How did you locate private ST/OT for an older child without

[rafiki]

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[Guest]

Several avenues:

 

--pediatrician recommendations

--neuropsych evaluator recommendations

--other parents

--presentations and/or lectures by therapists at a support group for parents of kids on the spectrum

 

If you have one therapist you like in any field, he or she might also know the reputations of various other therapy clinics or people and be able to help you find a good fit.

 

But still, it takes calling, visiting, having initial meetings with all these people to see whether or not they will be the best choice for your child and family. I was grateful to have choices, though, compared to taking what was given through the school system or even through our health insurance; we went out of pocket for almost all services.

[SkateLeft]

We found our private therapies on the recommendations of my son's developmental pediatrician, his neurologist and his regular pediatrician.

[NittanyJen]

Our local children's hospital does a ton of outpatient clinics, and will also provide referrals. The place where I had PT had a guy who started his career doing pediatric PT at a children's hospital, but I had to ask before I discovered that fact. Have you asked the school providers for a referral? My son's school ST, when he had one, was through an outside agency, and though they also stopped at age 7, the individual Therapists had buddies in the area.

[Hwin]

Autism support group (or other special needs support group). Even if your child is not autism spectrum, I would think an autism support group would be a good place to start. There seem to be a lot of them out there.

[Tokyomarie]

We have found our ST & tutors through the recommendations of our psychologist/neuropsychologist. The ST we used here in the States about 10 years back was one we located after first being referred to a university clinic by our Primary Care Physician. The university was going to be too expensive for self-pay & our insurance wouldn't cover anything developmental at all at the time. They did refer me on to a former employee who was working from home after starting her family & she was more affordable than the clinic would have been.

 

We have always been self-pay for everything because we could get no coverage. When we were in Japan, we didn't have a school-based option, but here in the States, I wanted to feel that the therapist was working for our family, not the school, so we didn't even investigate school-based therapy.

[PrincessAriel]

How old are you talking about? I have a son who went to the OT/ST clinic where my younger children had gone. At the time there weren't a lot of older kids there (he was about 16-17 at the time). He lucked out by getting assigned to a therapist who was perfect for him. She had had a younger brother who had the same types of issues and worked on a lot of things with him. She ended up leaving to have a baby or he would have gone there longer and he didn't want to start over with someone new. I credit the head OT at the clinic with making the initial match turn out so well. She listened well and found just who we needed. Since he left a few years ago, they have had many more older kids go through the clinic. I would probably talk to a few different clinics and see what they have to offer you. In a perfect world everyone would be able to access therapy at a young age but some of us aren't so lucky in identifying issues so early on. Good luck!

[Sugarfoot]

Is there college or university in your area with a speech and language department? My DS 15 has been getting excellent ST this way. His sessions are with a graduate student in the last part of his/her program, so close to graduation, and overseen by a supervisor who is also a professor in the department. They have been very well-informed, professional, and helpful. They've also billed our insurance.

[AmyinMD]

We've mostly used word of mouth from other parents. Most of our providers don't take insurance either. All provide forms to submit to insurance which I do myself and am sometimes able to get some reimbursement.

 

I wouldn't discount a place that is used to working with younger children. We took a chance on our ABA trainer who had never done ABA with a child under age 10. She is absolutely wonderful with my son. He has responded better to her than to anyone that has ever worked with him.

[Dobela]

Our pediatrician usually has the most up to date list. After that I would consider calling the preschool for children with disabilities. Ours has therapists who regularly see school age clients afterhours. They bill for some types of insurance but not all.