Billing & Insurance
SF Speech Therapy contracts with Kaiser and with Golden Gate Regional Center's Early Start program. Both entities require prior authorization before covering services.
For all out-of-network insurances, a superbill is available upon request and may help you secure reimbursement from your insurance provider depending on your plan; however, as all plans are different, we are not able to guarantee reimbursement. Download our Out of Network Reimbursement Guide to learn more!
SF Speech Therapy offers both 25-minute and 45-minute private pay sessions depending on your child and family's specific goals and needs. Please reach out to us for our current private pay rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Don't see your question? Give us a call! We will be happy to answer your questions, discuss your concerns, and provide guidance on the next steps.
What ages do you work with?
We believe strongly in early intervention and specialize in the early identification of speech, language, and feeding disorders. This can sometimes mean that we begin supporting parents and children before the child even reaches one year of age. Our speech pathologists' deep expertise in the underpinnings of speech, language, and feeding also means that they excel at working with older children, particularly those targeting motor speech or articulation goals and those exploring multimodal communication and learning how to communicate a wider range of ideas and needs in everyday interactions.
What is early intervention?
Early intervention refers to services given to very young children with developmental delays or disorders, generally provided before the age of three. Services can include speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.
Why is early intervention important?
The first few years of a child’s life are a time of rapid brain growth. At birth, every neuron in the cerebral cortex has an estimated 2,500 synapses; by age of three, this number has grown to 15,000 synapses per neuron. In fact, by age three, about 85% of the brain's core structure is already formed. The enormous capacity for growth in the first three years of life makes it an ideal time to ameliorate identified delays or disorders. I think of early intervention as an efficient option. The hope is that these services, provided early, will address any delays in development so that the child will not need services later on. Other reasons to intervene early include the impact of delayed or disordered development on a child’s frustration level and behavior and the benefit of being developmentally ready for preschool and kindergarten.
What is speech?
Speech refers to the physical production of words which includes four systems of the body: respiration (breathing), phonation (using the larynx to produce voice), articulation (using the structures of the mouth and throat to produce specific speech sounds), and resonance (using the cavities of the throat, mouth, and nose to shape a sound). Disorders of speech may include muscle weakness (dysarthria) or difficulty with motor coordination (apraxia).
What is language?
Components of language are phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Phonology refers to the sound repertoire of a language. For instance, many languages in south and east Africa use clicks, whereas the English language does not because clicks are not part of our phonology. Morphology refers to the structure of a word. For instance, in English, we use “ed” to denote regular past tense. This ending is a morpheme. Syntax refers to the ordering of words in a sentence, and semantics refers to the meaning of language, including vocabulary.
What is multimodal communication?
Multimodal communication is a holistic way of looking at communication in which all methods of communication are responded to and encouraged. Research supports the idea that teaching a child that their communication is powerful, as well as teaching them how to make it even more powerful, encourages overall communication and language development. Providing opportunities for multimodal communication and recognizing their use as communication leads to powerful communicators. Multimodal communication involves spoken language, but it can also include gestures, facial expressions, sign language, pictures, and the use of a speech-generating device.
How is feeding related to speech?
Children learn to eat before they learn to form words, and they use the same oral structures and musculature to do so. Therefore, difficulties in feeding are not only important to address because they can affect nutritional intake, but they are also important because using maladaptive patterns for feeding can reinforce muscular habits that may lead to difficulty with speech. Speech is a very complex skill and relies on the strength and coordination of the muscles and structures used for breathing, producing voice, and articulating sounds. The articulators include those used for feedings, such as the jaw, cheeks, tongue, palate, teeth, and lips. All sounds are impacted by intact structures and functional muscle movement. In this way, feeding is, in many cases, important to speech development. Identifying and treating issues early on helps children be successful speakers as well as eaters.
What child-specific questions can a Speech-Language Pathologist answer?
Speech-Language Pathologists can answer many general questions about speech, language, and feeding including the ones above. However, some questions can only be answered on a case-by-case basis. Here are a few examples:
Is my child developing typically?
If my child is not developing typically, will he/she “catch up” or is therapy appropriate?
My child is delayed in speech, and my doctor says that I should “wait and see.” Is there anything I can be doing to help right now?
How can I encourage my particular child’s speech, language, or feeding development?
Will you collaborate with my child's teacher and/or other therapists?
In our experience, children make the most progress when we know and understand them well and when they are able to practice their new skills in a variety of settings and with a variety of people. For that reason, collaboration is a priority for us. Typically, we reach out to teachers and/or other therapists within the first few weeks of therapy in order to gain a better understanding of a child's interests, areas of strength, and areas of need. We continue to reach out to communicate what we are working on and encourage generalization as therapy progresses.
How often do we come to therapy?
The frequency of therapy is dependent on a child's individual needs and goals. Most of our clients come at least weekly. Those working on motor speech and articulation may come more frequently in order to facilitate the frequent, repetitive practice of motor/muscular movements, which supports rapid gains. Likewise, children working on a number of communication or feeding goals at once may attend sessions more than once per week.
Can I be present for my child's session?
We prioritize involving and training families and caregivers in what we are doing in sessions. For our younger clients, that typically means that parents and caregivers are present for their child's session, interacting with them directly along with the therapist. Some children, especially older children, are better served by attending sessions independently. In cases where children attend sessions independently, your child's speech pathologist will communicate with you verbally or via note or email after the session so that you have a good understanding of what was covered in sessions and what to focus on at home.