized treatment plan. Then all of this explained to and discussed with the parent/guardian.
- 5. If the parent/guardian chooses to have services rendered by Raleigh Therapy Services, then a regularly scheduled therapy time is set up.
- 6. Therapy continues with periodic progress reports, re-evaluations, parent/teacher conferences, Home Exercise Programs, parent handouts, and or classroom consultations.
- 7. Once a client has mastered the appropriate goals, then he/she may be discharged from therapy services. Parents will be consulted to determine the appropriate time/reason for discharge. At this time, the therapist will write up a discharge summary to send to the family as well as the insurance company.
How long will my child need to be in therapy?
Recommendations for the frequency and duration of therapy services vary and will depend on your child’s skill level and severity of delay or impairment. Other important factors that will impact your child’s progress include consistent attendance, parent participation, daily practice, and carryover of therapy activities at home.