Initial Consultations

The wait for speech and language assessment through public services can be lengthy.
The expense for speech and language assessment through private services can be costly.

Too often, these two realities leave clients reluctant to seek assessment if they are unsure speech and/or language intervention can be beneficial. Clients are hesitant to spend money only to find services are unnecessary, and averse to submit information only to wait months to find they should have started intervention long ago.

In my experience, children perform better both behaviourally and in terms of skills when they are more familiar with an environment.

In an attempt to provide timely estimation as to the necessity of speech or language intervention without expense, and/or provide clients the opportunity to "feel out" the clinic setting and talk to the clinician to ensure a good fit for any needed intervention

Initial consultations are always free of charge.

Clients are welcome to attend a screening session to determine if further assessment is necessary without investing financially in the process. There is no obligation to continue with Family Speech and Language Services should assessment be recommended. If assessment is not recommended, the client obtains peace of mind without the cost or wait.

Daycare Screenings

Family Speech and Language Services offers initial consultations free of charge. This allows parents of preschoolers to ensure their child's development is as expected for their age without investing financially in costly private assessments.

We believe it's important for all children to have their speech and language skills screened before entering primary. Ideally, this screening should happen at aged three or four to allow a couple of years for intervention should it be needed. Strong speech and language skills will maximize your child's opportunity to learn once they enter school.

Several local daycares have participated with Family Speech and Language Services to provide screenings to their children at the daycare. Parents are offered this service through a letter of information and sign a permission form to request a screening. Once the screening is completed, parents are provided a brief report outlining their child's performance and any recommendations being made.

If you are interested in this service as a daycare provider, please call the office at 405.3020.

Screenings:

Family Speech and Language Services offers screenings of preschoolers at no cost. A screening may involve a brief test, discussion with the parent/caregiver, and observation of the child to determine if further assessment is warranted. If the child is evaluated to be "age appropriate" the caregiver can leave assured that their child is doing well and no further action is needed. If further testing is needed an assessment can be scheduled as follow up. This initial session is offered at no cost; a way for parents to "check it out to be safe" without making a financial investment in doing so. Completion of screenings includes a Screening Report.

Assessment:

The initial stage of SLP service is a complete and accurate assessment of communication strengths and weaknesses. This may include completion of a standardized test, observation of the client in one or more communicative contexts, discussion with family members and the client (depending on age) of their desires and needs for communicating and obstacles interfering with those wishes and overview of general health and communication history. The length of sessions and number of sessions depends greatly on client age and ability to cooperate during that session. Completion of the assessment includes discussion of test findings and development of intervention goals and programme when needed.

Reporting:

Assessment findings are recommended to be compiled in the form of a written report, which will be available to the client and/or his or her family. This report is also made available to other professionals working with the client and/or to the client's primary physician upon the client's direction and at no extra cost. Reports can also be valuable to summarize intervention goals and progress, in preparation for transition and team meetings or to document discussions and plans made at offsite observations or team meetings. The preparation of a report is always discussed with the client whose approval must be given for a report to be developed.

Intervention:

After an assessment has outlined the target goals for intervention, discussion on the type and frequency of intervention is made. Intervention sessions can be flexible in type, duration, frequency and location, depending on the schedule and needs of the client and his or her family. Intervention must include involvement and support of family members during intervention sessions and/or completion of home programme tasks to maximize the affect of intervention activities.

Cost:

The fee for individual assessment and/or intervention services is $95/hour. This includes one hour of clinical time and any time needed for preparation and follow-up for that session. Additional services charged by the hour include: professional team meetings, consultation and/or facilitation training. Off-site, 1-hr sessions are charged $125/hour to compensate for travel time and expenses. Written report fees are $95/hour for the first two hours needed to complete the report. Should the report take longer than 2 hours, there is no additional charge. Should the report take less than 2 hours, only the time taken will be charged.

Payment can be made by cash, cheque, debit card or credit card and is required at the end of each session. Please consult your insurance company for coverage - most plans will have coverage for SLP services; receipts are provided for insurance claims. A pre-payment programme is available.

The Speech and Hearing Association of Nova Scotia recommends private clinicians charge a rate of $110/hour.

Testimonials:

Anonymous completion of Client Comment Questionnaires has provided us with valuable feedback.

The following testimonials were collected from anonymous Client Comment Questionnaires:

"Friendly interaction with child immediately - down to their level. Felt extremely comfortable and at ease."

"... made it a fun learning experience."

"... has an excellent way of interacting with children; makes a big difference."

"Loved the place; very clean and new. Was great with my sons."

"If we need speech therapy in the future, we definitely will be coming back."

When asked on the Client Comment Questionnaire, 86% of respondents said they "definitely would" refer a friend to Family Speech & Language Services.

Fundraising:

Family Speech & Language Services is fundraising for the Autism Society of Nova Scotia. Car Magnets for Autism Awareness are available for $3.00. Autism Awareness bracelets from the Autism Society of Canada are available for $5.00. All proceeds from sales of magnets and bracelets will be given to the Autism Society of NS.

Location:

Family Speech and Language Services is located on the corner of Oxford and London. The office is new, private, quiet and confidential. Work space includes an observation room with closed circuit video and furniture appropriate for children and adults. Ideally, assessment should be done in the clinic setting where distractions and interruptions are limited and controlled. Some extenuating circumstances or specific assessment needs may require off-site assessments in the home, hospital, daycare or school. Location of intervention largely depends on the needs and goals of the client. Choices may include the clinic, home, daycare or school, hospital or place of work. Off site appointments are subject to a slightly higher rate to compensate for travel time and office time to complete an offsite session report.

Publications

Look for our articles in The Parent Child Guide, Family & Co and local newsletters around Halifax.