In our FAQS we address common questions about our speech and occupational therapy services. We cover topics such as the types of therapy we offer, how to determine if speech or occupational therapy is right for you or your child, and what to expect during sessions. We also provide details on appointment scheduling, insurance coverage, and the qualifications of our therapists.
Some signs of possible difficulties include:
If you have any questions about whether your child should be evaluated and/or undergo treatment for the type of delay or difficulty you are observing, please fill out our intake form here. We will be able to tell you whether what you are noticing is typical given your child’s age or is something that should be assessed.
Skill Builders offers speech, language, hearing, and sensorimotor screenings onsite at many preschools, private schools, and daycare programs in the area. Consultations and on-site therapy is also available. Workshops on various topics including general language development, ways to facilitate fine motor development, reasons to refer, etc are also offered and available for parents or teachers. Please contact Cari Syron at 703-941-7757 x101 for more information on these services.
All of Skill Builders’ therapy rooms are equipped with an observation window so that parents may observe their child’s treatment session. Depending on your child’s individual needs, the speech pathologist may also invite you to participate in your child’s therapy session. Typically, each therapy session at Skill Builders includes time for parent discussion and review.
Each family will then be asked to carry over any techniques and/or methods used in therapy, in to their daily life. This is necessary to promote generalization of learned skills and ensure that progress made in therapy continues at home, school, and/or other communication environments the child participates in.
Each child’s participation in speech therapy is based on his/her individual needs and the availability of the family. Most children attend weekly speech sessions, while others are monitored on a monthly basis. We see most children for an average of two years, with changes made in frequency of sessions, as appropriate. Progress re-evaluations, on-going input from the parents, and updates from the teachers and other professionals involved, are used to determine the most appropriate “graduation” date.
Skill Builders provides current diagnostic and procedural codes on each billing statement, as required by insurance companies, for the family to submit. While we are not listed as in-network providers with any insurance plans, most insurance companies do cover portions of speech services at your plan’s out-of-network rates. Each person’s policy differs, so it is best to check with your plan manager or call the insurance company directly to determine coverage. Please let us know what requirements, if any, your insurance company has for pre-authorization, prior to your first visit. Some families are able to get Skill Builders’ services covered at in-network rates due to the limited availability of in-network providers in the area. However, the family will still be required to submit the claims to the insurance company themselves.
Each evaluation is tailored to the child’s individual needs so the types of assessment tools used vary. In general, however, a full evaluation will assess a child’s receptive and expressive language abilities, social skills, articulation and oral motor skills, and language processing abilities. Other areas assessed include reading, spelling, phonological awareness, fluency, voice and written language abilities. Characteristics of auditory processing disorders are also noted although an official diagnosis of an auditory processing disorder must come from an audiologist trained in the evaluation of auditory processing disorders.
All of our speech pathologists have completed their Master’s degree in speech pathology and hold current VA licenses. We take a team approach to services at Skill Builders and therefore collaboration with other providers as well as continued mentoring and supervision are part of each therapist's time at our practice.
Continuing education is an ongoing, important, and required part of employment at Skill Builders. Examples of some of the specialized trainings our therapists have received are as follows:
We see clients ages birth to adulthood in our Annandale, Alexandria, and McLean offices.
We see children ages birth to 18 in both our McLean and Annandale offices. In addition, some of our speech therapists are experienced in assessing and treating adult patients presenting with a variety of disorders related to a stroke, traumatic brain injury, developmental disorders, etc.
Yes! We frequently recommend cotreatment sessions in which your child is seen by an occupational therapist and speech therapist at the same time. This is appropriate when your child has significant sensory, motor planning, or fine or gross motor needs in conjunction with a language or motor speech disorder. This type of session is most often used with our children presenting with autism spectrum disorders but has also been a very effective treatment option for children with apraxia, Down syndrome, and significant language or auditory processing disorders. Cotreatment with an occupational therapist allows the speech pathologist to focus in on what they are best at, treating speech or language disorders, while the occupational therapist can address the child’s sensorimotor needs. Often in traditional individual treatment sessions, the speech pathologist notes that the child’s sensorimotor needs are hindering their progress in speech/language therapy while the OT observes that the child’s language or speech needs are negatively impacting their progress towards their OT objectives. By combining the two approaches, we are able to see faster and more significant progress in the same amount of time. When the child is ready we will eventually split back into two separate sessions as needed and appropriate. If you think your child may benefit from this treatment option, please feel free to discuss it when speaking with the scheduling coordinators.
Check out our Resources page for a list of websites that provide useful information for parents and teachers regarding a variety of topics related to speech-language and occupational therapy.
Skill Builders’ occupational therapy department was founded in 1987. We have provided some initial information to frequently asked questions below; please do not hesitate to contact us directly if you have additional questions
Sensory integration is “the organization of sensations for use”. (A Jean Ayres, Ph.D.) This means using all the five senses, plus the additional “senses” of movement and muscle/joint position. Sensory integration enables us to enjoy our interactions with the people and things that surround us.
Sensory integration dysfunction occurs when this “automatic” process has a glitch – and the person strongly dislikes certain sensory experiences or, conversely, craves certain sensations (such as intense spinning, finger painting along the arms, etc.). When sensory preferences interfere with a person’s freedom to move comfortably throughout a typical day, then, there may be a sensory integration dysfunction.
A child who has difficulty with tasks expected of his age group, avoids activities that interest most of his peers, or seeks out extra touch or movement opportunities may be experiencing a sensory-motor difficulty. A parent who observes these signs may benefit from consulting with an occupational therapist. Depending on the nature of the concerns, a variety of different options could be available.
Some signs of possible difficulties include:
Skill Builders offers
Skill Builders offers several types of initial evaluations. All ages can receive a full evaluation of fine motor, sensory-motor, and visual-motor skills. When indicated the complete Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT) is administered. For children aged 6 years and up who have specific sensory or fine motor/handwriting concerns, a one hour consultative session may be appropriate. All types of evaluations and consults incorporate input from the parents, and include initial follow-up suggestions.
Skill Builders offers the Balzer-Martin Preschool Screening of sensory-motor skills at preschools that request this service. Children are seen in pairs for this 20 minute screening. Parent and teacher checklists provide additional information about each child’s day to day responses to touch, movement, sounds, body awareness, and school readiness activities.
Skill Builders is happy to provide in-services for teachers and parents on topics such as hand skill development, writing readiness, and sensory-motor processing.
1.) How long will my child be in therapy?
Each child’s participation in in OT is based on his/her individual needs and the availability of the family. Some children attend weekly OT sessions, while others are monitored on a monthly basis. We see most children for an average of two years, with changes made in frequency of sessions, as possible. Progress re-evaluations, on-going input from the parents, and updates from the teachers and other professionals involved, are used to determine the most appropriate “graduation” date.
2.) Will my insurance cover OT?
Skill Builders provides current diagnostic and procedural codes on each billing statement, as required by insurance companies, for the family to submit. While we are not listed as providers with any insurance plans, most insurance companies do cover portions of OT services. Each person’s policy differs, so it is best to check with your plan manager or call the insurance company directly to determine coverage. Please let us know what requirements, if any, your insurance company has for pre-authorization, prior to your first visit.
3.) Can sensory integration concerns be addressed at school?
School OT services are provided with an emphasis on academically-related issues. Many times sensory integration concerns have an impact on school performance, and adaptations can be made to help the child function within the busy school environment, acknowledging his sensory needs.
4.) Can I do anything at home to help my child?
There are many ways to provide additional sensory comfort and sensory experiences at home, often during quiet times, bath time, playground outings and snack times. At Skill Builders, we work with families to create a “sensory diet” for use at home and school — just as we look for variety in the foods that we eat, we need variety in our daily sensory experiences. These sensory and sensory-motor activities can be mixed in with the “regular” day-to-day events at home, and can be fun for the whole family!
Check out our Resources page for a list of websites that provide useful information for parents and teachers regarding a variety of topics including sensory integration and occupational therapy.
Some signs of possible difficulties include:
If you have any questions about whether your child should be evaluated and/or undergo treatment for the type of delay or difficulty you are observing, please call and speak with our scheduling coordinator. She will be able to tell you whether what you are noticing is typical given your child’s age or is something that should be assessed.
Skill Builders offers speech, language, hearing, and sensorimotor screenings onsite at many preschools, private schools, and daycare programs in the area. Consultations and on-site therapy is also available. Workshops on various topics including general language development, ways to facilitate fine motor development, reasons to refer, etc are also offered and available for parents or teachers. Please contact Cari Syron at 703-941-7757 x101 for more information on these services.
All of Skill Builders’ therapy rooms are equipped with an observation window so that parents may observe their child’s treatment session. Depending on your child’s individual needs, the speech pathologist may also invite you to participate in your child’s therapy session. Typically, each therapy session at Skill Builders includes time for parent discussion and review.
Each family will then be asked to carry over any techniques and/or methods used in therapy, in to their daily life. This is necessary to promote generalization of learned skills and ensure that progress made in therapy continues at home, school, and/or other communication environments the child participates in.
Each child’s participation in speech therapy is based on his/her individual needs and the availability of the family. Most children attend weekly speech sessions, while others are monitored on a monthly basis. We see most children for an average of two years, with changes made in frequency of sessions, as appropriate. Progress re-evaluations, on-going input from the parents, and updates from the teachers and other professionals involved, are used to determine the most appropriate “graduation” date.
Skill Builders provides current diagnostic and procedural codes on each billing statement, as required by insurance companies, for the family to submit. While we are not listed as in-network providers with any insurance plans, most insurance companies do cover portions of speech services at your plan’s out-of-network rates. Each person’s policy differs, so it is best to check with your plan manager or call the insurance company directly to determine coverage. Please let us know what requirements, if any, your insurance company has for pre-authorization, prior to your first visit. Some families are able to get Skill Builders’ services covered at in-network rates due to the limited availability of in-network providers in the area. However, the family will still be required to submit the claims to the insurance company themselves.
Each evaluation is tailored to the child’s individual needs so the types of assessment tools used vary. In general, however, a full evaluation will assess a child’s receptive and expressive language abilities, social skills, articulation and oral motor skills, and language processing abilities. Other areas assessed include reading, spelling, phonological awareness, fluency, voice and written language abilities. Characteristics of auditory processing disorders are also noted although an official diagnosis of an auditory processing disorder must come from an audiologist trained in the evaluation of auditory processing disorders.
All of our speech pathologists have completed their Master’s degree in speech pathology and hold current VA licenses. They have also all completed the 9 month required supervisory period in order to hold the ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC). Continuing education is an ongoing, important, and required part of employment at Skill Builders. Examples of some of the specialized trainings our therapists have received are as follows:
We see children ages birth to 18 in both our McLean and Annandale offices. In addition, some of our speech therapists are experienced in assessing and treating adult patients presenting with a variety of disorders related to a stroke, traumatic brain injury, developmental disorders, etc.
Yes! We frequently recommend cotreatment sessions in which your child is seen by an occupational therapist and speech therapist at the same time. This is appropriate when your child has significant sensory, motor planning, or fine or gross motor needs in conjunction with a language or motor speech disorder. This type of session is most often used with our children presenting with autism spectrum disorders but has also been a very effective treatment option for children with apraxia, Down syndrome, and significant language or auditory processing disorders. Cotreatment with an occupational therapist allows the speech pathologist to focus in on what they are best at, treating speech or language disorders, while the occupational therapist can address the child’s sensorimotor needs. Often in traditional individual treatment sessions, the speech pathologist notes that the child’s sensorimotor needs are hindering their progress in speech/language therapy while the OT observes that the child’s language or speech needs are negatively impacting their progress towards their OT objectives. By combining the two approaches, we are able to see faster and more significant progress in the same amount of time. When the child is ready we will eventually split back into two separate sessions as needed and appropriate. If you think your child may benefit from this treatment option, please feel free to discuss it when speaking with the scheduling coordinators.
Check out our Resources page for a list of websites that provide useful information for parents and teachers regarding a variety of topics related to speech-language and occupational therapy.
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