If You Are Interested in Having Your Child Evaluated, Call Our Office to Schedule an Appointment.
Who can our therapists evaluate?
CPT’s therapists are trained to work with children of all ages and varying diagnoses including:
- Developmental Coordination Disorder
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)
- Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Developmental Delays
- Torticollis
- Feeding and Swallowing Disorders
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Handwriting Difficulties
- Physical Disabilities
- Postural or Balance Issues
- Anxiety and Emotional Regulation Disorders
- Down Syndrome
- Visual Perceptual or Visual Motor Dysfunction
- Fine and Gross Motor Delays
- Congenital Disorders
- Neurological Disorders
- Articulation and Phonological Disorders
- Expressive/Receptive/Mixed Language Disorders
- Apraxia of Speech
- Fluency Disorders
- Voice Disorders
- Social Communication Disorders
- Selective Mutism
What is the evaluation process?
CPT’s initial evaluations take approximately one to one and a half hours to complete. During the evaluation, a combination of parent interview, clinical observations, and standardized assessments will be administered to determine your child’s current level of functioning. Results from the assessment will be reviewed at the end of the evaluation with you, and in most cases our therapist’s recommendation for services can be discussed at that time. Sometimes, however, additional time is required for our clinicians to review and interpret the evaluation results. In this case, they will contact you a day or two after the evaluation to review their findings. If treatment is recommended, your child can begin therapy right away, unless your insurance carrier requires authorization for services. If authorization is required, CPT first must submit additional paperwork to your insurance carrier, including the evaluation report and plan of care (goals and objectives). We then must wait for approval of therapy visits from your carrier. This process can take up to 2 weeks to complete.
Areas your child may be evaluated in:
- fine motor coordination
- gross motor skills
- sensory processing
- body in space awareness
- motor planning
- visual motor skills
- strength and endurance
- coordination and balance
- reflex integration
- activities of daily living
- bilateral coordination
- postural control
- handwriting performance
- feeding and oral motor skills
- speech production
- articulation
- receptive and expressive language
- pragmatics
- neuromuscular status
- gait analysis
What should I tell my child about why we are coming?
Therapy is meant to be fun for the child. Our clinicians use a play-based approach for all intervention plans. Depending on the type of therapy your child is receiving, you can share with your child that they are going to play. Examples of what your child will be doing include getting to swing, crash in the ball pit, jump on the trampoline, walk on the balance beam, play talking games, color/draw, or set up fun obstacle courses. If your child asks why, you can share, as appropriate, that they are coming to get stronger muscles, help them say their words more clearly, move their body in a more coordinated manner, and/or hold their pencil correctly.
When should I start therapy for my child?
Early intervention is essential to reaching optimal progress in the shortest period of time. Therefore, if your child has been recommended to receive services, starting therapy right away is best.
How long will my child need therapy?
If therapy services are recommended, there are a few factors that determine how long your child will need therapy. The duration of therapy is directly related to your child’s areas of difficulty and recommended treatment plan. Some children may have a plan that requires only short term intervention, such as 3 months. However, other children may have a diagnosis (such as Autism) that warrants a much longer course of therapy, often over a year or more. Additionally, carry over of home suggestions is crucial to your child’s rate of progress and will help to ensure the duration will not be extended. Your therapist can discuss with you a projected timeline of how long therapy will be needed.