Frequently asked questions
What do speech-language therapy sessions look like?
Our speech and language sessions are one-on-one with a focus on helping your child achieve their goals in a fun, relaxed environment. For toddlers and younger children, this will probably look a lot like play!
For children working on specific articulation or orofacial myofunctional goals, sessions may look more structured and consist of repetitions of oral motor movements or sounds in order to build muscle memory (but we still have fun!).
Where do evaluations and treatment sessions take place?
We come to you! We currently provide all services (evaluation and treatment) in your home, or in a community location (like a library or daycare/ private school).
We currently travel to areas within about 30 minutes of zip code 23089. Our primary service areas are in New Kent County and Williamsburg. If you live outside of our travel radius, teletherapy is an option as well.
What ages do you work with?
Our primary training and experience is with pediatric patients, and we currently treat children ages around 18 months and up. For feeding, we consider infants under 18 months to be a special population, and would be happy to refer you to appropriate professionals if you have concerns about your baby’s ability to breast or bottle feed.
With regard to adult services, we do provide orofacial myofunctional therapy for both children (usually around age 4/5 and up) and adults. We do not provide services related to adult cognition, aphasia, dementia, or geriatric swallowing.
Can I be present for my child’s session?
Of course! We would love to have you involved in your child’s session. We welcome families to observe and/or participate, as we have found that family involvement can greatly improve carryover and generalization of learned skills across environments.
If you are unable to be there for the duration of your child’s session (for example, if the session takes place at their school or daycare, or with a babysitter), that’s okay, too—we will still provide you with a brief summary of what we did during the session as well as carryover ideas to try throughout the week at home.
We do ask that children have a parent or adult available to assist during teletherapy sessions.
How can I help my child make progress with their skills?
We value family involvement in their child’s therapy plan. We will regularly communicate with you about your child’s progress and send home carryover activities following their sessions. Completion of the recommended carryover activities is essential to ensure that the skills addressed during therapy sessions are maintained and generalized into the natural environment.
Consistent attendance to your scheduled sessions is another important factor in both making therapeutic progress as well as maintaining your spot on the therapy schedule. We do have an attendance policy, and will discuss this with you as part of the intake process.
Do you accept my insurance?
We are not currently contracted with any insurance companies, and do not bill insurance companies for our services. We accept payment for the services we provide at the time of service using local check, cash, debit/credit card, and/or FSA/HSA card.
While we do not bill insurance, your insurance company may still cover some of or all of our services via your out-of-network benefits. We are able to provide you with a Superbill, which is a form that you can submit to your insurance company to attempt to receive reimbursement for our services.
We have created a worksheet to help guide your conversations with your insurance company so that you better understand your out of network benefits. Please reach out to us if you’d like a copy!
How much do the services cost?
Our comprehensive evaluations include written reports, and range from $285 to $385, depending on the areas being assessed.
Treatment sessions range from $70 to $85 per session, depending on the service being provided.
How do I get started?
We would love to connect! Here is our process:
Step 1: Contact Pathway Therapy Specialists where you will speak directly with me, Rebecca Johnson, owner and speech-language pathologist. I will answer your questions and make recommendations for the next best steps.
Step 2: In most cases, we will begin with a comprehensive evaluation to determine your child’s areas of strength and need. Prior to us conducting this assessment, you will complete our intake paperwork forms and we will discuss your child’s case history, so that we have the information we need to assess them effectively. If your child has been evaluated by another speech-language pathologist within the last 6 months, we would be happy to review that evaluation report and determine if more information is needed.
Step 3: Once therapy begins, each session will be individualized to your child's preferences and goals on a given week. Currently, all sessions will take place either in the convenience of your own home; at your child’s school, daycare, or other community location; or via teletherapy. Clients usually have sessions 1-2 times a week for 30-45 minutes. I will take regular data to measure progress and ensure we are making strides towards your child's goals.