• An initial phone call to gather background information (e.g. about your child, your concerns, and/or the reason you are seeking Speech services).

• Schedule a 20-30 minute speech consultation and speech-language screening if warranted (in your home or at your child's school). 

• If an evaluation has been done within the past 12 months, then a treatment plan can be developed.

•  If there is no recent evaluation, then an evaluation needs to be completed, if speech services are warranted.

• Create speech/language goals and establish a course of treatment (e.g. session frequency, areas to target).

A comprehensive evaluation by a Speech-Language Pathologist may include a review of medical history, standardized tests, speech and/or language samples, observation, informal assessment, parent survey, rating scales, and checklists.  If your child does not have a prior evaluation within 12 months of requesting speech therapy, a new evaluation is needed, before beginning speech services, to create a plan of treatment.

Evaluation appointments range from 45 minutes up to 2 hours, depending on the needs of your child and the extent of the testing. The information gathered from the evaluation will help with the following: A). helps to determine the presence and nature of a speech and/or language delay, B). helps to identify your child’s overall communication needs and C). helps to create an effective treatment plan.

The benefit of private speech services is that services can be recommended before the impairment has progressed to the more severe level that is often required to be considered "eligible" for school services.  Accessing private services can reduce the social-emotional impact of communication difficulties and may reduce the overall time to remediate concerns.  Private speech services can provide a higher level of intensity of therapy.

Currently, Desi Speech Pdx LLC is NOT in-network with any insurance companies and is Private Pay only (cash, check, debit card, Flexible Spending Account/FSA, or credit card via Ivy Pay).  Since I am a small private practice, I chose to not accept insurance so there is more flexibility with how speech therapy sessions are implemented (e.g. not being dictated on the number of sessions that are allowed within a certain period and/or having the flexibility with scheduling of speech sessions). I want to be able to provide accessible and individualized speech-language services for each client who comes to see me.  

Families pay Desi Speech Pdx LLC, directly for Speech/Language therapy services, at the time of service. The practice will then provide a Superbill for submission to your insurance company or FSA.  A Superbill is an itemized document that details the list of services you have received from Desi Speech Pdx LLC. This document will allow you to bill your insurance company directly (or submit an FSA claim) which helps you get reimbursed for Speech/Language services.

Families are strongly encouraged to call their insurance company before starting speech services. Families should check their Out-of-Network Coverage/co-pay, see if they will be reimbursed, how they should submit their claim, and know their Deductible amount (the total cost of medical services you must pay before your insurance pays), before the start of any Speech-Language services provided by Desi Speech Pdx LLC.