According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, two out of every 10 American children will have some kind of speech or hearing disorder. Paying for any therapy services can be financially overwhelming to families of special needs kids. It's important that you understand all the options and services available to you as well as their costs so that you can make the best decision for your child.
Do you have health care insurance? If so, the first and most important step you can take is to thoroughly understand that policy. Read your coverage guide, write down any questions you have, and then call your insurance carrier and talk to a customer service representative on the phone:
Does my policy cover this therapy?
Is there a limit (lifetime or annually) on the amount of therapy my child can receive?
Is there a requirement to receive coverage? For instance, medical tests, an official diagnosis or hearing screening?
The American Speech-Language Hearing Association publishes an excellent guide to Making Sense of your Health Insurance Plan.
In Florida, up to the age of three years old, a child with a language delay can qualify (pending evaluation) to receive free private speech therapy services through the Early Steps program. Depending upon the results of the evaluation conducted by Early Steps, your child may qualify for other early intervention services. Your case worker can also direct you toward other programs that provide therapy not available through Early Steps.
Your case worker will also walk you through the process of transferring into the public school system when your child turns three years old. This will include, but not be limited to, setting up a meeting with the school to create an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Speech therapy -- as well as other services, such as occupational or behavior therapy -- can be specified on that IEP.
Once your child transfers into the public school system for therapy, you can choose to have them in pre-Kindergarten all day, or you may decide to keep them at home and bring them to school for therapy only on the days and times specified.
We will explore other funding programs in greater detail in upcoming articles of the Tallahassee Special Needs Kids Examiner:
Scottish Rites RiteCare Childhood Language Program
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